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Old 12-21-2007, 01:59 PM
 
655 posts, read 911,384 times
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I'm a beach bum by nature, and have always loved the ocean. We purchased our home in Cary, but don't live there yet. I'm curious how convenient is really is to pack up a nice travel trailer and hit the beaches for a weekend get away? I know the drive it about 2 hours, but are the beach towns well suited for someone rolling in with their travel trailer? Are there places with decent RV or camping parks?

Also, what about driving to other major attractions / cities? I love road trips, so what destinations within a 1/2 days drive would you recommend?
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Old 12-21-2007, 02:50 PM
 
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Within 1/2 day's drive-
Hilton Head, Charleston, Savannah, Outer Banks, Myrtle Beach, and countless smaller beach towns.
Going to the West there is Asheville, Boone, Lake Lure, Blowing Rock, and a bunch of smaller destinations without leaving the state.
Those are just off the top of my head-
You will not easily run out of places to explore within a 5 to 6 hour drive of Cary.
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Old 12-21-2007, 04:51 PM
 
Location: Chatham, NC
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Blue Ridge Parkway is terrific drive, and you can follow it north into Virginia. Lots of caves along the route, Luray Caverns is pretty impressive but there's also smaller ones.
Williamsburg VA is pretty cool for history buffs, also Norfolk. Then there's Washington DC within 6 hours as well - takes a good week to go through all the different museums there!
Linville Caverns and gem mining in NC, also Gatlinburg TN.
So much to see!
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Old 12-21-2007, 05:56 PM
 
Location: The 12th State
22,974 posts, read 65,296,170 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by travelmate38 View Post
I'm a beach bum by nature, and have always loved the ocean. We purchased our home in Cary, but don't live there yet. I'm curious how convenient is really is to pack up a nice travel trailer and hit the beaches for a weekend get away? I know the drive it about 2 hours, but are the beach towns well suited for someone rolling in with their travel trailer? Are there places with decent RV or camping parks?

Also, what about driving to other major attractions / cities? I love road trips, so what destinations within a 1/2 days drive would you recommend?
Just a hour and half more I highly suggest checking out the Outer banks. You will find plenty of RV campgrounds and most of them are on Hatteras Island. This portion of the OBX does not allow commercial development such as a MC donalds or other chain and no high rise condos and hotels most of it just nature. Being on an island you have only a short walk to the ocean in case you dont stay at waterfront campground. http://www.visitob.com/outer_banks/t...ampgrounds.htm
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Old 12-22-2007, 10:43 AM
 
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As Real Estate at the beach has shot up, some campgrounds are selling out for highrise condos. We are lucky that there are state parks that will not face this issue. Parts of the Outer Banks aren't impacted quite so much by this because the shifting dunes limit building, so camp grounds are ideal.

iirc, there is a state park around Carolina Beach on the way to Fort Fisher that has camping. That may be one of the closest. There are lots of camping options around
Surfside, just south of Myrtle Beach. This isn't that far of a drive (I used to it weekly).

As to in general getting out from Cary to explore the region, it works pretty well for me. We have convenient access to I-40 from our Cary home. The beach is going to take a bit longer because you have to get around the beltline. Garner/Clayton have it much easier in that regard. We are more mountain people than beach ones (although love both), plus have family around Winston, so getting out to the West has been more important.

My favorite quick getaway is probably the Blowing Rock area. I've gotten from Airport Rd to downtown Blowing Rock in 2.5 hours on a Friday afternoon before. Nearby Price Campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway is excellent, and the area has a lot to explore (Grandfather Mountain, Tweetsie Railroad, etc).

In addition to the NC Coast and Mountains, there are lots of other good places to explore in state. Various state parks, lake and the zoo all come to mind. And when you include neighboring states, there is tons to do. To the north you have a lot of options - Williamsburg, Virginia Beach, DC, the Chesapeake are, etc. Lots of history in Virginia.
In SC, my favorite option is probably Charleston.
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Old 12-22-2007, 01:10 PM
 
Location: Norfolk, VA
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There are a few great books you can get about camping in the outerbanks. Just go to the local Barnes & Nobles or Borders and most have a section on North Carolina travel. I have seen like 3-4 focused on on this, and most show you the websites or phone numbers where you can book reservations.

It gets very hectic in the summer months, but its generally nicer in the spring and fall anyways. The summer gets very hot (I went in August and gave up on camping) and the bugs can get in the way on some of the wooded sites.
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Old 12-22-2007, 02:03 PM
 
Location: The 12th State
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Originally Posted by rcarrillo View Post
There are a few great books you can get about camping in the outerbanks. Just go to the local Barnes & Nobles or Borders and most have a section on North Carolina travel. I have seen like 3-4 focused on on this, and most show you the websites or phone numbers where you can book reservations.

It gets very hectic in the summer months, but its generally nicer in the spring and fall anyways. The summer gets very hot (I went in August and gave up on camping) and the bugs can get in the way on some of the wooded sites.
Very true best time to go is late spring or early fall.
I went to OBX in may but I recommend late May if possible The air and water will be a little warmer. Ocean water tends to be warmer south of Hatteras due to it gets more of a southern current vs a northern current.

Something you cant really predict but want to check is the wind.
You can stay at soundside campground but check if the wind is coming off the ocean or off the sound. The bugs are less intrusive if the wind is coming off the ocean. To me the bugs wasnt a issue but I went with a cold north eastern winds I can imagine the summer and fall a little more unbearable and the season more ripe for afternoon thunderstorms and hurricane possibilities.

Great thing is due to development restrictions you can find a spot on the beach where you feel like you have it to yourself.
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