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Old 05-29-2013, 11:59 AM
 
Location: Wilmington NC
11 posts, read 22,801 times
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My husband and I will be travelling to the OBX for a week in late Aug/early Sep and I'd like to know which of the towns is best to stay in. Looks like all the activity is in Nags Head but I'd like to avoid constant traffic and chaos so was thinking about staying in Kill Devil Hills or even Kitty Hawk. Would those be too far away from Nags Head for restaurants and shops? Are there enough restaurants in Kill Devil Hills or Kitty Hawk themselves? I'd like to have some peace and quiet but not find myself in the car driving to food and entertainment all the time either. Also, how much time is needed if we want to go down to Cape Hatteras or Oracoke Seashores?
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Old 05-29-2013, 01:02 PM
 
Location: The 12th State
22,974 posts, read 65,276,696 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cagoodbye View Post
My husband and I will be travelling to the OBX for a week in late Aug/early Sep and I'd like to know which of the towns is best to stay in. Looks like all the activity is in Nags Head but I'd like to avoid constant traffic and chaos so was thinking about staying in Kill Devil Hills or even Kitty Hawk. Would those be too far away from Nags Head for restaurants and shops? Are there enough restaurants in Kill Devil Hills or Kitty Hawk themselves? I'd like to have some peace and quiet but not find myself in the car driving to food and entertainment all the time either. Also, how much time is needed if we want to go down to Cape Hatteras or Oracoke Seashores?
You will be fine with either Kill Devil Hills or even Kitty Hawk, there is plenty of restaurants.
Those two cities are split between highway 158 N Croatan Hwy and highway 12 N Virginia Dare Trail.
I would try to get a place off of Lindbergh Ave for little traffic .

Good news is late August- early September all the NC schools are back in session so that perfect time to go to the OBX .

My family had a reunion over Easter and we stayed up in Southern Shores and we had to drive all the time.
The best bet for doing Hatteras and Ocracoke is leave in the morning for the most enjoyable relaxing trip.
Its an hour and half from Kitty Hawk to Hatteras.
Hatteras to Ocracoke is about another hour due to ferry ride. I will warn you try to avoid eating at the shops beside ferry it was like $20 bucks for a sandwich.

I love Hattera's Island its my favorite part of the OBX. The sand is so white.
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Old 05-29-2013, 02:06 PM
 
3,063 posts, read 4,800,494 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cagoodbye View Post
My husband and I will be travelling to the OBX for a week in late Aug/early Sep and I'd like to know which of the towns is best to stay in. Looks like all the activity is in Nags Head but I'd like to avoid constant traffic and chaos so was thinking about staying in Kill Devil Hills or even Kitty Hawk. Would those be too far away from Nags Head for restaurants and shops? Are there enough restaurants in Kill Devil Hills or Kitty Hawk themselves? I'd like to have some peace and quiet but not find myself in the car driving to food and entertainment all the time either. Also, how much time is needed if we want to go down to Cape Hatteras or Oracoke Seashores?
Honestly, I cant stand the trio of Nags Head/Kitty Hawk/KDH...it gets too busy and it all looks the same (except for an old stretch of Kitty Hawk). Its really become just one long town from bridge to bridge.

I much prefer Manteo, Duck or Corrolla. They all have restaurants and stuff to do and are more quaint smaller areas that allow you to slow down.
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Old 05-29-2013, 03:16 PM
 
Location: The 12th State
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I prefer Avon, the rates are cheaper and you basically have the beautiful white beaches to your self. Hatteras Island has no chains except a Food Lion in Avon.
We bought stuff to fix for breakfast and cook dinner a couple of times in the rental.
The beach is my entertainment.

I guess it really ones preference on what they can survive without or how much privacy and seclusion they want.
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Old 05-29-2013, 04:54 PM
 
910 posts, read 1,314,205 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cagoodbye View Post
My husband and I will be travelling to the OBX for a week in late Aug/early Sep and I'd like to know which of the towns is best to stay in. Looks like all the activity is in Nags Head but I'd like to avoid constant traffic and chaos so was thinking about staying in Kill Devil Hills or even Kitty Hawk. Would those be too far away from Nags Head for restaurants and shops? Are there enough restaurants in Kill Devil Hills or Kitty Hawk themselves? I'd like to have some peace and quiet but not find myself in the car driving to food and entertainment all the time either. Also, how much time is needed if we want to go down to Cape Hatteras or Oracoke Seashores?
KDH is where most of the stuff is, and where traffic is the most heavy. If you're coming late summer, things will have started to die down by then, so it won't matter that much where you stay, but you'll be doing a lot of driving no matter where you are; it's how the place is laid out. Plan on needing about 2-2 1/2 hours to get to Ocracoke depending on whether or not the ferries are having problems.
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Old 05-29-2013, 05:17 PM
 
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I love Manteo. A lot of walking options, plus everything isn't that far away.
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Old 06-05-2013, 02:28 PM
 
Location: Ayrsley
4,713 posts, read 9,659,426 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HP91 View Post
Honestly, I cant stand the trio of Nags Head/Kitty Hawk/KDH...it gets too busy and it all looks the same (except for an old stretch of Kitty Hawk). Its really become just one long town from bridge to bridge.

I much prefer Manteo, Duck or Corrolla. They all have restaurants and stuff to do and are more quaint smaller areas that allow you to slow down.
As someone who has been going to OBX almost every summer since 1990, I have to agree. Duck and Corlla are much more relaxed and less crowded than NH/KDH/KH - and there really is not much different between the three - they are essentially thirds of one long stretch.

Duck has been a personal favorite for years, mainly due to the small number of people staying there, the walkability of the town, and the lack of public beach access (only people staying in Duck can use the beach there because there is no public parking for beach-goers). And since almost every property is a rental house or condo, the lack of hotels here also makes it a bit quieter. Duck is also home to some of the best restaurants in OBX - Aqua and Red Sky Cafe. Although it is a quick drive to Corolla or KH/KDH/NH if a restaurant down there looks like a place you want to try out.

Quote:
Originally Posted by cagoodbye View Post
Also, how much time is needed if we want to go down to Cape Hatteras or Oracoke Seashores?
From Duck we can usually get to Hatteras in anywhere from 75-90 minutes depending on if we make a pit stop or get behind a slow-moving truck for a bit (its pretty much only a 2-lane road from NH on down, with low speed limits in certain parts). From KDH/KH/NH, you can drop about 15-20 minutes from that time. From hatteras you can catch a ferry over to Ocracoke, but the lines to get on can start to get a little long by late morning -noon - so if you do want to go, go early.


Quote:
Originally Posted by cagoodbye View Post
My husband and I will be travelling to the OBX for a week in late Aug/early Sep and I'd like to know which of the towns is best to stay in.
if you have not yet decided, I would suggest doing so soon. Many places tend to book up early for the Summer (Memorial Day - Labor Day); we usually reserve our rental house in November for the following Summer. The economy has hurt their tourism a bit over the past few years, but it has been bouncing back. Regardless, trying to find a place before Labor Day, even now, is likely to present you with a limited number of options.
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