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My husband and I are yearning for a move from Long Island, NY to NC. The only worry we have is leaving the ocean behind. How far is the Atlantic from the Raleigh area? Are there any good beaches on the Atlantic coast? Are there any good nature spots/state parks/lakes in the area?
NC Beaches and North Carolina's Coast, Outer Banks, Crystal Coast, Topsail, Cape Fear, Brunswick Islands (http://www.visitnc.com/where_to_go_coast.asp - broken link)
Here's a great link for you to explore what the NC coast has to offer (which is a lot!)
There are distinct regions of the NC coast and each region has it's own distinct characteristics and culture!
The closest beach is Wrightsville Beach (2 hours) but don't let that stop you from exploring all of the other FABULOUS places on the NC coast like the Outter Banks, New Bern and the the southern beaches like Kure Beachand Fort Fisher!
From Raleigh, the beach is a two hour straight drive on I-40 East to Wilmington (Wrightsville Beach). Its about a four hour drive to Mrytle Beach, SC and roughly a five hour drive to the beautiful outer banks. Oh yes, plenty of nature parks all up and down the NC coast.
Umstead State Park is an oasis in Raleigh. Its 5439 acres sit in West Raleigh and just North of Cary. It has hiking and and nature walks in addition to separate bridle and mountain bike trails that vary in difficulty. Crabtree Creek runs through the park and connects to Lake Crabtree on its edge. Umstead also connects to Raleigh's wonderful series of greenways that network their way through many sections of the city for walking, jogging and biking. These greenways also feed and connect a variety of city parks such as Lake Johnson, Pullen Park, Lake Lynn, Optimist Park and Shelley Lake. See this link for Capital Area Greenway information:
City of Raleigh | Greenway Trail System (http://www.raleighnc.gov/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_0_306_209_0_43/http;/pt03/DIG_Web_Content/category/Leisure/Parks_and_Facilities/Greenway_Trails/Cat-Index.html - broken link)
I don't like being landlocked. But I like the Triangle. It's because of what rnc2mbfl said. I always lived 20 minutes or less from the ocean. My last two years in MA were 1 1/2 hours away to the beach. Here I have the community pool and all these great parks. Central MA didn't even come close to having all of that. It made me miss the ocean more.
BTW, Kure Beach is beautiful. I went there on Veteran's Day.
The closest beach is Wrightsville--about 1 hr, 40 minutes from where I live (just west of Raleigh). The Outer Banks are further, but well worth it. Much of the Outer Banks charm is the isolation (jutting out in to the Atlantic)...a little more driving but bigger payoff. Blue Ridge Mountains are easy to access as well. The Triangle's location is one of it's greatest assets IMO.
We go almost every weekend to Emerald Isle and its 3 hours door to door from our house in North Raleigh.
I'm not sure what the beaches are like in Long Island, but a very good friend of mine grew up going to the Jersey shore. The biggest thing she noticed when visiting Emerald Isle/Atlantic Beach was the lack of a boardwalk. She still loved the beach here, but it was a different vibe from what she was used to. Other beaches along the coast might have more to do--I've been to Wrightsville and that was definitely more built up/commercial than Emerald Isle or Topsail Island. It just depends what you're looking for.
I also second the Eno River suggestion. Beautiful.
There are some lakes in the Triangle and some in the mountains too. NC has a lot of natural beauty and its awesome to be a couple of hours away from both the beaches and mountains.
I miss the boardwalk at the Jersey shore! So fun. But not as much as I miss Pass A Grille beach in Florida.
I really like Ft. Fisher here and the northern end of Wrightsville Beach. Also it's nice to go get lunch at the Holiday Inn Sunspree and look out at the water.
I went to Jordan Lake quite a bit this summer, but I didn't go in the water.
Hey, you all forgot to mention the beaches in Brunswick county, what's up with that? Best beaches on the Carolina Coast, if I do say so myself.
It could be that they are not the easist drive from the Triangle.
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