Hello ~ we are hoping to travel to North Carolina for the 2009 AKC National Agility Championship competition. Will be flying out from Seattle with my husband & papillon. We are hoping to take a few days after the competition to relax & unwind somewhere. My question is how is the weather in the Outer Banks in early April? We're not swimmers, just want to find a pet friendly place to hang out & relax. Any advice?

Thanks, Serendipity42

We have been going to the Outer Banks for over 40 years. Check out the websites for Joe Lamb Jr. Realty and Sun Realty. They are both reliable and have been around for years. We stay in South Nags Head as it is much less commercial than the other areas.

Do you have to go as far as OBX? There are lots of other nice beaches, and Wilmington may be having its azalea festival at that time. April is beautiful at the beach.

And I think that out of high season more beaches are "pet friendly".

I think the event is north of Charlotte, right? You're going to be at minimum 3.5-4 hours from the NC coast. The Outer Banks (which encompasses the area of bank islands bordering the northern parts of the NC coast - it's not the whole coast of NC) will be 6 hours from Charlotte.

Myrtle Beach and the northern SC beaches will be 3 hours away.

April can be iffy if you're expecting warm sunshine and warm waters.

Hilton Head, SC is a little more than 4 hours away from Charlotte and is a very dog-friendly beach (dogs allowed off leash in April). Many other beaches are more restrictive. Lots to do there other than swim and should be very nice (warm if not hot) in April.

Wrightsville, Ocracoke and even Bald Head are not far at all (closer than SC) -- recommend each for slightly different things. On the other hand, the "far" or "real"(a misnomer) Outer Banks, south of Nags Head, can be really spectacular if you're after the unspoiled National Seashore. Don't think dogs are allowed on the National Seashore beach, but you wouldn't be staying exactly there either (look up Rodanthe, Waves, or southern Nags Head).

You can get gorgeous weather in April and you can get yucky cold damp weather. The further south you go, the better chance of warmer weather (it's a big state).

The weather could be iffy anywhere but most certainly will be cold & windy in OBX. You can get to pretty much anywhere between Wilmington to Charleston in 4 hours or less. Unless you are going private, nearly all beaches are pet friendly in the off season. Take a look @ www.visitnc.com, www.ncbrunswick.com or www.coastalnc.com.

Thank you everyone for your helpful replies.

MJOB1976 ~ thanks for the info, if we go that way we'll certainly give them a call.

Gretchen ~ no, we don't have to go to OBX. At this point we don't even know how many days we're thinking about. It may turn out to be more practical for us to go somewhere closer.

travelhappyfamily ~ yes, the event will be in Concord. Being from Seattle area we are very familiar with cold & iffy weather What sort of temps are we looking at in early April, aprox? Anything above 50^ would be nice!

Brian & Cassandra~ thanks for the tips, will research those places.

Wannabe ~ thanks so much for the links, those are great!

We'll definitely have more questions as our plans come a long, thanks again for your posts.

Serendipity42

Dogs ARE allowed on the National Seashore Beach ALL YEAR ROUND provided they are on a leash.

They are allowed on several of the other Outer Banks beaches on leashes as well.

In some areas they can also be off leash.

There aren't that many pet-friendly hotels/motels on the Outer Banks however as opposed to pet-friendly houses.

Oh, if it is in Concord, just get on the road and go to one of the SC beaches like Garden City, Surfside, Litchfield--south of Myrtle Beach. There is a site for pet friendly beaches.
April in that area is just gorgeous, and 3 1/2 hours from Concord. Wilmington is about the same, but it really is prettier a bit further south. You could even do a day trip to Charleston if you wsanted.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...friendly+hotel

May help with a place to stay.

Agree with Gretchen - as I noted earlier, you're going to be closer to the northern SC beaches than anything in NC (weird, I know). Take a look at North Myrtle Beach, Cherry Grove (SC), Sunset Beach (NC), Ocean Isle (NC). Great seafood in Calabash (NC).

Weather will be warmer than 50s. =)

If not the beach, you can also look at the NC mountains (Asheville is beautiful in the spring, dog-friendly and less than 3 hours from Concord). You'll also be close to the Uwharrie National Forest - great for a day trip.

Here are the specific pet requirements for the OBX beaches.

Myrtle Beach is nice but it is NOT the OBX, believe me.


Corolla Year round pet-friendly beaches! Leashes are required but there are no length requirements.

Duck
Year round pet-friendly beaches! Leash law requires leash not to exceed ten (10) feet in length. Pets are allowed to play unleashed on the beach under close supervision of owner.

Southern Shores
Animals are prohibited on Southern Shores town beaches from May 15 to September 15. Leash laws enforced remainder of year. Leash law requires leash not to exceed ten (10) feet in length.

Kitty Hawk
Year round pet-friendly beaches! Leash law requires leash not to exceed 6 ft. in length between the hours of 10 am and 6 pm from the Friday before Memorial Day until the day after Labor Day. At all other times the leash may be extended, but must be retractable to 12 ft. Well trained dogs may be unleashed under close supervision of owner, not to exceed 30 ft. in distance between owner and dog.

Kill Devil Hills
No dogs shall be allowed on Kill Devil Hills town beaches from the hours of 9:00 am through 6:00 pm each day from May 15th through Sept. 15th, except those aiding a handicap person.
Leash law requires leash not to exceed 10 ft. in length.

Nags Head
Year round pet-friendly beaches! Leash law requires leash not to exceed ten (10) feet in length.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore
Leash law at National Parks requires leashes not to exceed six (6) feet in length.

I didn't see anyone suggest Myrtle Beach. And there really are other places than the OBX. Especially in April.

I've been hearing alot
about Atlantic Beach lately,
and the nearby Indian Beach.

Thought I knew the NC coast
fairly well but they're *new*
to me.

Anyone care to give a description?
How do they compare to Topsail
or Wrightsivlle?

Anyone care to comment on
Atlantic Beach or
Indian Beach?

Thank you.

Ok, just read yet another
blurb about Atlantic Beach,
and it wasn't too good.
Says its more desolate than
Topsail (and Indian Beach
even more so)with no cafes
to speak of, and more run down?
Is that truth?

Serendipity,

As others mentioned at the Outer Banks you can have great weather in April or cool, wet and windy.

The great weather that we had our last April visit to the Outer Banks(Apr. 2006) was in the high 70's to mid 80's beautiful, sunny with a gentle ocean breeze.

There are websites where you can check the average temperatures and water temperatures. If you "google" Outer Banks weather, you should be able to find several sites.

I was last at Atlantic Beach in 1968. I rememeber it as being more crowded than Topsail. It is very near Morehead City, after all. A peak on the internet has several pages of hotels and motels. One that I stayed at, The Showboat, still exists. It literally looks like a showboat with paddlewheels.