Help for Outer Banks in late March
 

Hi everyone,
we are planning to be at OBX in late March (around the 22nd). I know the period would not probably be the best (we must be lucky...) but we have not any other chance. We are not interested in staying just at the beach (and of course not swimming); we are more interested in lighthouses, wildlife, walking on the beach, and enjoying the wildness of this area.

We'll arrive from Louisville and we will have not many days to be spent here (probably 2) as we need then to drive down to GA.
I would like to do:
Corolla Light House
Wright Brothers National Memorial
Cape Hatteras National Seashore
Bodie Island Lighthouse
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

where can I sleep the first night (the one I arrive from Louisville) before to go -the day after- at Corolla?
we will probably not go to Ocracoke as I'm not a big fan of ferry and I'm quite worried about taking a ferry in March (the sea could be bad I guess...)

any suggestions?

another question: being based in Nags Heads, would be eventually possible do in 1 day (coming back to sleep in Nags Head):

Corolla Light House
Cape Hatteras National Seashore
Bodie Island Lighthouse
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

?

No, you really can't accomplish all that in one day. Corolla and the Hatteras Lighthouse are two hours apart.

You can easily spend a day in Corolla seeing the Currituck Lighthouse, Whalehead Hunting Club, Corolla Village and possibly doing a wild horse tour. There is one company that I'm pretty certain does the tours year round.

Not sure why you aren't just heading up to Corolla instead of spending the night in Nags Head, but if you do stay in NH you could combine the Wright Bros Memorial with a trip to Bodie Island light and the top end of the Hatteras National Seashore.

The Hatteras light is really a day trip.

Two other interesting places for wildlife & ecology as well as short hikes are Nags Head Woods and Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge (just west of Manteo). You can google for more info and to check for off season hours -- but I highly recommend either or both if you have time.

thanks for your kind reply.
in case I'll arrive from Greensboro (instead of Louisville),do you think it's possible doing in a day:

Greensboro - Bodie Island Lighthouse - Cape Hatteras National Seashore - Cape Hatteras Lighthouse?

where can I sleep if I plan the day like this (considering the day after I would like to do the north side of OBX)?

thanks

Why have you chosen Greensboro as your stop from Louisville? You should be able to get much further into eastern NC, in which case you might be able to do some of what you want.

What is your time frame to drive to Georgia from OBX? Your overall trip itinerary?

Greensboro it's not a stop after Louisville.
we are still defining details of the overall plan and I need to choose between

1) Mammoth Cave - Louisville - OBX
2) Forrest City (AK) - Greensboro (or Asheville to have a shorter leg) - OBX

what I'm thinking about now (but I don't like it very much) is:

1 Asheville - Corolla Village & Lighthouse - Corolla
2 Corolla - Kitty Hawk - Wright Memorial - Nags Head - Bodie Light House - Nags Head
3 Nags Head - Cape Hatteras Seashore & Lighthouse - Alligator wildlife Refuge - Wilmington
4 Wilmington - Edisto Island - Hunting Island - Beaufort - Savannah
5 Savannah - St Mary - Cumberland Island - St Mary
6 St Mary - Atlanta
7 Atlanta - Italy


I'm also thinking to cut the Georgia part of the trip to recover some days and eventually move these days to the northern part of the coast (Chincoteague Island, etc...)

Ah, yes, the Italian connection.

Wilmington to Savannah in a day. No

Greensboro to fly from Italy may not make much sense. You could maybe fly to Raleigh or Charlotte--much more hubs.

Asheville is also not a real port of entry and even further from OBX.

If you want to do the east coast of the US you might fly into Washington DC and go to the OBX. Then head south along the coast. Fly home from Jacksonville, and ditch the Kentucky part--it is a long way from the Atlantic coast.

"Greensboro to fly from Italy may not make much sense"

this is just the final part of the trip; we spend other 10 days before, between TX and Arkansas.
my doubt is now about the east side of the trip; initially the idea was to arrive (from AK) in Louisville and then head south to the cost: Charleston to St Marys for Cumberland Island.
now I would like to evaluate if makes sense including OBX too, but to do that I need to cut something...

the other concern I have is that I would avoid to do "too much" coast landscapes..maybe it's always the same view at the end...is it?

I remember the Texas part also. LONG drives, IMO, but it is your trip.

I would give up the Kentucky part, fly to somewhere nearer the OBX and do the coast.

South of the OBX it is not "coast landscapes", but there IS a lot of beauty to see.

thank you.

do you think this could be a good planning for the coast?

*Charleston - Edisto Island - Hunting Island - Beaufort - Savannah
*Savannah - St Mary (traghetto delle 9) - Cumberland Island - St Mary
*St Mary - Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge - Atlanta


[I already visited Charleston & Savannah, so they are just a stop fot the night]

I am a little confused on the big picture of your trip but I understand you're still trying to work that out. So I will answer this question you have:

<i>where can I sleep if I plan the day like this (considering the day after I would like to do the north side of OBX)?</i>

There is a Hilton Garden Inn on the oceanfront in Kitty Hawk. There aren't many mid range chain hotels on the OBX. The various towns and communities are largely rental homes with a smattering of hotels & motels (especially in Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head) which I'd mostly classify as funky and/or retro. There are a few high end hotels and B&B's. Say so if you are interested in something like that.

Weather in March could be quite chilly but could be quite mild or even warm.

Yes, you can do that for a drive by.
The OBX will be about a 10 hour drive to charleston I think.

[I am a little confused on the big picture of your trip but I understand you're still trying to work that out.]

I can understand, sorry for the confusion... :)

I'll be in USA from March 10 (landing in Dallas) to March 27 (departing from Atlanta).

In this trip I'll visit Texas, heading to Oklahoma City, then to Arkansas (Eureka Spring, Crater of Diamonds, Little Rock - Forrest City). In the initial version of the trip, I planned to head to Kentucky (Mammoth Cave + Louisville) and then to Asheville and Charleston to finish my trip wit SC & GA coast like I mentioned in the above topic.

I'm now thinking to add OBX to my trip, but to do that I need to cut some other area of the initial plan as, of course, I cannot add any extra day.
I think I have to options to recover 2 days for OBX:

1) cutting Kentucky, that means from Arkansas (Forrest City) heading to the OBX [stopping in Asheville as place to sleep in the long drive to OBX]:
- Forrest City - Asheville
- Asheville - Corolla Village & Lighthouse - Corolla
- Corolla - Kitty Hawk - Wright Memorial - Nags Head - Bodie Light House - Nags Head
- Nags Head - Cape Hatteras Seashore & Lighthouse - Alligator wildlife Refuge - Wilmington
- Wilmington - Edisto Island - Hunting Island - Beaufort - Savannah
- Savannah - St Mary - Cumberland Island - St Mary
- St Mary - Atlanta
- Atlanta - ITA
[this option -as it is- it's not impressing me a lot... too many consecutive days with too many driving hours - *a flight is not option between AK and OBX as this will mean paying 2 drop off fee that it's too expensive!]

2) cutting everything down from Savannah and re-using these days in OBX area and between AK and NC...


what's your opinion?

I think you just do not understand how far things are--I don't mind driving either, but if you are on a vacation it is nice to see things and not just drive by them.

It is 8 hours fromo Arkansas to Asheville.
It is 8 hours to OBX
It is 6 hours from Wilmington to Savannah.

Do you just not stop to see things?

Yes, I would stop in Savannah--AND see Biltmore House in Asheville AND see something between Wilmington and Savannah. I guess you have been to Charleston?

That's why I made a comment saying "I don't like this itinerary version, too many driving hours..."
I have been to Charleston and Savannah

But the other itinerary is also is even LONGer driving hours

the 2° part of the other one [the original version without OBX that I'll probably keep in place] is:

Forrest City - Mammoth Cave - Elizabethtown
Elizabethtown - Louisville
Louisville - Asheville
Asheville - Charleston
Charleston - Edisto Island - Hunting Island - Beaufort - Savannah
Savannah - Cumberland Island - St Mary
St Mary - Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge - Atlanta
Atlanta - ITA

Glad you can omit the OBX--this is a very manageable trip with a lot to see.

You might enjoy seeing Pleasant Hill Kentucky, a Shaker village between Louisville and Asheville. It would be different from anything else on your trip.

great, thanks for the advice on Pleasant Hill; I'm organizing now that part of the trip and this is very useful.

OBX is something that I really would like to include, but I realized I need to cut too much to arrive there and the risk is to sacrifice too many days just drive (days I can actually spend in Kentucky to see something new for us).

do you recommend something else instead of Edisto Island & Hunting Island for the GA coast?

<i>OBX is something that I really would like to include, but I realized I need to cut too much to arrive there and the risk is to sacrifice too many days just drive (days I can actually spend in Kentucky to see something new for us).</i>

I think your decision to cut the OBX is a good one. You've got a lot to see as it is and while the OBX has things that would interest you, it's an outlier on your path.

I can't answer your question on Edisto and Hunting Islands but you might consider starting another thread with those place names in the title to attract people who do know those areas. Good luck -- you've got a very interesting trip planned!

thanks dear :)

and thank you for your help so far