Outer Banks

I haven't been, but a friend just suggested Holden, NC, or maybe it's Holden Beach, NC. They aren't crazy about OBX because it takes 'forever' to get off the banks if you want to come to the mainland. That's about all I can offer up. Good luck!

We stayed in corolla which was a nice little family area although i hear check in and checkout times the traffic just sits for hoirs over a few miles stretch. Yuck! i too vote for myrtle beach. we went to surfside beach which is a really great area. myrtle beach has so much to do and the watrr is sooo much warmer than outer banks. that water i ouetr banksis like an icicle all the time.

I'd go farther down south to Wrightsville Beach. The water around Duck and Nags Head is SO hard to be in! Rip tides and undertows. It is much better down in Wrightsville Beach. Holden Beach is pretty good too, but I think it's easier to find a place to stay at Wrightsville.

If you are going to fly, how about Myrtle Beach? (There's an airport there.) Make SURE you stay in NORTH Myrtle Beach. Myrtle Beach has all the teens and college students - irritating! North Myrtle has the families.

Dawn

How old is your daughter? There aren't a lot of kid friendly things to do at the Outer Banks. However, it is rich in history.
If you want something that is a little less crowded, you might look at some of the southern beaches- like Carolina Beach, Sunset Beach, Wilmington, or Topsail Island. Atlantic Beach is great, too. Since I am a native, I prefer less of the tourist thing. And for goodness sake, please do not feel the seagulls (a common no-no of the out-of-towners). lol

I went to Nags Head and I loved it! It seems to be "centrally located" and there is a lot to do there. If you go up or down the coast you can go to see many small beach front towns and they all have something neat to offer. The beaches are really nice and clean. The only thing I did not care for is that certain times of the day the beaches are open to fisherman that can drive their vehicles right onto the sand and fish in the surf. That bothered me because my kids were really small at the time and I was not too hep to the idea that people are driving on the same beach area that I am sitting on and casting fishing lines with hooks into the same waters that my kids and I were swimming in. But, after the first day I just learned to leave the beach whenever that happened. There is a lot of things to do and see...many lighthouses and walking trails. If you take any of the trails though make sure you have insect repellent becuase the bugs can be pretty pesty. My youngest was in the stroller and he was just a landing pad for bugs. But, overall, I think the whole trip to the Outer Banks was well worth it.

We are going in 4 weeks!! I can't wait. I've never been either and it will be our first ever truly relaxing vacation (not Disney or family reunion or anything). My whole family is going, but we all live local to each other as well, so it will just be nice to spend time together.

I'm not 100% sure what part of the OBX we are renting our house in, but it's near Kitty Hawk. So we will definitely be going there! I posted a Q a while ago about OBX and got some great advice. I actually looked at it yesterday since we are closer, I want to start planning out some ideas and have my ducks in a row - so to speak :).

If you end up going there - have a great time! I know we plan to!

I live about an hour away from the Outer Banks. A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I took the kids out there for the day. On the way home, I came clean. I just don't like the Outer Banks!

Even on the warmest days, I find the ocean water to be uncomfortably cool and the undertow, well.... it SUCKS! The restaurants charge five-star prices for mediocre food and the entertainment options are seriously limited.

OBX wants to pride itself on being a family-friendly beach vacation destination. To me, their efforts translate to quite dull and a bit run down, yet snooty. Go figure! Myrtle Beach has much more in the way of entertainment options and the Gulf Stream makes those waters a bit more enticing.

Now, if you want to just see the ocean but don't care about going swimming, I say Atlantic City. NJ knows people don't want to swim in those questionable waters, yet they manage to make the beach a destination worth visiting. I know it may not be as far as you'd like to go, but may be worth investigating.

Happy planning.

You need to book soon, maybe yesterday. This is a popular place! Do not be daunted by the MANY rentals sleeping 10, 12, 18 people...You may have to hunt to find a smaller place, or go with a condo. Look online today.

Be sure to spend a day off the beach by going to the town of Manteo if you have any interest at all in the Banks' fascinating history. (Manteo is slighly inland from the beaches, on an island between the Banks and the They might love this: There is a very interesting historic park there with a replica of the ship used to sail to the OBX by the FIRST English settlers to the New World - forget the Pilgrims or Jamestown; the "Lost Colony" was first, though it vanished mysteriously. Go online to the Manteo town web site and find tourist info. Manteo also boasts the outdoor drama "The Lost Colony" all summer long in the evenings -- the country's first outdoor historical drama. Bring the bug spray to the waterside theatre.

Also spend a day at the state park beach that is just south of Nags Head. Look on a map and you can't miss it. It's fantastic because it has a large complex with bathrooms, showers and dressing rooms but is not anywhere near any houses etc. so you feel much more isolated from all the buildings.

Another must is the lighthouses! OBX has very tall and exceptionally beautiful ones. Currituck lighthouse (farthest north) is lovely and there was supposed to be a new nature center built nearby-- not sure what the status of that is. The mighty, massive Cape Hatteras light is a bit of a drive but worth it to get to the top and see the awesome view (however, this climb is not for small kids or those in poor health-- it is seriously high). Bodie Island light (pronounced "Body") is lovely but not open for climbing, though you can go visit it. Yes, we love lighthouses.....

Outer Banks are super duper awesome and fun if you just like to beachcomb. We are doing Topsail Island NC this year in July!!!! good choice. I have done Outer Banks many times. Best is Nags Head. I like the place where the Wright Brothers tested their first airplanes as well. Its gorgeous. Depending where you start from, if its from the north I believe there is a bridge that spans the ocean from the main land. Then you drive all the way to the south, its not 200 miles of road but of small inter-connecting chains of island. I say I would take a day to to see it. Once you get all the way south you have to take a 2 hour ferry boat ride to get back to the main land. If you like that. If not you have to drive back to the north end for the bridge. We have occasionally rented some of the awesome stilt house out there. One was like 3 stories tall and mostly made of glass. It was so awesome. Though the wind is mighty fearsome out there most of the time. I just like the beauty, it does get kinda boring, cause its mostly just that, BEACH. The smattering of towns are pretty nice, but their isnt like a TON of things to do out there but explore dunes, and beaches.

Personally, we find the "meat" of the Outer Banks (Nags Head, KDH, Kitty Hawk) to be a little too crowded and over done...I'd look at Waves, Salvo, Rodanthe or Avon for a little more "off the beaten path" experience. We've had nice vacations further south of Nags Head. Have fun!

When I was younger, we used to have a time share in Nags Head and would go every summer. Our main focus was the beach, but we also did putt putt, 4 wheelers, bumper boats, a movie, the lighthouses, a water park, etc. There are lots of seafood places to eat, although I don't like seafood. There are lots of things to do, so you will be able to keep occupied. I wish we still had our time share....those were the best vacations!