JulieR

My husband and I are planning a vacation in late July and are thinking about the Carolinas. Neither of us have been to either. What would be the best place to vacation in either state,we are beach people and would like to stay right on the beach if possible. Any suggestions would be helpful.

GoTravel

Wild Dunes would be my pick. 20 minutes from downtown Charleston.

alise

do you want to just hang out on the beach all day...or do you want additional activities?

lots of nightlife?
dining?
shopping?
entertainment?

You have tons of choices...ranging from the crazy to laid back

Myrtle Beach, Charleston, Hilton Head,
Wilmington area, Outer Banks

Narrow it down for us!

JulieR

Alise,we like all that you have mentioned,spend some of the morning sightseeing,shopping,lounging on the beach in the afternoon. At night great food,and night life is also a plus,we have no idea about any of the cities in that area,lodging,restaurants...so thats why I'm asking. Also read on some posts that Myrtle Beach is too commercial,touristy...What are your suggestions. Thanks

Cassandra

The Outer Banks are, of course, beautiful away from the commercialized areas of Nags Head-Kitty Hawk, but I'm afraid NC hasn't been particularly far-sighted about controlling development. In general the further south you go on the OBX, the less "touristy," to the point that Ocracoke Island is almost too un-touristy for some people, although it's very pretty -- problem: no cottages are on the beach, not permitted.

So a lot of Tar Heels prefer to go further south to Emerald Isle or Wrightsville Beach. I am (as I noted in another thread) a great partisan of Wrightsville/Wilmington because Wrightsville's a slightly older and smaller beach community so there's a limit to how built up it could get, but just over the intercoastal/causeway, you have access to Wilmington, a city with history, art, restaurants, great shops, etc. -- and there are even a few decent malls in between if that's your scene.

I found Myrtle Beach grossly tacky, but further south and around Charleston, there are reputedly much nicer areas, so I won't "dis" them.

One thing to keep in mind: Late July is the hottest time of the year in this area and the beach-life rhythm has you largely off the beach in the middle of the day for that reason -- so you definitely want to be in a place where you have things to do (unless you are big on siesta!) during that time.

GoTravel

Cassandra, spending much time on Pawleys Island, SC during the summer, I must disagree that people get off the beach in July. I find it to be the only place that is bearable.

Debi

I also like the Wrightsville Beach area - actually there's a string of beaches down the NC coast. I've always preferred the NC beaches to Myrtle Beach because they're not quite so grown up. There's also a beach called Surf City that was nice when we went there.....