About 8-10 lady friends of mine are planning on getting together for a trip - we want to do NC. (may have kids with us/may not) I've read/heard about various places in NC. what's the best place to stay in late April. We are coming from all over US (kansas, ohio, michican, ca and myself DC area). What's the closest airport to the place you may recommend? Where can I rent a place ON BEACH for about 8-10 people. Only need it for a long weekend (potentially a week).
THANKS!

You'll probably want to fly in to Charlotte -- that is the biggest "hub" airport in the state, although Raleigh is closer to the coast. The Outer Banks span a long stretch, North to South, from Duck, Kittie Hawk and Nags Head down to Cape Lookout National Seashore. Or you could visit one of my favorite places further south down the coast, Wilmington, and stay at Wrightsville Beach. (In which case it would be better to fly in to Charlotte).

Either option should be lovely in April.

Sharon,

I was a little confused about the total length of your visit--3 to 7 days? If less than a week, you will probably want to stay in one place. If you're there for a week, I suggest you visit two places.

1. Winston-Salem. This is a very typical NC city (about 150,000 but in a metro area of approx. 1 million). Lots of well-preserved history (Bethabara, Old Salem), which newer cities like Charlotte don't have; very decent restaurants for the size. Stay at the Brookstown Inn near Old Salem. (Do a search of this site for more information, including some comments from this former W/S resident).

2. Reserve a house at Sunset Beach NC--for my money, this is the best vacation beach in NC. Mostly houses (and you don't have to stay oceanfront--lots of good homes a few rows back) and a wonderful, unspoiled beach. Approx. 30-45 minutes to the south are tons of restaurants from Little River, through Myrtle Beach, and into Murrells Inlet.

Travel considerations. Airports--Charlotte is the USAIR hub, and it is about 1.5 hours drive from W/S; however, there is an airport in Greensboro (about 25 minutes from W/S) that serves jets and may be an option. To get to Sunset, you could drive--from W/S it's about 4.5 hours through some great scenic areas (if you drive the route I am thinking of); or you could fly into Myrtle Beach or Wilmington, each probably a 45 minute drive to Sunset Beach. I think you will need a rental vehicle just about wherever you go--public transportation is basically non-existent in NC.

Finally, I don't really have anything against Charlotte (as far as a visit); I just don't think it is as representative of NC as other cities are.

Have a great time wherever you go!

April is a lovely month to visit NC. Early in the month the azaelas and dogwoods are blooming. The first weekend of April is the azeala festival in Wilmington.

Wilmington does have an airport with some connections to major places. USAir (I think) is the largest supplier. Myrtle Beach isn't that far away (and much closer to a NC beach than Charlotte). Charlotte is several hours by non-interstate to the beach.

Many, many places on the beach near Wilmington. If you pick a place south of Wilmington and the kids come along you could head to Myrtle Beach for mini-golf and other activities. If it's just the girls, head into the historic part of Wilmington for shopping and antiquing.

I've never rented a beach house, but there are several realtors with web sites (sorry I don't know them). If you want to further check out the realtor companies, both the Better Business Bureau and the NC Attorney General office have online listing of business complaints.

If you want more than just the beach, I recommend the Triangle area of Chapel Hill, Durham, and Raleigh. Chapel Hill is the home of the University of North Carolina, Durham to Duke, and Raleigh to more schools than I can name right now. Duke and Carolina have beautiful campuses and the Duke Gardens are amazing. The state capital is Raleigh with some museums that interest both children and adults.

April is gorgeous in NC -- good time for a visit.

A lot will depend on what you want to do while on your visit. There are quiet beach areas on the Outer Banks and near Wilmington that will have little but beach unless you drive a bit. There are others (Atlantic Beach, the beaches right at Wilmington, and Nags Head for example) that will offer more sights and activities.

For a wonderful beach stay you might consider Ocean Isle, just north of Sunset (which is also nice). Cooke Realty is a good rental.
SC beaches are close and nice. Litchfield is south of Myrtle Beach and very classy and nice. You could contact Litchfield Beach and Golf Resort. Brookgreen Gardens is right across from here.
At that time of year the azaleas will be blooming and Wilmington would be beautiful. Wrightsville Beach would be fun.