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Lived in Raleigh now for about 5 years. What is the most popular beach destination that you can drive from Raleigh on a Friday morning, and be there mid-day?
Also, looking for more of a "family" atmosphere, but free from touristy trappings. Someplace you can be within walking distance of the beach and dining.
Thanks.
Lived in Raleigh now for about 5 years. What is the most popular beach destination that you can drive from Raleigh on a Friday morning, and be there mid-day?
Also, looking for more of a "family" atmosphere, but free from touristy trappings. Someplace you can be within walking distance of the beach and dining.
Thanks.
I LOVE the Outer Banks...probably the furtherest of beaches but worth it. U can check out The lost Colony in Manteo...Jockeys Ridge in Nags Head...the Wright Bros memorial in Kitty Hawk...and to me it's not as touristy as some of our other beaches.
Topsail is a good choice too
Any of the NC beaches will fulfill your wishes, but I love Topsail most of all. If you stay in Surf City, you can easily walk to beaches/restaurants. The town of Topsail Beach is very quiet (not many restaurants/hotels) but it's my favorite family old-school beach town. You can rent bicycles in Topsail Beach and not need to drive anywhere at all (except maybe to a grocery store - there's a small market with a few essentials). Then you can bike to the turtle hospital, a few little restaurants, shops, awesome skating rink above the old post office, etc. It's idyllic.
I like North Topsail. Surf City/Topsail (without the "north") were too busy and touristy imo. N.Topsail doesn't have a lot going on though, it's very quiet, not sure if it would be too quiet for you, but I think it's great for a family.
Wilmington is shortest drive (which includes Carolina/Wrightsville Beach, Topsail is not so far away); Topsail at least used to be the "most undeveloped" beach (though every beach in NC is about 4x more (over)developed than it was 20 years ago). The Outer Banks are a LONG drive. Bogue Banks/Atlantic Beach/Emerald Isle, now being called "The Crystal Coast", is where most longtime NC residents have always gone, but rampant development there (especially Emerald Isle) has made it almost unrecognizable from its former self.
I would rate Sunset as less developed than Topsail. Francios- I agree with you about EI changing greatly in the last 20 years, but PKS has not really changed very much at all in that time.
The real town of Topsail Beach, meaning the town you reach after you cross the bridge, turn right, then drive @ 5 miles, is very quaint. They haven't torn up all the single level cottages built 40-50 years ago, and there's not a Waves/Wings/Sharks, etc. to be found anywhere.
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