If you were going on a family vacation to the Outer Banks... (Kill Devil Hills: where to stay, rentals)

[gimme it]

where would you go? We are thinking about an April vacation, and we are thinking about renting a house. We have a 7yo child. Any ideas? Some place pretty, near a cute town. Thanks a bunch.

[Ann in Oriental]

Most definately go to Ocracoke! Google it and alot should come up. It's my favorite place in the world. You can rent a house for a week through Ocracoke realty for a very resonable price, especially in April. Loads of cute shops, lots for kids to do, good restaurants and the best beach in the US. I would asend you links but I don't know how to do that.

[JackRabbitSlim]

I found a really great place through VRBO.com (vacation rentals by owner). We needed a kid and dog friendly place and we found a great place in Corrolla, NC. About 3 blocks off the beach. ANd the beaches are dog friendly, leashed. But a fun time was had by all.

[gvmesun]

With a seven year old and your request for a "cute town," I'd look on the northern Outer Banks near Duck. I don't think there's anything "cute" about Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head, or Kitty Hawk area. Duck seems like a small village, kind of like Sanibel Island. Corolla also has nice shops, miniature golf, go carts, and a wonderful beach. There are also bicycle paths for cycling, walking, inline skating, etc.

We also love Ocracoke but have never stayed there. It's a cute little island, beautiful beaches, some nice shops -- a real sense of being away from it all - except all the traffic going through the heart of town.

[dreamalot]

I believe there is a night club in onslow co or the surrounding areas called Toby's. Could someone please verify this for me?

[nctravelerCharlotte]

It doesn't take long to drive from one end to the other so just about anywhere is great. I just vacationed there last month with 4 kids - ages: 2, 4, 7 and 13. They all loved playing on the beach, visiting lighthouses, riding the ferry, jockey ridge national park and the wright brothers memoria.

Be sure to use the right rental company. We had a lot of trouble with Surf or Sound Realty which cost us several hours in arguing over a refund when paying for a heated pool that never worked. Midgett realty is supposed to be much better (as I now know). If you check travel advisor, there is a lot of info about where to stay and which rental companies to avoid.

[Ebediel]

I agree with gvmesun Duck will probably be your best bet. I love Ocracoke, but in April I'm not sure how alive the town will be. Duck stays pretty much up most of the year now. Kittyhawk area is not too bad either but I don't know that I would call it particularly cute though. Have a nice vacation!

[eureka1]

Agree with the previous posters about Duck being cute and Kitty Hawk being not, but definitely take your kids to the Wright Brothers memorial. The rangers give a wonderful presentation and it may be the highlight of their trip.

[LLN]

You will need to bring a lot of different kinds of clothes. Don't let average temps fool you, I expect the standard deviation in April is pretty high. However, you can bet on some good days, I would think, kind of depends on the wind. Have fun.

lln

[steve_d_bear]

I also agree that Duck is a pretty town with nice shops. We usually stay a little north of Duck where it is a little less congested, but can still drive to Duck to shop. The traffic might not be too bad in April but can get heavy in the summer months. A tip for anyone traveling to OBX on Saturday in the summer, you MUST get to the causeway bridge by noon. Otherwise you will be sitting in traffic for a LONG time. Also when leaving on Sunday it's best to be on the road by 6:00 AM.