Looking for a NC beach

[blessedby3]

We usually go to Hilton Head Island for our beach vacations. We were trying to stay somewhere a little closer to home this year (we are in SW Virginia). I was looking at North Carolina... Topsail Island or the Outer Banks area…or any other suggestions. We love the peacefulness of Hilton Head and dont want anything like Myrtle Beach. Does anyone have suggestions of nicer family beaches that have outlets/restaurants nearby (within 20-30 mins or so). Looking for a 3 BR house or condo rental as well. Thanks

 

[lisaross]

Nags head is nice has outlets

 

[ForeverAlice]

We have stayed in the Outer Banks several times and found it to be perfect for our family. We have stayed in Nags Head, South Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills. There are very quiet areas as well like Rodanthe or Waves or Avon. We have used sun realty and village realty for vacation home rentals. They do normally book for summer pretty fast though. I recommend going to the NC aquarium on Roanoke Island if you do go- it is a favorite of ours.

 

[UncleMike101]

We visit Wrightsville Beach NC several times a year.
http://www.visitwrightsvillebeachnc.com/
They have some first class restaurants.
The Oceanic is a favorite of ours. You can ask to dine outside on the pier and have a panoramic view of the Ocean.
Bluewater Waterfront Grill in another good choice. It's on the Inland Waterway.
Oceans, at the Holiday Inn is also a great spot to sit on the outdoors deck while you eat.
Plus Wilmington NC is about two miles inland and they have hundreds of historical and generally interesting sites to visit.

 

[lovin'fl]

Carolina or Kure Beach. We stayed there once or twice. It was nice and reasonably priced. Not too commercialized but a bit going on.

 

[mrsabbott]

You may be able to find a nice condo on VRBO.

 

[Pembo]

We loved Emerald Isle.

 

[mrudman]

We went to Ocean Isle a couple years ago... Stayed at the WindJammer II. Beautiful area with a really nice beach. You do have to drive 10-15 minutes to get to most restaurants/activities, but we spent 90% of our time just enjoying the ocean. And even got to see a sea turtle nest hatching,

 

[MomToOne]

Caswell Beach, if you just want a nice beach and not much else.

We vacationed there every year growing up, then my parents built a home on the beach and lived there for the first 10 years of their retirement or so. There are no hotels, it's either renting a house, or a condo. Quiet beach, family oriented. Not much to it - it literally has a single road, with the ocean on one side, the intercoastal on the other.

We also stayed at the other beaches on Oak Island, but Caswell is the quietest. Southport is a short drive for grocery shopping and a few restaurants. Wilmington is a 30-40 minute drive for more stuff, but no outlet malls that I know of. Nearest outlets would probably be at Myrtle Beach, SC which is a little over an hour away.

 

[megf06]

Our family loves the OBX! We have stayed in Nags Head, Kitty Hawk, and Kill Devil hills. It's always quiet on the beach side, but close to restaurants and shopping.

 

[DisneyMandC]

Avon and Buxton are definitely quiet. Parts of Corolla and Carova are great too.

 

[halfpintpeggy]

How about going north & checking out Chincoteague/Assateague?

 

[kirstenb1]

I think the OBX is too crowded. Have you considered Sandbridge? It's Virginia's southernmost beach, right to the border of NC. Only rentals, no hotels or fast food. But there are several restaurants, and civilization is about 15 minutes away. One of my favorite/silly highlights was hearing the ice cream man go through all the neighborhoods every afternoon. Our kids would get so excited! And unlike the OBX, you can walk to the beach from most streets, except Back Bay area, which is probably 1/3-1/2 mile.

 

[westcoastfldisneygirl]

I'm originally from the Emerald Isle area and love it there.

I also really like the OBX. Nags Head/Kill Devil Hills, even Corolla.

 

[mousehappync]

The waves and currents I the OBX scare me to death. Our friend's 18-year-old nephew drowned in knee-high water in Corolla. We are NC natives, and our favorite beach is Oak Island (Caswell and Long Beach are also part of OI.). There are great restaurants in Southport, about a 10 minute drive, and a fantastic seafood market (Haag and Sons.) We also love Bald Head Island-- total pain to get there, but it's gorgeous. It's much more expensive than OI, so it's not an every trip destination for us.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

The waves and currents I the OBX scare me to death. Our friend's 18-year-old nephew drowned in knee-high water in Corolla......

We rented a house in Kill Devil Hills and my husband broke his clavicle when a wave slammed him into the shore.

 

[tvsdisney]

Love Emerald Isle and Bald Head Island. Two of our favorite beaches OBX is to touristy and the water can still be freezing even in the summer.

 

[mjkacmom]

OBX crowded with cold water? Here in NJ, we are happy when the water reaches 70 degrees.

 

[My3Princez]

Our family has really fallen in love with Carolina Beach. It's just a small town, and I don't think there are any outlets nearby but there are several delicious restaurants and we love the small town atmosphere. Lots of rentals on vrbo. We stay at a house about 2 blocks off the beach and once we park, we never use the car again until we head home. Everything we want is in walking distance.

 

[sallysue66]

Being a native I will have to give a shout out for Ocean Isle and Sunset Beaches in southern NC. Beautiful beaches, family atmosphere, not too crowded or commercialized. Outlets in North Myrtle Beach are easy to get to about 30 minutes away.