Hi
Two Chicago women looking for summer gal pal beach escape the last week in July or first week in August. Planning to rent through VBRO, Home Away or similar and considering Carolina Beach. Neither of us have ever been to NC or SC. We mostly want to relax in the summer sun, hear the surf, and feel a sense of rejuvenation being away from stressful jobs and big city.

We recognize it's the summer busy season, but we are hoping to find:

* a beach that is perhaps a little less crowded and doesn't have lots and lots of kids (one of us works in a school)
* ease of access to restaurants, shops, perhaps galleries etc on foot - we don't want to be in the mix of all the activity, but reasonable walk would be better than having to drive
* perhaps a few other activities to enjoy such as kayaking or boat ride or....

Would Carolina Beach fit that bill? Do you have other recommendations? We chose NC or SC because we wanted to go somewhere we've never been before that had moderately warm summer weather and ocean access.

THANKS!
D

I think you would really enjoy the Pawley's Island/Litchfield area. It is very quiet, near THE best seafood restaurants outside of Charleston, shopping (both "local" and outlet).

Take a look at Isle of Palms in the Charleston SC area.
It should be a bit warmer than Cape Hatteras and have a better variety of restaurants and historic sites.

You want practically deserted, even in the summer? NO question: the Outer Banks beaches and preferably BELOW Nags Head.

Carolina Beach is nice, but not really a quiet location. It is an easy drive to Wilmington for the dining, museums etc from there, but that also means that there will be local folks who come to the beach from there. I don't recall the kind of "reasonable walk" to galleries, shops etc that you want.

Outer Banks as has been mentioned is much more relaxed.

Agree about Carolina Beach. If you can choose a place at Litchfield, I think you'll be surprised at how uncrowded it is even in high season. Probably not like the Outer Banks, but a WHOLE lot easier to access!!

Lots of good suggestions for beaches but I'd add that late July or early August may not be "moderately warm." More likely, hot, mid to upper 80s and sometimes higher.

Oh, dear heavens, YES. HOT!! You'll be in the pool and the ocean.

Yeah, hot is right! I like it that way at the beach.

The OP may want to consider the Crystal Coast beaches of NC as well.

The beaches around Charleston are crowded, and doing tourist stuff is miserable that time of year.

"moderately warm summer weather"

obxgirl is right. There is nothing "moderate" about summer in the south. Charleston and Wilmington can easily go into the 90s, with humidity to match. Go to http://www.wunderground.com and play around with the history feature.