Outerbanks vacation recommendations (Nags Head, Manteo, Ocracoke: houses, live, restaurants)

[J_Lurk]

We once rented a first-row house in Nags Head that turned out to back up to a section of highway that is 4 lanes. I don't recommend that part of Nags Head (near the bridge from the mainland).

On the other hand, my brother rented a house called Toad Hall on the sound side of Nags Head that was great: rustic, close to a sound-side beach, and with a view of Jockey's Ridge. So Nags Head definitely has good parts!

The only rental company I've used is Stan White and they were fine. They all seem to have similar policies.

The closest major airport is Norfolk/Virginia Beach ~2 hours. I know because we spent a long time persuading my mother-in-law to fly in there for this summer's trip rather than flying here and driving with us .

[mdp_az]

If you want all the hustle and bustle, Nags Head, Kitty Hawk & Kill Devil Hills have plenty. Personally, I prefer the quieter beaches. In fact, I'm posting this from a vacation home in Corolla right now! Both Duck and Corolla are great! There are more restaurants and shops in Corolla, but Duck is only about 10 miles south of Corolla, so you can get here pretty quickly. South of Nags head are some pretyt neat little places, too...Avon, Frisco, etc..., but there's even less going on down there.

One great thing about vacation homes in the northern OBX is that so many have pools and hot tubs. That's one of the things we've really come to enjoy having...we do the beach in the AM and the pool in the PM.

Hope this helps - off to the beach!

[tsmithgolf2000]

I second what mdp_az had to say. Duck and Corolla are great and it's very quiet.

[toot68]

To echo what's been said, Nag's Head has the most to do (I call it the Myrtle Beach experience...not quite that bad, but its getting close). North into Duck an Corolla is primarily lots of vacation homes/rentals, with still a decent number of restaurants but much quieter. I much prefer heading south to Buxton/Hatteras village. More old time beach village feel, plus you can pull off on the side of the road and have a section of beach half a mile long with no one else on it.

[annesg]

I think everyone else has put it well, but I adore Corolla too You can even go further out--or you could 10 years ago--my cousin stayed in a house that was only accessible by car when the tide was down. Wild horses roamed, it was as peaceful as can be.....we love it there.

We avoid Nags Head like the plague b/c we don't want the noise and congestion of a touristy area. Not that Corolla is not touristy....just not as commercial.

[hurricanedavid]

I wrote this up for my friend. Maybe you would find it useful.... at any rate, it is the OBX as I see it.




PLACES WE'VE BEEN
(from the northern-most, heading down shore)

Kill Devil Hills
Think of this as a northern suburb of Nag's Head. The Wright Brothers thing is there (which I want to go to someday). The home garage of the monster truck "Grave Digger" is here (watching monster truck racing is our guilty pleasure). Also the location of the amazing Carolina Seafood Buffet. Nag's Head Outlet Malls. Shopping. The most like Myrtle Beach of all the OBX cities. Never rented a home here. When we have stayed down in Hatteras or Frisco, the ladies will often pick one day of the week to head up to NH for some shopping and fun. Legend has it that there is another great seafood buffet in NH: Jimmy's. On the web, some have rated it better than Carolina Seafood. I'm going to have to find it one of these days and try it out.

Rodanthe/Waves/Salvo
Holly stayed in Rodanthe for a few days one time. it was okay, but she didn't like it as much as Frisco or Hatteras. More traffic, and also the beach was not as friendly. A few feet into the surf and you were up to your shoulders. Strong currents, too. Perhaps because this shore faces due East, taking the full brunt of the ocean's force (the ocean shores of Frisco and Hatteras village face more towards the South). This area is not as developed, but has equipment rental places, a few restaurants, and maybe a grocery. Rentals here are cheaper I think, than Frisco or Hatteras area. The chick-flick "Nights in Rodanthe" was filmed here. I think it was also a book.

Avon
This is where folks in Hatteras and Frisco go to get most stuff that is not in town. Much less commercialized than Nag's Head, but has some things the smaller towns down-shore do not. Never rented here. I think between Avon and the Cape, there is this area on the sound-side where kiteboarding is often done. There is a large area of fairly shallow water, and the drive along hwy 12 is often made more interesting watching these guys do their thing. Sometimes the wind carries them 14 ft into the air for some cool acrobatics.

Buxton
Buxton is one of the towns that shares the Cape Hatteras area. Cape Hatteras is where the Hatteras Lighthouse is. You can climb the lighthouse and also visit the nearby home full of historical stuff for a small fee. Worth doing at least once. Buxton has a decent number of restaurants and tourist places.

Frisco
Frisco shares the other half of the Cape Hatteras area. We've rented here, so we know there are plenty of homes available. If you go down-shore in Frisco to rent your house, the land will narrow, and you may be able to see both the ocean and the sound from your top stories of the home. Frisco is cheaper, generally, than Hatteras village. We found it very enjoyable. Rented there once, earlier this year. Smaller than the Buxton area, I think, and not as commercial.

Hatteras Village
Note that Cape Hatteras and Hatteras are not the same. Hatteras is a small village down-shore a few miles from the Cape. It is more quaint and peaceful than the other towns. It is also a little more pricey. We've rented here three or four times. Very nice. There is a small grocery store about the size of a Dollar General that will have most essentials. There is a fairly new boardwalk-style shopping area near the harbor that has Dirty Dick's Crab Shack and other stores. Dirty Dick's is a chain, and is over-priced and has lower quality seafood than some of the other local places, in my experience. There is a maritime museum near the harbor, too. Want to visit that sometime, I do. Near the museum is the entrance to the sandy area of the cape (not Cape Hatteras, but another), which is very popular with surf fishermen. If you have a 4 wheel drive, you may have a lot of fun and drive on the sand in this area. It is a maze of sand-roads that usually lead you right to the beach, which you can drive on. Very fun off-roading, even if you don't end up fishing. This cape is the end of the island. Back at the harbor, there is a ferry you can catch to go down to the next island, Ocracoke. This ferry usually runs every half hour, and is free. I think the trip lasts about 30 mins as well.

Ocracoke
Ocracoke is a town and an island. No other towns are on this island. When you get off the ferry from Hatteras, you head down the island, because the town is on the other end. You'll pass the Ocracoke ponies stables. Wild ponies were marooned here years ago from a vessel that crashed nearby. They've lasted all these years. The observation area is marked, but when we stopped one year, the big flies were so thick that we didn't stay long. Howard's Pub is a restaurant (which has a bar, but still fine for the whole family) that you'll see right before you start getting into Ocracoke town that is an area landmark. Howard's has many t-shirts and hats on happy people all over the nation. Food is excellent, and an OBX trip wouldn't be the same without a visit there. Near Howard's is Jason's Pizza, which we enjoy as well. Ocracoke town has lots of souvenir, fudge, and other shops. You can rent bikes and mopeds too. Though somewhat commercialized, I think the area still has it's small ocean town feel. Some rental houses and small hotels and bed & breakfasts here. Nice quaint little sea town. From Ocracoke, you can go no further down the OB islands. You must take a pay ferry (I think $15 per car) back to the mainland. You can, and should, call ahead and make a reservation to make sure there is space for you for the time you want. You can either take a ferry to Swanquarter or Cedar Island. Both take about 3 hours.


GETTING TO THE HATTERAS AREA

By Land

Go to Nag's Head, then south on Hwy 12.

By Ferry

The ferry from Swanquarter to Ocracoke is what we've been taking lately. We enjoy the ride. It lasts about 3 hours. The drive from Raleigh is not that bad. Cedar Island has more departure times, but is a longer trip via land to get to. Bring something to feed the seagulls if you want. They follow the boat. These larger ferries have an area upstairs where you can sit and play games, eat a snack, or be protected from the weather. There are chairs linked to tables, not really comfortable for napping. There are bathrooms on all ferries, even the smaller Hatteras-Ocracoke ones. Bring cash for the ferry. I think $15 (for a car). There is one small ATM machine near Swanquarter, but I wouldn't depend on it. Call ahead to make a reservation on the ferry you want to be sure it does not fill up.

The ferry from Cedar Island to Ocracoke is similar in many ways to the SQ ferry, of course. But you would want to take this one if you were coming up from the south, or if you just wanted to make the drive along the coast. The small road to get to the Cedar Island harbor is long and slow. This ferry departs more often than the SQ ferry. Remember to call ahead and reserve a spot.

[tarheel7777]

Originally Posted by annesg

I think everyone else has put it well, but I adore Corolla too You can even go further out--or you could 10 years ago--my cousin stayed in a house that was only accessible by car when the tide was down. Wild horses roamed, it was as peaceful as can be.....we love it there.

The area annesg is referring to north of Corolla is called Carova Beach. It is only accessible via 4-wheel drive. Been there several times and it's really nice because the beach is quite wide (especially during low tide). The only bad thing is that you have to keep an eye out for cars driving faster than they should on the beach so if you have kids or dogs it's not all that relaxing.

I've rented houses for the past 6 years from Corolla to Rodanthe. The rental agencies all have pretty much the same policies, and have all been very nice and professional. You'll have different companies specializing in different areas.

It sounds like Corolla or Duck would be your best bet, if you want a quieter area. The only downside is that the houses here are unreal - enormous million dollar homes that sleep 14-26 people so the rates are pretty high. They're beautiful, but expensive. The Crystal Coast towns (Rodanthe, Avon, Buxton, Frisco, Hatteras) have a bigger selection of smaller homes, in my experience, so the rates are a bit more reasonable.

Hurricanes are a possibility in August. Technically hurricane season runs from something like June to November, but September is usually the worst month. Second worst is August. Make sure that you understand the policies should you have to evacuate - most companies will not give you a refund unless you purchase travel insurance.

[cackalackie]

I just got back from Avon - and I highly recommend that section of the Outer Banks. It's so quiet, laid back - and beautiful. Plus, you are closer to the Cape Hatteras lighthouse and the ferry to Ocracoke. There are shops such as Food Lion and the Village Grocery - as well as a couple of locations of Risky Business, the fresh seafood market. Avon is about 45 minutes south of the Nag's Head area. We also like Frisco/Buxton. We used Outer Beaches Realty.

Oh - and don't forget the place you go in the morning for Apple Uglies (a big huge apple-filled fried pastry) --- the Orange Blossom Cafe.

[findingmesomeday]

Wow, thanks everyone! Please keep the suggestions coming. It sounds as though we should avoid Nags Head if we want to be away from hustle/bustle (but can drive to it if we want) and focus on Duck, Buxton, Corolla.

I notice the less expensive (read: in our budget) properties are mostly on the sound side. Will this be a huge inconvenience in getting to the beach? I know the sunsets are magnificent on the sound side but the best beaches are not. We'd probably have to drive, right? Are we going to need a beach parking pass?

I'm aware of the hurricane issue. A few years ago, hubby and eldest son went to Sea Base, FL (Florida Keys) about this same week. It was a Boy Scout high adventure trip. The base was closed the week prior and the week after because of hurricanes! But they squeaked in their week. Of course hubby says Florida Keys in August? NEVER AGAIN! LOL

Hoping for a less active hurricane season this year.

[hurricanedavid]

Oh, and I meant to say that we have rented from Hatteras Realty and Midget (sp?) Realty, and both were fine.