Best North Carolina Beaches?

[MosMom]

We are visiting family in North Carolina this summer. They are in Fayetteville and I was just curious what the best beaches are. My MIL is coming out as well and she is into lighthouses so a place with some pretty lighthouses would be a plus. Nice tourist town with shopping/dining would be fabulous and a great place to stay too.

This is why I don't go anywhere other than Disney...I really hate not being the one who knows everything.

 

[sajetto]

If you are looking for an upscale beach with nice homes and shopping I would go to Duck or Nags Head. Currituck light house is very close to Duck is is a nice place to visit without being too touristy.

My personal favorite place to visit it Ocrakoke Island. However, it takes a long ferry ride to get there. It feels like your own little world in a village far off in the ocean. I really like the style of that lighthouse. It is shorter and all white.

 

[bcvgal]

Ocean Isle or Sunset Beach is my faves. Southport is nice too. Not as many lighthouses there other than Bald Head and you have to take a ferry there-I think. Ocracoke is great too.

 

[mickeyboat]

I love Wrightsville Beach if you just want beach.

But listen to everyone else if you are looking for lighthouses and retaurants.

Denae

 

[MosMom]

How is Hatteras? I was looking at rental homes and found a great one there at a great price.

 

[SamRoc]

Hatteras is amazing! Our family rented a vacation home there with 2 other families and honestly it was one of the most relaxing vacations we ever had. The ocean water was warm the beaches were so open. We went clamming with all the kids and took home hundreds of clams and made chowder (it looked like we were feeding an army) We read books, played mini golf and had a blast. I have a great picture of my kids in front of the Hattaras lighthouse (it looks like a barber shop pole) Highly recommend it.

 

[Buckalew11]

Ocean Isle or Sunset Beach is my faves. Southport is nice too. Not as many lighthouses there other than Bald Head and you have to take a ferry there-I think. Ocracoke is great too.

Sunset Beach is my fav. I could move there!

 

[wanna-b-Tink]

Emerald Isle is my favorite, but you won't find a lighthouse there. However, you aren't far from them. There always seems to be tons of beautiful big sea shells there.

 

[E&BMom]

We go to Corolla in the Outer Banks in NC every year. We love it and there is a light house right there that you can actually climb to the top of it!!! We like it too because it is not too touristy and busy. Good luck and have fun.

 

[tiggerwannabe]

As far as Hatteras and Lighthouses goes...

Of course Hatteras has theirs but, two hours north is Bodie Island Lighthouse and an hour or two south is Ocrakoke. That would be 3 you could quite easily visit.

Even further south is cape lookout and even further north is Currituck~it all depends on how far you are willing to drive to see a lighthouse.

The ferries at ocrakoke and south run on schedules, check them before venturing down.

As the OP said, Duck is high scale, we stay in Nags Head which is very teenager friendly and I've had friends who have stayed in Hatteras-very nice, very quiet and relaxing. Stores and Tourist stops are a bit more scarce as you head further south.

~HTH~

c.

 

[Tiggeroo]

I stay in Frisco or Hatteras every year. It's beautiful and you can take a ferry to Ocracoke. Quiet, big beaches, you can have fires on the beach, etc.

 

[Plantlady]

Ocracoke is a beautiful place, you can pull over anywhere, and have the entire beach all to yourself. We went there last year, and I can't wait to go back.

 

[bcvgal]

Sunset Beach is my fav. I could move there!

My brother does-lucky dog

 

[MosMom]

I was just checking out Corolla too because I read about the wild mustangs and my daughter is horse crazy. I'm sure wherever we end up it will be beautiful and we'll have a great time.

If we could just get the Army to give my BIL his exact leave dates we could book something!!

 

[Keepee]

Hi! I live in NC and when we go to the beach, we always stay at Southport. Long Beach is pretty nice, there is a lighthouse and you're not a LONG drive away from Myrtle Beach in SC if you have the desire to run down there. You're also not too far from Wilmington! The last few times we've gone to Long Beach, dolphins have come by- we swam out a ways and stood on a sandbar and watched them swim around and play! Very awesome.

I would recommend NOT going to Carolina Beach. It used to be really good, but the last time I went (2 years ago) it was dirty and basically nothing but tourist traps of the worst kind and bars.

 

[jennobrn01]

Hatteras! Stay further south on the OBX. We have stayed in Frisco (southern obx) and Avon. I enjoy Avon because the grocery and some other shops are nearby, but it doesn't have the tourist kitsch of the towns further north. Since we live in a beach resort area; we like open, quiet beaches on which we can surf fish when we vacation.

In our years of renting we have had the best experience with Midgett Realty.

Leaving for our annual extended family vacation fling to Hatteras in 5 days!

 

[Barb D]

Can anyone suggest some specific hotels/places to stay?

There's a Marriott in or near Nag's Head. Is it any good?

My kids want to try hang gliding in Nag's Head.

Also, if we just show up in the OBX next week, will we have trouble finding a place to stay? We're not going to know until the last minute whether we'll be able to go or not.

 

[stemikger]

tinkle bay is my favoriate. They have the most elaborate quick lites their.

 

[MosMom]

Jenn, there a few houses with Midgett that we are looking at...good to hear you've always had good experiences.

stem - Tinkle Bay?

 

[Blondie]

Topsail Island is beautiful!