snowrooster

We have been going to Hilton Head for several years and are considering somewhere different for our family vaca this summer. The Outer Banks looks great, but I am completely unfamiliar w/the area and there seem to be many different areas that come up when I search for rentals. Is there are big difference, town to town? Which would you recommend? We are a family of four (kids will be 5&7 at time of trip) and want to be on the beach & have decent access to restaurants. Suggestions?

Curious

Nags Head or Kill Devil Hills should work.

Here is everything you need to know about the Outer Banks:www.outerbanks.org/ -

Curious

debsnj

We love Corolla. It is a bit further than Kill Devil Hills. The beaches are beautiful and the ocean seems quite calm. We have been going with children ranging in age from 18 mo to 11 years old. You may have a drive a bit for some restaurants. Duck is also nice, a bit closer than Corolla and busier/livelier. Duck has many shops and restaurants, bike baths and parks. If you drive a bit further out than Corolla you get to the end where access is by 4 wheel drive only, it is really beautiful and you can see wild horses. Also in the past few years another supermarket has opened in Corolla.

Leely

We loved Ocracoke, very historic, not built up, although I'm not sure it's exactly what you're looking for. I do think it would be nice for young children.

We stayed in Hatteras too and liked it, but preferred Ocracoke.

SavTrav

We have stayed in Corolla for 3 different weekends and loved it. Smaller town, but close enough to things - and quiet when you want that.

Also, if you go to this area, you must go to The Blue Point in Duck. We make a special trip to go there every year.

snowrooster

How long a drive is it from Corolla to shops/restaurants? I like the idea of staying in an area that is more remote, but we do like to go out to dinner.

asdaven

Base yourself in Nags Head or Kill Devil Hills. It centralizes you between Corolla. There is a lot more restaurants and shops in Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills, and Kitty Hawk. I love Corolla too and Hatteras and Ocracoke. If you base yourself in Corolla, Hatteras or Ocracoke will be a long drive and vice-versa. From Nags Head, Hatteras is a 1-1.5 hour drive. From Corolla, you are 2-2.5 hours from Hatteras. And especially if you want to take the ferry over to Ocracoke. I highly recommend checking out Corolla and the lighthouse which you can climb and if you have a 4WD, take a trip up in to the four-wheel drive area north of corolla. Jockeys Ridge State Park in Nags Head is fun with the kids. It is the tallest dune on the east coast. The kids love to run down it. In Hatteras, 50 miles south of Nags Head is the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, which you can also climb. I like to climb this one over the Corolla one plus the Hatteras one is taller and more famous. Also, worth checking out is Ocracoke. There is a free 45 minute ferry ride over to the island that runs every half hour. The kids love the ferry ride! Ocracoke offers very uncrowded beaches and a town separated from civilization. It is almost like a port town in New England. There is also another lighthouse at Ocracoke but you can't climb it. Same with the Bodie Island Lighthouse 5 miles south of Nags Head. As far as Ocracoke and Hatteras, I suggest doing them two seperate days. Ocracoke is an all-day affair. Another tip, don't go to the town beaches. Go to the National Seashore beach. The closest access to Nags Head is 5 miles south of town called "Coquina Beach". And don't forget to check out manteo on Roanoke Island. The town is quaint and the kids might like the festival park. It has a lot of living history. There is also a nice aquarium on Roanoke Island.

SavTrav

From Corolla to Duck it's about 16 miles. Really you would have a 20-30 minute drive to the other towns.

I haven't stayed at any of the other towns, but I really love Corolla. I really like the atmosphere of the place.

Dukey

Snowrooster, there are more restaurants in Nags Head alone than you could p[ossibly eat at in a week and some of them you wouldn't want to eat in anyway.

Do you have any OTHER criteria besides being close to restaurants? Each town has a different "flavor" and even the beaches are somewhat different.

If being as close as possible to ALL the people, congestion, etc., that you'll see at the height of the season on the OBX is the most important thing, then I agree with Nags Head/KDH/KH.

OTOH if you want somewhat less crowded beaches, fewer houses, and a slower pace then some of the other villages/towns might be a lot better for you.

karens

We went to the Outer Banks for the first time last year and was pleased with our stay in Kill Devil Hills. We stayed in a nice hotel right on the beach and were close to restaurants, and the sights.

We chose a motel b/c we were there less than a week. And we did drive up to Corolla (went up the lighthouse), down to the lighthouse in Hatteras, Jockeys Ridge (neat!), Manteo, and did mini-golfing - and I think we were centrally located for all this sightseeing.

TrvlMaven

You've gotten good info regarding Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head. A day trip to Ocracoke would be fun--stop to see the ponies between the ferry and "town". FYI--you would need four wheel drive to go to some of the beaches on Ocracoke.

Suki

We're another family that has been going to Corolla for many years. We rent in Corolla Light and they have many family-oriented activities at the oceanside pool. There is also an indoor pool in case the weather is bad. There are plenty of restaurants available within 5 or 6 miles, and some really excellent restaurants in Duck (like The Blue Point which I agree is great.) It's pretty quiet at night, but there is some family activity like race cars and maybe miniature golf down about 3 miles south in a large shopping complex whose name I cannot remember.

debsnj

I think that you have to decide what type of vacation you are looking for. Corolla and Duck have very limited hotels, mostly house rentals - some with private pools, some within developments with tennis and indoor pools; we are generally beach people, happy on the beach with a couple of activities, some eating in and some eating out. On the other hand, if you are looking for day trips, such as Roanoke, Oracoke, Manteo (which is fun), the Wright Brothers museum, Jockey's Ridge, the aquarium, etc you are probably better off staying at Nags Head or Kill Devil Hills. Jockey's Ridge and Wright Brothers are very doable from Duck/Corolla. Jockey's Ridge is beautiful at sunset. When we stay in Corolla, we usually spend at least two evenings in Duck for some fun shopping, eating, ice cream, etc. There is so much to do, I think lots more than Hilton Head, which to me seemed very golf oriented. Also, where are you traveling from?

snowrooster

"OTOH if you want somewhat less crowded beaches, fewer houses, and a slower pace then some of the other villages/towns might be a lot better for you."

That is definitely what I want - we want a relaxed vacation. I have been looking at houses and found some that look good in Corrolla (we would like to bring out dog, so that limits the options as well). If anyone has a rental company they reccommend, let me know.

I don't mind driving a bit to go out to dinner/activities, I just don't want to HAVE to drive an hour each evening to reach civilization (which we've done on past vacation in St John, USVI and Hocking Hills, Ohio). It doesn't sound like that would be the case in Corrolla. Oh, we will be driving from Cincinnati, Ohio.

snowrooster

If any of the experts can give me a general description of each of the towns, that would be great. Right now I am leaning toward Corolla - it looks like we can afford something w/an "ocean view" that is just a short walk to the beach, which would be nice. Nobody seems to be suggesting Kitty Hawk - is there a reason for this? Regarding day trips, we'll probably just do one - being land locked in Ohio we like to maximize our time at the beach while we have it!!

Suki

Having only stayed in the northern Outer Banks, I can't describe the other towns. Kitty Hawk and Nags Head have been day trips for us, and I think they have a lot to recommend them. It's just that they are busier and way more commercial than Duck or Corolla. I have the feeling that the Buxton/Ocracoke area is very quiet, but beautiful.

In Corolla Light, we usually use Twiddy and have been very happy. This past year, we had a family reunion, so we rented two places and the other agnecy we used was Corolla Classic Vacations. Also, you will find the website www.corollalightresort.com very useful.

LindaLa

I have stayed in Nags Head, Duck and Corolla. I prefer Duck and Corolla areas to Nags Head, just because it is much quieter on that part of the island. You should be able to find a rental that allows dogs, but you will need to book early. If you go online, you will find the names of several realtors.

cd

snowrooster
We usually stay in Nags Head just because that is what we are used to. We do explore other areas and one that we always make a day trip to is Ocracoke. The Ferry from Hatteras to Ocracoke is a free ferry and my kids always got a kick out of doing that.

Just for the heck of it, I went to vrbo.com and looked up oceanfront/pet friendly places and did not come up with many but did find this one http://www.vrbo.com/123050

So many of the homes are very large to accomadate more then one family. Try Sun REalty on the Outer Banks, they seemed to have a lot of rentals. http://www.sunrealtync.com/sitepages/pid25.php

When driving the Outer Banks, it is hard to tell If you're in Nags Head, Kitty Hawk, etc they are so close together.

snowrooster

I'm finding some really good deals in SOUTH Nags Head - is there something unappealing about this area that is causing the lower rates? Maybe the homes are just older (decorating does seem a bit dated), but there are some that are a good size & right on the beach, which would be great!

Suki

Again, I am not an expert but I think South Nags Head would be fine.The homes would be older than in the North, I think.

It is true that the houses in Duck and Corolla are ideal for sharing with other families. On the other hand, Corolla Light has townhouses, and condos (called Mirage, I think) that would be fine for one family. My kids really loved having access to a couple of pools and/or having a house with a pool. Check out the website I provided above.