Looking for a NC beach

[My2CrazyGirls]

Wrightsville Beach! Wilmington is just 10 minutes away with lots of shopping and more restaurants. It is fairly expensive to stay there but it is a really nice classy beach, no craziness.

 

[blessedby3]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I am checking into them right now!

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

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.

Wrightsville Beach! Wilmington is just 10 minutes away with lots of shopping and more restaurants. It is fairly expensive to stay there but it is a really nice classy beach, no craziness.

Local here. Wrightsville Beach is a very nice family beach, and Wilmington has tons to do - the Battleship, a nice Children's Museum, a local museum at WB as well as the Cape Fear Museum, a family-owned water park/mini-golf/go carts place, free concerts at WB park and Mayfaire (shopping center), and lots and lots of restaurants. No outlets - you would have to go south to Myrtle Beach or north to Smithfield or Mebane for outlets - but good local and chain shopping.

It is hard to go wrong with any NC beaches, though. Topsail is beautiful, as are Holden, Oak Island, Emerald Isle, Bald Head, and the Outer Banks. They all have a slightly different character. We don't go to Carolina Beach because Wrightsville Beach is so much closer, but we do make a yearly (or more) trip to Britt's doughnuts at Carolina Beach.

 

[QueenIsabella]

Another local! The only thing I'll say about Carolina Beach is, there's a part of the beach that allows dogs year-round. On most of the beaches, they're only allowed 10/1-4/1. So, we always go to the dog beach, so we can bring her along. But, since w'ere local, we only go for a couple hours at a time (a couple family members get sun poisoning, so we have to limit our exposure--driving to the beach mid-afternoon works perfectly for us).

When we moved here, we were told that out-of-staters go to the Outer Banks, in-staters (from Raleigh or Charlotte, say) go to Wrightsville Beach, and locals go to Carolina or Kure Beach. We were house-hunting last April, and ended up going to Wrightsville Beach three times during the week. Once, we even saw dolphins! My kids thought it was amazing.

Aside from the dog thing, which probably doesn't affect you, I can't say one is any better than another. Wrightsville Beach is a little closer to things (shopping, dining), but the places further south are less touristy. I'm sure you could find a nice rental on vrbo for any of the beaches, and have a lovely vacation.

 

[100AcreWood]

I'm in NC as well and lived in Wilmington for several years. Wrightsville Beach is a really nice beach and definitely my favorite. I'm not as big of a fan of Carolina Beach.

 

[NCRedding]

I'd check out Sunset Beach or Ocean Isle Beach. Quiet family beaches, near Calabash (fried seafood heaven), and only about 20-30 minutes from the crowds of North Myrtle and Myrtle Beach, including all the outlets and attractions.

 

[HM]

Personally, I prefer Topsail Island to the Outer Banks beaches. But I prefer Holden or Sunset to both of those, for softer sand.
This year our extended family trip is to Southern Shores in OBX...last year we stayed in Duck. Our house at Duck had very little beach and the sand was terrible for walking in.