Tell me about the Outer Banks

[DoctorJ]

I want to take off for a few days with CrazyCatLady in between the end of my residency and the hassle of moving. I've always heard wonderful things about the Outer Banks, so I'd like to visit while I'm still in NC, but I've never been.

Where do I go? Where do I stay? What do I do?

[Cisco]

I haven't been in over a decade, so I can't help you on where to eat, where to stay, etc., but I can say you're going to have a great time.

As long as it hasn't changed drastically since I've been there, the area is not nearly as touristy as you would expect. The beaches are clean and devoid of drunken college kids baring themselves for Mardi-Gras beads. The lighthouses are beautiful. Get the tours if you have time, as you'll learn some pretty interesting stuff that you don't get by just staring at them.

Kill-devil hill is very cool to visit, whether you believe it truly is "the birthplace of aviation" or not. Regardless of disputes, something great happened there, and you can almost feel it in the air.

I hope you have a great time!

[Liberal]

Be very very wary if you go into the water. The undertows are legend. And don't forget that this is hurricane season. But Cisco is right, it's beautiful and relatively pristine.

[An Arky]

Lovely place, but you have to live with getting bit by flies (horseflies?).

Okracoke is cool. We took a two hour ferry out there.

In some places, it's just wide enough to have a beach, a row of dunes, a road and a railroad track, maybe 200 yards wide.

[fruitbat]

My wife and I go every year. The Outer Banks is a long spit of land that starts around Nags Head and terminates at Hatteras with Ocracoke island just offshore. What you experience at the Outer Banks is very much dependent on where you go and the time of year.

As you go from North to South the Banks become less densely visited and less like a typical tourist beach resort. If you choose to stay in Duck or Nags Head you will find lovely (but windy) beaches with your typical array of beach shops from cute to tacky. Even at its most populated the Outer Banks isn't the Jersey Shore. You will still find miles of beach with nothing but a few surfcasters.

The south end, Hatteras, Avon, Buxton and Frisco, are much quieter and are feature a lovely and large wildlife sanctuary. There isn't much to do at night if you want entertainment other than nature. The fishing is terrific, from the Frisco pier, from shore, or from a headboat. As you can tell I love the south end and we stay at Hatteras every year. The best place to eat is the Austin Creek Grill which is about as good a restaurant as I have ever eaten at.

If you are looking for a place to stay try Colony Realty at www.hatterasvacations.com, we have had very good experiences with them and found the prices to be reasonable. Enjoy, I have to wait until September this year.

[romansperson]

As long as it hasn't changed drastically since I've been there, the area is not nearly as touristy as you would expect.

I don't know if 'touristy' is the right word, but Duck, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head, etc. have become more and more built up and overcommericialized over the years, to the point where I really dislike staying on the northern end of the islands. On weekends, driving can be a nightmare because people are in the process of leaving their rental houses and new people are arriving. Since the Outer Banks is a series of skinny barrier islands, you are stuck on Route 158 (and farther south, Route 12) the whole way down - there is very little in the way of alternate routes you can take. So, if you decide to go, try and see if you can do it mid-week. It'll make your journey more pleasant.

As for what to do - what do you want to do? Just sit on the beach? Sightsee? Or something more active? I like going down to Buxton or Hatteras to stay - it's much less developed due to stretches of land being protected - but correspondingly, there is not as much to do. There's the beach, and restaurants, and the Hatteras lighthouse, and wildlife watching and that's about all.

I personally like stopping on the way near Manteo at the Weeping Radish (http://www.weepingradish.com/), and you can also see The Lost Colony (http://www.thelostcolony.org/) play, if you are interested in historical stuff.

The Outer Banks has a really good web site - you might want to check that out (http://www.outerbanks.org/index.asp) too.

[romansperson]

Enjoy, I have to wait until September this year.

IMHO, that's the BEST time to go! It's not blazing hot any more and the crowds have died down. The sky has stopped being hazy and turns azure blue and it's just beautiful.

[CandidGamera]

Hijack :

DoctorJ, you mentioned in another thread that you'd be working for a hospital in Appalachia - I asked which one, but don't recall seeing a reply. I was just curious, since that's sort-of my neck of the woods.

[plnnr]

Ocracoke is where you want to head.

The northern Outer Banks have become terribly commercialized and crowded. Traffic can be very heavy. We started going there in the late 1960s and it was just a collection of cottages one one road. No longer.

Ocracoke, OTOH, is largely undeveloped and still a wonderful little place. It is protected because of the national seashore, so I don't expect that it'll be much more than it is right now for some time to come.

[Earl Snake-Hips Tucker]

I've only been to the extreme north (Duck thru Corolla) once. My memories of it are that there's a lot of development, but it's a lot more subdued than Kill Devil's Hills/Nag's Head area. Think Hilton Head, maybe. Kill Devil's Hill/Nag's Head, think Myrtle Beach. The communities on Hatteras Island, somewhat in-between--but the last time I was there (2002), I saw lots and lost of condo-type buildings going up. Just depends on what you want. For my own purposes. . .


Ocracoke is where you want to head.

In your case, you'll probably want to take [reserve] the Swan Quarter ferry (if Ocracoke appeals to you). It's a long drive to Nag's Head, and then back down Hatteras Island, and the lines for the Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry can be quite long during the summer.

[Jurph]

I just got back from a week in Corolla (http://maps.google.com/maps?oi=map&q=Corolla,+NC), and here's my advice:

1) Show up early on Saturday to dodge the HUGE rush of traffic on Route 12
2) Leave early the next Saturday (i.e. 7 or 8 am) to cut an unpleasant hour of stop-and-go off your trip -- this means you will arrive home early, and you will still be relaxed from the vacation.
3) Don't try to do all of your tanning the first day. :cool: --> :mad:

The beach house we stayed in seemed to be a pretty common variety (something like 7 bedrooms, 5 baths) and we fit 15 people in for a week, each paying about $110. Someone was always home, so locking and unlocking was never a problem; each night three or four people would take responsibility for dinner, and everyone brought some communal breakfast and lunch foods. There was always someone willing to go go-karting, kayaking, swimming in the pool or ocean, or even out for a run. Board games for the rainy day (only one all week!) and a hot tub for anyone with sore muscles from working out -- it was heaven.

I highly recommend setting up a group house with 12 of your closest friends.

[Spiff]

If you have a chance, Topsail Beach is a nice place to visit.

And if you don't want to be instantly recognized as a tourist, pronounce it TOP-sul beach, not top-sail.

[Maus Magill]

If you have a chance, Topsail Beach is a nice place to visit.

And if you don't want to be instantly recognized as a tourist, pronounce it TOP-sul beach, not top-sail.

Hear! Hear! My parents own a share in a house in Surf City on Topsail. I try to get out there as often as possible. It's quiet, and relaxing. Mrs. Magill and I wil bring Fang out to Topsail this July. I'm excited to see how he reacts to the beach.

Note: If you visit Topsail, try to get a place either in Topsail Beach or Surf City. Avoid North Topsail, unless you enjoy watching the beach erode before your very eyes.

[CandidGamera]

Hear! Hear! My parents own a share in a house in Surf City on Topsail.

Ah, I have heard of this so-called "Surf City", and its highly favorable ratio of females to males. [/reference]

[DoctorJ]

As for what to do - what do you want to do? Just sit on the beach? Sightsee? Or something more active?
Probably some combination of hanging around on the beach, getting out on the water (some sort of boat trip, maybe), and general exploring. (Our vacations generally involve a lot of random roaming around.)

DoctorJ, you mentioned in another thread that you'd be working for a hospital in Appalachia - I asked which one, but don't recall seeing a reply.
It's in southeastern Kentucky.

Ocracoke is where you want to head.
It does seem cool. If I did go to Ocracoke, where should I stay? (Specific suggestions for other areas would be welcome as well, in terms of accommodations, food, and activities.)

[MLS]

It does seem cool. If I did go to Ocracoke, where should I stay? (Specific suggestions for other areas would be welcome as well, in terms of accommodations, food, and activities.)

Just look here (http://www.ocracokeisland.com/) and you will find lots of info about the town on the southern end of the island. Other than this little town, the rest of the island is pretty much natural and untouched.

[Earl Snake-Hips Tucker]

I've stayed at several different places in Ocracoke. I think the Anchorage is on the waterfront (Silver Lake Harbor), but that one I haven't stayed at. The Silver Lake Inn is pretty close to the waterfront. I've stayed there, and it was OK. If you're into B&B's, I'd recommend "Oscar's House." Ann, the lady who runs it, is really cool. She's lived there for many years, and is also sorta like the island's official photographer-in-residence. Normally, though, I stay at one of the budget places, the Sand Dollar. Hey, it's a clean room, clean sheets, and doesn't take a bite out the wallet.

Be forewarned, if you're looking for a big shopping mecca, or excitement, this place probably isn't for you. They do have a number of charter fishing boats, and one charter service (run by the Austins) will take you to the ghost town on Portsmouth Island. Portsmouth is actually larger than Ocracoke, but atrophied, IIRC, as the result of a change in the fishing lanes brough on by a hurrican over a hundred years ago.

So far as food, I always make a stop at Cafe Atlantic, the Creekside, and the Back Porch. There's also another restaurant (that has a different owner, menu, and name each time I'm there) near the post office. I always sample the new fare there. Don't know why they can't keep a stable place. I've been happy with each incarnation. One of the local favorites is Captain Ben's. I went there the very first time I ever visited, and never went back. That was the one bad experience. I think it was just a fluke, a bad luck of the draw, because it's pretty popular even among the locals. But, I've never been able to convince Tucker-babe to give it a second try.

[elelle]

I'd recommend Ocracoke as well, specifically Oscar's. There is a fine bluegrass-type band there as well, Molasses Creek, who have a new OpryHouse there: http://www.molassescreek.com/

Ocracoke is the last holdout for beachgoers who don't want the outright glare.

[CandidGamera]

It's in southeastern Kentucky.

Cool. Fairly near where my parents live.

[Archergal]

Be very very wary if you go into the water. The undertows are legend.

Confirmed from personal experience. I almost got swept out to sea off Ocracoke. If another vacationer hadn't swum out to help me, I probably wouldn't be typing this now. Other than that, I liked the spot pretty well.

[plnnr]

Not to advocate anything illegal, but the National Seashore is also a great place for working on your all-over tan. Be forwarned, there are no bathrooms, no concessions, no umbrellas, no nothing. Just you, the sand, and the sun. You'll cook if you aren't careful.

[Qadgop the Mercotan]

Okracoke was lovely!!

The biting flies at Cape Hattaras were annoying.

Anybody go beyond Ocracoke to Portsmouth?

[Earl Snake-Hips Tucker]

Anybody go beyond Ocracoke to Portsmouth?

Yep. Hitch a ride with the Austins. They'll drop you off in the morning and pick you up in the afternoon. Carry at least two cans of Deep Woods Off. The mosquitoes in the village itself are like something out of a horror movie. Not so much the size, but the way they blanket the sky. Well, not the sky, just walker's bodies. Once you get out of the village and onto the tidal flats, it's not so bad, but the village is not for the faint of heart.

Once you actually get to the beach, you will see hardly another soul, until you get back to the pick-up area. Some people boat over from Cape Lookout, or ferry over from Cedar Island, so you might see an incidental person here and there.

[Hal Briston]

Make sure that before you leave, you buy an eliptical "OBX" sticker and affix it to your car.

Judging by the number of them I see around here, I'm assuming it's federal law for everyone who visits there.

[Earl Snake-Hips Tucker]

A couple of other things about Portsmouth: The only bathroom is in the village. Once you leave there, you're on your own, so pack accordingly. Also, there are no stores or concession stands, so anything you plan to eat, drink, or otherwise consume, you'll need to pack. Oh, and the "village" is a ghost town. Only a couple of park rangers stay there.

[Qadgop the Mercotan]

A couple of other things about Portsmouth: The only bathroom is in the village. Once you leave there, you're on your own, so pack accordingly. Also, there are no stores or concession stands, so anything you plan to eat, drink, or otherwise consume, you'll need to pack. Oh, and the "village" is a ghost town. Only a couple of park rangers stay there.
Thanks, Earl. Is it worth the trip?

[Earl Snake-Hips Tucker]

As always, YMMV. I enjoyed it, and would gladly do it again. Now, I wouldn't think of going to Ocracoke simply to go to Portsmouth. That would just be a day trip during my stay. If you like secluded beaches, where there's hardly another soul (as well as any other amenities), you might like it. The skeeters were tough, but I survived, and I know what to expect--and as you leave the village, that problem starts to lessen. The important thing to remember is "Pack everything you think you'll need--you won't be able to purchase anything on the island."

That and bug spray.

Lots and lots of bug spray.

[Winnie]

I'm an OBX veteran -- been going with my folks since I was 4 and now get to go with my own family at age 30. I've seen a lot of changes in those parts, some good, some not so good. But one thing I know is that I'm always drawn back. It's like a magnet. Every year I get the itch, and I HAVE to be there. And only there -- other eastern beaches just won't do.

There are some neat things to do that I always try to recommend to new visitors.

Going out on Jockey's Ridge (http://www.jockeysridgestatepark.com/) at night (the gigantic sand dune on Route 158, you can't miss it) is a blast. They do a tour with large groups after sundown, it's pitch black and you just see the lights of the area all around you, then the complete blackness of the ocean beyond it all.

If you're craving a little shopping/strolling trip, a ride into Duck will satisfy that urge. There's a cutesy little area of shops called Scarborough Faire (http://www.outer-banks.com/scarborough-faire/). Despite the yuppiness of it all, it's a very well laid-out shopping area, almost completely built within trees and little pathways. There's an amazing bakery back there that makes a key lime pie almost as good as mine :) It's a good excuse to get out of the sun for the day if you need that break.

I like going out on the fishing piers at night and seeing what the guys out there are bringing in. Avalon Pier is one of the larger piers and is right in the heart of Nags Head. Some of the smaller piers were severely damaged (and one totally destroyed) by Hurrican Isabel about a year and a half ago, but they're still rebuilding. A link to the Avalon Pier website gives you stats on what they're catching and the water temps, plus a live webcam that I have to look at daily so I can see my favorite place on earth from my freezing cold cube farm: Avalon Pier (http://www.avalonpier.com)

Speaking of damage, the condition of some of the beachfront homes will often startle you. Because the OBX is totally an island and pretty much built on a sandbar, there is a lot of erosion due to the hurricanes that seem to relentlessly pound the area when they get up to that point in the Atlantic. Even at low tide some of the oceanfronts on stilts are 2-3 feet in the water - they're condemned of course -- but the amount of damage to homes was incredible. You'll still see a lot of rebuilding and construction equipment pushing sand around to reconstruct dunes that were taken out to sea.

Crabs, Crabs, Crabs. You must get them. Whether you're a legs only person or like to massacre a whole crab crusted in salt and Old Bay like I do, you need to make a big gluttonous mess of yourself at least once. Some people like to do things the old way and go crabbing in the sound. I've tried that. It's not nearly as earthy and satisfying as it sounds. Pay the money and buy them from the locals.

And I second the vote for Weeping Radish. GREAT beer there.

During the hazy times of the summer when the sound is warm and calm and ocean temps are creeping into the high 70s, the OBX becomes jellyfish central. I can't even count now how many times my dad and I got stung over the years.

And another second on the undertow and riptides. They are nothing to play with. We had a sudden riptide last year when I was there, out of nowhere one morning the waves were 6-7 feet high. I jumped in with my raft thinking what a blast it would be to ride those in, and was promptly chewed up and thrown back onto the beach with my bathing suit barely existing. Jeez you'd never think I've been going there for 26 years.

Have fun and enjoy! The Outer Banks becomes part of your soul once you've visited. One visit will never, ever be enough for you.