Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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Carolina is great if you have younger kids that need to be entertained by more than just sand and water. The boardwalk is nice, Britts Doughnuts are yummy, and there is a small carnival amusement park in the summers, often with live music and fireworks. The Aquarium is just down the road through Kure Beach at Ft. Fisher. Some good fishing spots, too (just not at the aquarium, they get a little fussy about that).
If you are looking for quiet and romantic, Duck is quite the spot. Just don’t bring the kids...
I have found the northern part of Myrtle Beach to be a nice balance as well. Easy to find a babysitter for a night.
No kids, just me and the wife. We like crowds and busy beaches to people watch. We also like nice restaurants and hotels. We most often end up a Virginia Beach. We do go to Emerald Isle or Holden every year too though.
I've only been to Wrightsville and Carolina. i was surprised how much I like Carolina, it really grew on me while I was there.
Myrtle? No.
OBX probably has the nicest overall natural feel on the beach itself.
Huh? You've only been to Wrightsville and Carolina, but think that the OBX is the nicest? I'm confused .
I have been to most of the beaches in NC, but not quite all of them. I've been to the Outer Banks, although it's been years since I've been to the Northern OBX. We go to Ocracoke quite frequently (Cape Hatteras National Seashore). I've been to the Crystal Coast and Emerald Isle. I've been to Topsail and Surf City. I've been to Wrightsville and Carolina Beach. I've been to Bald Head Island. I've been to Oak Island/Long Beach. I've been to Ocean Isle and Sunset Beach a lot.
For our family we love Ocracoke because it's remote and unpolluted by chain stores or restaurants (no ubiquitous Wings beach stores), but I prefer the actual beach at the Brunswick County beaches, Ocean Isle and Sunset in particular. The beach is wide, wide, wide and the sand is fine and firm enough to ride a bike on. The sand quality at the OBX is much coarser and not conducive to beach bike riding unless you have one of those fat tire bikes. The waves are gentler at OIB and SB and you can walk out a long way into the ocean, especially at low tide. The waves on the OBX are stronger and the ocean floor is not as flat and even. I love to walk along the beach at Ocracoke, but prefer Sunset Beach for swimming. We went to Carolina Beach a long time ago (about 14/15 yrs ago) and the beach there was in sad shape. Haven't been back since.
Huh? You've only been to Wrightsville and Carolina, but think that the OBX is the nicest? I'm confused .
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Sorry, I have been to the OBX, just one day... I meant if you're the type that like pure unadulterated beaches, it seems like that is the best spot. Wrightsville, Carolina, Myrtle, they all have hotels etc right up onto the beach....nothing wrong with that, just a different feel. I also prefer the less-rough ocean than the OBX tends to offer. One of the best things about Carolina beaches is that there is really something for everyone.
I have been to Topsail, Kure, Atlantic, OBX, and Bald Head Island. Hands down fave is BHI. It's a little more work to take your stuff, kids, dogs on the ferry but man once that boat leaves I am humming Zach Brown
There's a place, where the boat leaves
From
It takes away all your big problems
You got worries you can drop them in the blue ocean
But you gotta get away to where the boat leaves from
ETA-
And so happy I won't be making that trek from Ohio anymore once we move back to CH this summer!
I'm with poppydog. As an NC native I've been to most of the beaches, but like the Brunswick Co. beaches best. It seems warmer down there and more tropical, with the palmetto palms growing seemingly wild, and there are the wide beaches, and being south-facing, you get nice views of the sunrise and sunset. We also love Topsail, but it's so long, it feels like it takes forever to get anywhere. (My only complaint about it!) We don't have kids but we take our dog, so our first priority in selecting a beach is how dog-friendly it is. (Can they even be on the beach, even leashed? Some beaches don't allow dogs on the beach at all except during certain months/hours.)
A few years ago we stayed up in Cordova and it was an amazing experience, house in the midst of the dunes, wild horses in our backyard, but, the beach itself, while beautiful, was treacherous even walking out there because of all the 4-wheel traffic (the beach IS the road). Also, we felt like we were in a zoo with all the tour groups driving around us looking for horses.
I love all our beaches but Wrightsville and Carolina, while closer, are my lesser favorites just because they're usually more crowded, plus Carolina has odd dogs on the beach laws.
We have some friends that camp on the beach at Portsmouth every year. I've never been there but based on pics and their descriptions, amazing, sweeping views of just natural dunes and the ocean and no one else in sight. Easy to imagine you're one of the first settlers... One year they found tons of giant conch shells, all mostly intact! There are some logistics involved in getting out there, and the wind can be quite fierce. I don't think I could handle doing it, but they do have a few basic cabins you can rent. Our friends love it.
Last edited by MrsRhythm; 05-25-2018 at 09:36 AM..
Reason: paragraphs, spelling
I have been to Topsail, Kure, Atlantic, OBX, and Bald Head Island. Hands down fave is BHI.
Barleygirl, you seem like you'd be the type to like Ocracoke. Try it out sometime if you haven't already. I found BHI a little too country club for me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by twingles
Sorry, I have been to the OBX, just one day... I meant if you're the type that like pure unadulterated beaches, it seems like that is the best spot. Wrightsville, Carolina, Myrtle, they all have hotels etc right up onto the beach....nothing wrong with that, just a different feel. I also prefer the less-rough ocean than the OBX tends to offer. One of the best things about Carolina beaches is that there is really something for everyone.
Hmmm, not really sure I agree with that. Outside of Ocracoke and other parts of the National Seashore I find the northern OBX to be pretty built up.
There are actually a lot of natural beaches in NC. Cape Lookout National Seashore and Shackleford Banks around the Crystal Coast is probably more "natural" than the OBX because it's got almost no human habitation. The lonely fishing cabins are at Great Island and Long Point. The other end of Portsmouth Island from the ghost town of Portsmouth that you're talking about MrsRhythm. That's all part of CALO.
Hammocks Beach State Park is wild.
Topsail has some small mom-n-pop hotels, but it is more laid back than the northern OBX (Nags Head, etc), IMO.
Figure Eight is exclusively residential and exclusive.
Masonboro Island at Wilmington is uninhabited, but a popular spot for boaters. Can only be reached by boat.
Fort Fisher is just lonely beach w/ 4x4s and fishing poles.
Bird Island at Sunset Beach is completely uninhabited and no 4x4s. Sunset Beach also has no hotels on the ocean.
Sorry, I have been to the OBX, just one day... I meant if you're the type that like pure unadulterated beaches, it seems like that is the best spot. Wrightsville, Carolina, Myrtle, they all have hotels etc right up onto the beach....nothing wrong with that, just a different feel. I also prefer the less-rough ocean than the OBX tends to offer. One of the best things about Carolina beaches is that there is really something for everyone.
I agree. The OBX has some beautiful wild, primitive beaches, like Portsmouth Island I mentioned. I think every beach/beach town has its own unique flavor, and it is so true there is something for everyone!
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