We are going to spend a few days in the mountains of N. Carolina at the end of June 2004.Then we want to head to the beach. Should we stick to N.C. or go into S.C? Which beaches are the best-clean and the least crowded? We have 3 kids ages 4, 7, and 11. Thanks! Oh, and we'd like a house on the beach. Where are the best places to look for rentals?

People typically say the beaches of North Carolina are cleaner and less crowded, and that lodging options there are more geared toward rental homes instead of flashy resorts and big hotels like you'd find in Myrtle Beach, SC. However, the beaches of South Carolina will be much easier to get to than those of North Carolina.

North Carolina is over 500 miles long from end to end, and thus the beaches of South Carolina and even Virginia are closer to the WNC mountains than the Outer Banks. There is a direct route from WNC to the coastal city of Wilmington and its nearby beaches, however, and that's I-40.

Just something you might want to consider -- NC's beaches are probably better, but getting to them will involve an awful lot more time on the road than getting to those of SC.

I agree that you will be closer to one of the Charleston beaches than to NC beaches.

I prefer the SC beaches as the water is warmer in the summer but I am a big fan of the Outer Banks.

Where should we choose if we go with North Carolina? Which towns? Which beaches?
How about if we went with S.C.? Which towns? Which beaches?

Why not try Wrightsville or the Wilmington area beaches -- about as easy to get to as anywhere in SC and pretty coze/nice, not recovering from a hurricane. You don't need to go all the way down to Charleston from the mountains for this.

Cassandra, the Charleston beaches are closer to the NC Mountains and a pretty straight shot down the interstate.

ksmom, Wild Dunes is great for families. You can rent either a house, condo, or stay at the Inn.

GoTravel is correct.

To give you some idea...I live in SC, about 45 min south of Asheville, NC. I'm 38 and have never been to the beach in NC. It's a LONG drive...and the beaches in SC are so nice. Go to Isle of Palms (that's where Wild Dunes is) or Folly or one of the other sea islands. I have never found the
Charleston area beaches to be a zoo like Myrtle Beach, even in the highest season.

Well, I just returned from a "vacation" in the Outer Banks that became a vacation in North Myrtle Beach. I say "vacation" in quotation marks because we were evacuated from the Outer Banks due to Hurricane Isabel.

My experience (limited as it is) was that the Outer Banks were beautiful and very family-oriented. Lots of nice houses to rent. We used resortquest.com. However, the rental houses are expensive. We also found the beach to be narrow and there were a lot of rip tides (might not be common when there isn't a hurricane coming -- I don't know).

The beach in Myrtle Beach was, surprisingly, nicer. It was extremely wide, clean and with gentle waves. Easy for kiddies. We rented a 4-bedroom condo which I can't recommend to you, but there seem to be lots of houses to rent, too.

North Myrtle Beach is very family-oriented and somewhat quieter than Myrtle Beach. Both have lots of miniature golf, chain restaurants and t-shirt shops -- which is why people describe it as cheesy. My husband loves Myrtle Beach because it is a golf mecca!

HTH!

I grew up in SC so I am a bit biased. I prefer the Charleston area. Wild Dunes is great as was suggested earlier. Also Sullivans Island has some nice homes that can be rented and Isle of Palms has some great condos and homes. When I stay on the beach in the Charleston area, rather than stay downtown, I rent through Island Realty. I am sure their are others, but I have used them for years and I trust them. Folly is my least favorite beach in the Charleston area.

I prefer the Oak Island/Southport/Bald Head Island area, which is just south of Wilmington.

That area is quicker to get to from the Charlotte area, though. You just get on HWY 74 and truck it there ~ 4 hours.

The Charleston area is also very nice, I just prefer the NC beaches. Much prettier and unspoiled, imo.