Outer Banks

[AnnR]

My family is having a get together at a house in the Outer Banks the end of August. I am having trouble getting a reasonable flight down (yes, I know I should have booked it a while ago). My question is, how long is the drive from Richmond? We will be staying in Corolla Light. I wanted to fly into Norfolk but Richmond is cheaper. Streets tells me it is about 3 hours and 20 minutes. Does this sound right? Would it be worth the extra money to flight to Norfolk? I haven't been to the Outer Banks before. Can anyone tell me what I should see/do while I am there?

Thanks
Ann

 

[Papa Deuce]

Can't tell you about time / distance.

Northern OB has TONS to do, southern, not so much. There is a ferry at the souther end that takes you to another area, can't remember the name, but even that is SLOOOOOOOWWWWWW as far as lots of things to do.

Pretty much anything you might want to do is available in the northern part.

 

[lookingforward]

The outer banks is one of the most beautiful places in the WORLD. It is a peaceful place that is not that overcrowded, very low key and down to earth. I would fly into new bern, nc or greenville, nc for the easiest drive. Not sure if you meant fly time, but Richmond, VA is no way 3.5 hours drive. More like 10. Again, not sure if you meant driving.
Have a wonderful trip.

 

[Nala56]

If you are coming in on a weekend driving from Richmond will probably be about 5-6 hours because of traffic. We make it to Norfolk from Outer Banks in about 1-1/2 hours but that is 5:00 in the morning. Later in the day may be 2-3 hours also depending on traffic. After school starts traffic into Outer Banks will be reasonable again.

We were just there last week. We usually are in Nags Head but have stayed in Corolla. Corolla is much quieter, great for big families. You should have a great time.

Have fun

 

[jennobrn01]

I can't help you with driving times either. I just wanted to wish you a happy vacation! We love the Outer Banks, and go yearly as an extended family.

Sorry Papa Deuce... I disagree with you. We go south and think it has the most to do. Of course we are sun-tanned, beach bum, fishing junkies.

Corolla will be a good area if you like activities other than sitting on the beach. There are many mini-golf and go cart places. There are a few outlets in Nag's Head. You can also go kite-surfing, parasailing, and other sea related sports. You have to take a day trip to the southern portion... it's the essential OBX.

 

[swea_pea1]

I live in Richmond and have driven to the Outer Banks more than once. Each time I left after work on a Friday and it took me about 3 1/2 hours to get there. I think even a 5 hour estimate during rush hour is a bit much and 10 hours is going to get you way closer to Disney than it will to the Outer Banks.

 

[Johnfish]

My family is having a get together at a house in the Outer Banks the end of August. I am having trouble getting a reasonable flight down (yes, I know I should have booked it a while ago). My question is, how long is the drive from Richmond? We will be staying in Corolla Light. I wanted to fly into Norfolk but Richmond is cheaper. Streets tells me it is about 3 hours and 20 minutes. Does this sound right? Would it be worth the extra money to flight to Norfolk? I haven't been to the Outer Banks before. Can anyone tell me what I should see/do while I am there?

Thanks
Ann

Hi Ann,

I think I might be able to help you with this... I live in the Richmond area and my brother has a house in Duck (about 20 minutes south of Corolla). The drive is about 3 to 4 hours depending on route and traffic. Flying into Norfolk might cut the commute by an hour to an hour and a half (say 2 to 3 hrs instead of the 3 to 4 hrs) You might even be able to do a little better than that. Is it worth the extra money? That probably depends on your tolerance for driving. I find the communte very managable. The only areas that I find traffic to be difficult is in the Norfolk/Va Beach area. (if you fly into Norfolk you still have to deal with this) Lots of congestion and if there is an accident in the tunnel it really screws thing up. If you do come into Richmond check out the alternate route. Dont take 64 through Norfolk etc. Go south on 295 to rte 460 east. Its about the same distance but not as heavily traveled. If you want more info on this route PM me. We regularly travel down on a friday evening and return on a sunday morning in the off season. The beaches are beautiful and worth the trip even for only 1 full day.

As for things to do .... The light house in Corolla is supposed to be beautiful although I have never been in it. There are some great shops in the middle of Corolla and if you check out the ones on the sound side there is a place that rents Kyacks and jet skis. My son and I did a sunset kyack tour from there that was absolutely amazing. If you go a little north there is a section of The National Seashore that has wild ponys running around on it. There are tours available to see them. If you go south to Kitty Hawk (about 35 to 40 minutes south) you can visit the Wright Brothers Memorial it is inexpensive and awe inspiring to stand on the very patch of sand that their historic flight took place. If you continue south you will reach Nags Head which has alot of great restaurants and is a bit more commercial. Much further south is the National Seashore, Oregon Inlet (sport fishing charters are available here) and Cape Hatteras light house (several hours). There is a great deal of things to do on the outer banks. If you could let me know some of the things you are interested in I can recommend some places to try. There is great fishing, golf, kyaking, swimming, gift shopping, eating, etc.

Let me know if you need any more info, I will be glad to help!

John

 

[Sparx]

I love obx. I agree with what everyone else said. if you're a beach person, you'll love it.

 

[lookingforward]

I live in Richmond and have driven to the Outer Banks more than once. Each time I left after work on a Friday and it took me about 3 1/2 hours to get there. I think even a 5 hour estimate during rush hour is a bit much and 10 hours is going to get you way closer to Disney than it will to the Outer Banks.

Gosh, I never knew it was so close to Richmond. I was thinking you had to drive down to eastern NC first. Thats great! I used to live in the NEw Bern area so I always went from there.

 

[koopa]

I think the drive from Richmond is 3 1/2 to 4 hours because the traffic on I-64 before you hit Newport News is always congested. I haven't taken the alternate route suggested by another poster, but I'd look into it. I usually go to Nags Head every 2 or 3 years and always had a problem with traffic from just past Williamsburg to Norfolk.

 

[hiwaygal]

You could also try flying into Patrick Henry airport in Newport News, it might cost a little more but it would shave about an hour off the drive from Richmond, and you could bypass most of the traffic in Norfolk/Virginia Beach by taking I-64 to I-664 (in Hampton), there are signs to get you to the Outer Banks.

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

My family is having a get together at a house in the Outer Banks the end of August. I am having trouble getting a reasonable flight down (yes, I know I should have booked it a while ago). My question is, how long is the drive from Richmond? We will be staying in Corolla Light. I wanted to fly into Norfolk but Richmond is cheaper. Streets tells me it is about 3 hours and 20 minutes. Does this sound right? Would it be worth the extra money to flight to Norfolk? I haven't been to the Outer Banks before. Can anyone tell me what I should see/do while I am there?

Thanks
Ann

Okay, Richmonders ... how many others are pleasantly surprised at this statement. You're in NY; I'm guessing you're looking at Jet Blue into Richmond? Southwest flies into Norfolk and AirTran flies into Richmond and Newport News. How did Richmond compare with those two?

Assuming no traffic in the Tidewater area and light traffic from Chesapeake to OBX, 3.5 hours sounds about right. I've never driven down to OBX on a busy holiday travel day so I don't know how much time vacation traffic adds going from Chesapeake down.

I like Johnfish's suggestion ... take I-295 down to US 460 to US 58 in Suffolk, then to I-64 in Chesapeake to the Chesapeake Expressway. You'll have to watch your speed as 460 goes through several small towns, but you won't get the traffic you may get on I-64 from Williamsburg down through Norfolk and Chesapeake, and you won't have to deal with possible backups at the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel. I've driven that way several times and it's a pleasant ride.

 

[Johnfish]

Okay, Richmonders ... how many others are pleasantly surprised at this statement.

You can say that again Obi-wan... I got airtran tickets for my upcoming WDW trip for 119 round trip! Used to be that Richmond was the most expensive airport to fly in and out of!

Again to the OP if you want more info feel free to PM me!


John

 

[AnnR]

Thanks everyone for the great info.

Yes -it is JetBlue that makes the trip to Richmond cheaper. I can get flights for between $89-119 one way. I love AirTran but the flights are very expensive that weekend. I would have to go through Atlanta which is not only out of the way but also booked up for some reason. I am trying to go down on Sunday morning and come back Saturday afternoon. The most reasonable airline is (surprisingly) USAirways. The problem is, (besides the fact that I don't like that airline!) they fly a lot of the DH8 turboprops and I will not go in one of those (very bad experience). They are about $70 more then JetBlue into Richmond. Newport News is about $200 more then that.

Our airport used to be one of the highest in the country also. Thanks to AirTran and JetBlue it is not anymore.

Is traffic going to be a problem on a Sunday morning/early afternoon? What about returning on Saturday morning?

My idea of a vacation is mainly to relax. But, I am meeting up with 6 nieces/ nephews 11 and under! I am just hoping it is not to hot when we are there. I would love to just sit on the beach for a few hours. I do want to visit the lighthouse though. I am also a photographer so I am hoping to get some nice shots.

 

[Johnfish]

Hi AnnR

If you are going to be traveling those days you may want to try the 460 route. Also be aware that many of the rentals change over on the days you are traveling. There is really only one way on and off the OBX in the northern section and that is the Wright Memorial bridge. The main road to and from Corolla has to pass through all the other communities that lie between it and the bridge. Going down on sunday afternoon you are likely to hit traffic through Norfolk and the VA beach area that is why I recomend the 460 rte. All the people coming in on sunday will be ariving around 3pm (checkin time for the rental properties) That is when the traffic is at its worst going over the bridge and up the main road to Corolla. If you can get through there earlier (noon time) or later (after about 5pm) it shouldnt be to bad. I would highly recommend leaving on saturday morning by 10 am at the latest to avoid everyone else who has to be out of their rental by 11am.

If you are into photography you are in for a treat as there are some beautiful areas to visit and photograph. For the young ones you might want to look into renting or puchasing skim boards. They are relatively inexpensive and a lot of fun. These are varnished peices of wood or fiberglass boards that they throw across the receding wave and jump on. They then skim down the beach! My son has been doing this for the past 5 years that we have been visiting and has a great time!

Have a great trip and post some of your pictures when you get back!


John