Mid April: Chincoteague or Outer Banks on the way to Hilton Head?
 

We are planning to visit family in Hilton Head and have decided to drive ourselves from CT & do some sightseeing along the way. Don't think I'm crazy, but we only have 8 days to do the entire round-trip tour, so we want to make the most of our time. We are looking for nature as opposed to history on this trip, so we will be avoiding D.C. Planning on driving thru DE, as my husband just HAS to see the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. We plan on splitting up the drive down, taking the first 3 days to day-trip. Then have only one overnight stop heading home. So here's what I'm looking for opinions on: I have a half day to spend in one location and a day & a half to spend at the other. Which one should we spend more time in? I know it's not enough time in either place, but we will use what we learn to plan a future (and longer) trip. Also, any suggestions for food stops along the way would be appreciated. Thanks for any and all help!

The Smyrna Diner!

The Tale of the Whale in Nags Head

Outer Banks north... go north after you cross the bridge up to Duck and Corolla. Don't forget the Wright Memorial Museum.

I love both places, but if you are going on the Bay Bridge Tunnel (which we also love), then Chincoteague/Assateague are pretty much right on the way. I would recommend it for the half-day.

A day and a half is good to get a taste of the Outer Banks. Try to overnight in a beach-front hotel.

When do you travel? If you try to get onto the Banks on Saturday during summer you will get stuck in traffic. If you go on a weekday you should be fine.

The first time we saw Chincoteague was on the drive home from the Outer Banks. My brother had us drive through and stop for lunch to get a feel for the place which we found helpful. Going back this summer for a few days.

I love crossing the CBBTunnel. There's a rest stop around half way over with a restaurant, decent gift shop, restrooms, pier. If you decide to stop be aware the sharp right-hand turn into the lot is immediately after you leave the first tunnel (headed South). I would have missed it if my brother, who had been there before, hadn't been with us.

When you leave CT, and get to NY, take the Garden State Pky. to Cape May and take the ferry to Lewes, DE, then go down to Chincoteague. You should be able to get there in the afternoon, there is an ok motel very close to the entrance. Spend the night there and do a quick trip through to see the wildlife in the morning then head down to the Bay Bridge/Tunnel. The stop AnnMarie mentioned is well worth the stop and might be an ok place to have a cup of coffee on your way south.

If you don't already have an easy pass transponder for the tolls, get one. If you go to the Massachusetts dot site you can get one that they will mail to you and link it to a credit card for the tolls. It is good at all the toll places along the route and will let you through all the ones along this route including the BBT.

Thanks for the tips. AnnMarie, we will definitely stop on the bridge!! We were hoping there would be a place to do just that. emalloy, probably won't do the Lewes ferry, but you pointed me in the right direction. We are looking at spending a night in Buxton, then taking the ferries from Hatteras to Ocracoke to Cedar Island. And we will be taking the Garden State. It's well worth the extra 7 minutes travel-time (according to Google-maps.) We have EasyPass, too. Have for years even tho we don't drive toll roads all that often. So convenient! Getting excited, but with less than 2 weeks before "take-off," my head is spinning searching for hotels & mapping the trip.

Taking those ferries on the Banks in summer involves reservations and lots of wait time. I love doing that but it's not quick. Bring lunch and be at the boarding spot early.

http://www.ncdot.gov/travel/ferryroutes/

We're planning on taking them in a week & a half. Is it bad at this time of year?

There's another stop, on the right hand side, just before you cross the bridge. There's nothing there but a large parking lot but it's scenic and another great place to stop for pictures. Enjoy a great time!

You should be fine. I would still reserve the ferry. My friend is at KDN now. She says it's chilly.

If you do get to Chincoteague, when you go over the waterway, continue east on Maddox to the entrance for the NP. If you have a park pass you can use it (if you don't and one of you is 62, get one it is $10 and good for your lifetime at all the parks). If you enter the park early in the AM there will probably be no one in the booth, but you can still drive into the park.

Rethinking our plans. It's been a very fluid process. Now we're considering bagging the Hilton Head portion of the trip & just spending our time between Chincoteague & the Outer Banks. I'm just afraid we'll be too disappointed to cut our time short there, plus we'll need a vacation from our vacation if we spend 75% of our time driving.

That sounds smart. I'd take the Banks over HH any day.

We haven't been yet to HH but the four nights we spent in OB were not enough! Love it there, enjoy a great time!