Where to visit in North Carolina?

[mrudman]

Thinking about where we want to take a family vacation this summer, and think we all agree it's been too long since we've seen the ocean (last time we saw it was when younger dd was 16 months old).

So we're looking into an ocean-front hotel, decently-priced... We'd like to have it semi-secluded, not a full-fledged tourist trap.. would love to see nature, etc, but also want it to have a really nice sandy beach.

And my dd's would really love to be able to find some nice shells/etc. so would be nice if that could happen too.

Anyone know of any cities/beaches that I should look at?

Thanks,


ETA: Open to other states around the area also (VA, SC), but had picked NC because that would make it about a 10-12 hr drive for us, and would be far enough south that the water would be warm enough to swim in (planning on going in early June), but not too hot of weather to enjoy ourselves.

 

[luvmy3jewels]

I would recommend the Hampton Inn in Corolla (OBX). It is oceanfront, fairly new and seems to be nice.

 

[lynn_s]

Topsail island is a nice quiet beach - small hotels, condos, and houses mostly. Not much to do besides "beach" though.

 

[marie1203]

North topsail is nice we live here. But we love bald head island.

 

[shortbun]

Hatteras Island is my choice, hands down. I've been to many other beaches on the east coast and Hatteras has THE best beach-well, Ocracoke does but there are NO accomodations on the water there. No oceanfront hotels on Hatteras, just house rentals. The island is so narrow, you can stay in a house on the sound and easily walk to the beach in many spots. It's an old style vacation-no fast food, only one small theatre, no outlet malls on the island although an long hour drive would get THAT if it's absolutely necessary. What you do have on Hatteras is wholesome, family fun on the beach, sound, National Park programs in several places and mother nature everywhere you look. It's an easy, beautiful vacation. I know all the realtors renting houses, pm me if you want those.

 

[mrudman]

Thanks for all the replies everyone!! Definitely going to have to take a look into all those.

Bald Head Island was actually one I was looking at this morning.. looks really nice! Almost exactly what I was looking for,

Problem is, to get an ocean-front rental, it has to be a 4-bedroom one, and cost is major!

But I'd be willing to go for one that's not ocean-front here since it looks as if you could walk/golf-cart to the ocean easily enough.

Anyone have any experience with rentals here? Which one would be good for a family of 4? Hoping to stay budget-priced.. thinking if we're going to be spending most of our days just sight-seeing and walking on beaches, etc rather than having to pay for entertainment, could probably swing about $1500 for the rental (for 6-7 nights).. although less cost would be nice.

 

[mrsklamc]

We like Kure Beach. Great experience renting from palmaircottages.com

 

[disneygirl 17]

I like Ocean Isle Beach.

 

[julluvsdisney]

hatteras is really nice!

 

[PrincessMom4]

Do you have a timeframe in mind?? summer is a few months long...lol

 

[jillyb]

Edisto Beach in South Carolina is very nice. I also second the Outer Banks in North Carolina.

 

[taylor3297]

I like Ocean Isle Beach.

We went there for the first time this summer and loved it! At first when we got there and I saw all the condos and such I thought for sure it would be crowded, but it wasn't. We stayed at the Islander Inn and was very pleased with the price.

The only thing we didn't know was that most restaurants took reservations. We are used to going to beaches where it is first come first served. Since we eat dinner rather early, we didn't have trouble getting into places.

 

[Leader of the Club]

We went to Caswell Beach/Oak Island, NC last summer and really enjoyed it. There is some tourist-y stuff, but not too much. Really nice, clean beach area.

 

[jennytmitch]

We went to Caswell Beach/Oak Island, NC last summer and really enjoyed it. There is some tourist-y stuff, but not too much. Really nice, clean beach area.

I was going to recommend Oak Island. We love it down there. Very laid back and quiet. Short drive to Southport for some more touristy type things and an hour or so to Myrtle Beach if you are interested.

 

[BoogasMom]

We love Corolla Beach!!! You can rent bikes and ride the trails, visit the Corolla lighthouse and climb to the top, or drive out onto the 4x4 beach (rent a jeep if you don't have a 4x4 vehicle) and find the wild horses!!! We love it down there!!!

 

[pixiedustaholic]

We "discovered" Sunset Beach this year and LOVED it! It is a great family beach and is nice and wide and CLEAN. There are mainly beach houses which are very reasonably priced especially the first 2 weeks of June! Try googling Sunset Rentals or Sunset Properties. We have always taken our beach vacations at Myrtle Beach but have grown tired of the crowds, less than clean beaches, etc. The beauty of Sunset Beach is that it is only minutes away from Myrtle if you want to visit their restaurants or attractions. Sunset is also literally a 5 minute drive to Calabash, NC...some REALLY great seafood. We HIGHLY recommend Sunset Beach, NC...the southernmost island in NC.

I also forgot to add that it is connected to Bird Island so you can walk there!

 

[Leader of the Club]

I was going to recommend Oak Island. We love it down there. Very laid back and quiet. Short drive to Southport for some more touristy type things and an hour or so to Myrtle Beach if you are interested.

Oh, yeah! I loved Southport. Its so beautiful there on the Cape Fear River. I think I want to move there!

 

[AlbertZeroK]

I lived in Ocracoke NC for a couple years, nice and very secluded, but not alot of nature, in fact, not sure much of the outer banks really has alot of nature.

Ocracoke is Ferry accessable only, very nice, and not commercial - no McDonalds or anything. You can drive on the beach if you have an SUV and know what you're doing. But there are no water front hotels. It would be worth a few nights there though.

 

[wlake]

May I suggest Wrightsville Beach, NC? My extended family goes every few years and just went this past summer over 4th of July week. It was never crowded and very quiet. We had ~25 people so we needed two houses, but there is also a hotel right on the beach. I think it's called the Blockade Runner. Judging from the comments, it sounds like you can't go wrong anywhere on the NC coast!

 

[mrudman]

Wow, thanks again for so many great ideas!

Have looked quickly at a few of the places mentioned, and there sure are some pretty beaches down there!

Going to have fun continuing looking at them and deciding where to go,