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Hi All,
My parents are coming from abroad in July, they are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. They're going to visit us in Durham and would like for us all to go a short trip (3-4days) together.
We have two year old twins and would not like to be driving very far from the Triangle area (4-5 hours?) What could possibly be a good place to go?
My mom would like to go to the beach but I'm not really familiar enough with NC to begin to even look at places. Any suggestions as to where to start looking?
All input will be greatly appreciated.
Williamsburg, Va might work for you. Lots of great history, wonderful restaurants right there, and its not too far away. The Williamsburg Inn has a fantastic restaurant which would be perfect for celebrating an anniversary.
For NC beaches, given that you have young twins, I would suggest Ocean Isle, Sunset Beach or Holden Beach as they have a very gentle slope into the ocean and are quieter ( less rowdy, rambunctious) than some of the northern beaches.
Wrightsville Beach is only 2 hours away and the Outer Banks (Kitty Hawk area) is around 4 hours away. I prefer the latter for it's simplicity. I would try to find a rental now for July. We've used First Flight Rental and have been very pleased.
As an alternative, Ashville is in Western NC and well within you driving range. Biltmore, mountains, cooler climates.
Williamsburg, Va might work for you. Lots of great history, wonderful restaurants right there, and its not too far away. The Williamsburg Inn has a fantastic restaurant which would be perfect for celebrating an anniversary.
For NC beaches, given that you have young twins, I would suggest Ocean Isle, Sunset Beach or Holden Beach as they have a very gentle slope into the ocean and are quieter ( less rowdy, rambunctious) than some of the northern beaches.
We just got back from Williamsburg for spring break. Great trip. I wouldn't say there are "wonderful restaurants"...maybe we're just picky but we thought the food was average and overpriced. We did not eat at any of the taverns because fried chicken for $26 and "Welsh Rarebit" just didn't appeal to us. Our best experience was at Paul's, but that's just bar food. We did hear (too late) that the Cheese Shop has great affordable sandwich options. However, we did not venture too far from our B&B which was in walking distance of Williamsburg and Merchant's Square, so there may be other restaurants that would've suited us more.
But aside from the food, it's beautiful there and we had a wonderful time. It's not the beach but the James River is lovely. Maybe you could find a nice place to stay overlooking the James? I'm not a big fan of the beach myself and go reluctantly when the family insists
The Boone area would also be a great place to go. You could rent a nice cabin with room for everyone. There are great restaurants in Boone and Banner Elk.
I was going to suggest Williamsburg too. We went to a lovely timeshare resort that we shared with my parents. It was split in two so the upstairs and downstairs had their own spaces. My kids slept in the third floor area and I was in the second floor which had a washer/dryer, mini stove, and fridge. My parents were downstairs in the main unit. I definitely would go back! It's near this WONDERFUL park called Mid County Park literally three minutes away that I'm sure your twins would absolutely love. I've never seen a park so nice and I'm not one to get all excited about a park.
Of course, there are lots of amenities like multiple pools, structured activities for the whole family, a pond, etc.
If mom wants to go to the ocean, take mom to the ocean. Topsail Island is a nice quiet, family friendly beach. The North end of the island has newer homes and a bit more space. The South end you have quaint homes built from the 50s to current. And there are a few shops/ bookstores etc.
At Wrightsville Beach you are also close to Wilmington if your parents want to do sight seeing. Downtown wilmington is quaint with it's historic homes and shops.
I personally adore Beaufort, NC. Beaufort was cut off from NC for many, many years so historically it was more influenced by it's European Trade. It sits on the sound and you can take a ferry over to Shackleford Banks and see the wild horses and just spend the day at the beach. BUT with small children the Shackleford Banks trip could be rough since the passenger ferries drop off and pick up on the hour, there are no bathrooms, and you have to bring your own water and supplies. But if you stay at Atlantic Beach which is 10 mins from Beaufort, your parents could take the day trip to Shackleford while you guys hang back with the twins. Beaufort is a also a little town where your can park your car for the days you are there and walk everywhere. You would need to drive to Atlantic Beach if you wanted to go there for the day.
And of course in the Mountains, there is Boone & Asheville. Both with lots of outdoor adventure type activities. But if Mom wants the beach, take her to the beach.
Hi All,
My parents are coming from abroad in July, they are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. They're going to visit us in Durham and would like for us all to go a short trip (3-4days) together.
We have two year old twins and would not like to be driving very far from the Triangle area (4-5 hours?) What could possibly be a good place to go?
My mom would like to go to the beach but I'm not really familiar enough with NC to begin to even look at places. Any suggestions as to where to start looking?
All input will be greatly appreciated.
Many Thanks!
L
I would highly recommend Sunset beach in NC on the NC/SC border. My parents came here years ago when my son was two. The beach is beautiful, quiet,flat and sandy. When on the island it is a really family oriented beach. Off the beach seafood can be gotten in Calabash NC. Then for more excitement Myrtle Beach is just a short drive.
There are a number of rentals and rental companies.
I have a 13 year old daughter and every summer we make a trip down to Wrightsville beach and go to the Aquarium down there. Its a quick, fun, and cheap trip that we all love. It takes about 3 hours I believe from Cary. You can even go right onto the beach for no charge, and there are quite a few restaurants scattered about as well. It's a fun, family trip that I highly recommend (and who doesn't love an aquarium?) :P
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