Outer Banks for adults - April or May
 

Greetings form Portland Oregon,
Looking for advice about visiting the Outer Banks in late April early May 2006.
We are a 40ish childless couple who like the outdoors (boating ,hiking, fishing), good restaurants, long beach walks and peace and quiet.
What area of the OB would you recommend and
is there enough to do to warrant a weeks stay in the off season??
We will rent a car so getting around is not an issue and we are open to taking a overnight trip elsewhere as well.
Thanks for any advise you can provide!

You will LOVE the OBX in the off-season. Rent a cottage with an outdoor Jacuzzi, and enjoy the beach with no crowds. We have a place in Corolla (it's much too big for you) and I highly recommend the northern tip of the OBX. You can fly into either Norfolk or Newport News, whichever is cheaper, as they are within 20 minutes of each other. Allow 1.5-2 hours from the airport. Car rentals are cheap. Yes, a week may not be long enough for you! Most cottages have paperback book libraries with hundreds of titles, so stretch out on your deck under the sun or walk the WIDE beaches, and view the star-studded nightscape. I'd NEVER visit in season--always April/May or Sept/Oct/Nov. You have the right idea. Also, be glad to answer any questions for you.

Hi Moondoggie..
Thanks for your reply. Sounds like just our cup of tea..no crowds! Lovely...
How is the northern tip different than the southern tip ??
We are also considering South Carolina, basing ourselves in Hilton Head and doing day trips to Savanah and Charleston.
Are you familar with both areas ?? If so, can you give me an idea of how they compare.
I am off to the library to get travel guiges for both areas today.

The northern tip is much quieter and the beaches are wider. Most rental places are a bit newer, if that makes a difference. The northern beaches (Southern Shores, Duck, Sanderling, Corolla) were not affected nearly as much as the southern beaches by Hurricane Isabelle. Be aware that there are no 'big cities' nearby like Charleston or Savannah, so if you want to include them in your vacation, choose the HH destination instead of the OBX. I can't give you an recent comparisons of them together--sorry. Regardless, relax and enjoy.

You can easily fill a week in the OBX doing the things you've mentioned in your post. Hilton Head vs OBX? In my opinion, resort vs the beach. If you're interested in day trips, I'd choose HH. If you're interested in just chilling out, I'd opt for the OBX.


The OBX fishing season begins in April but they really don't get running until mid May when the warmer waters of the Gulf Stream brings larger schools of fish. But the charter boats are operating and that's a great way to spend a half or whole day on the water.

Nags Head Woods is owned by the Nature Conservancy and is a large maritime forest with some good short hikes. It's a beautiful place.

I live on the Outer Banks and off season is best for a vacation. There are only 2 main roads here the beach road and the bypass so summer can get hectic. Northern beaches and Hatteras are more relaxing. Both are near light houses. Nice day trip are on the free ferries to Ocracoke and the next chain of islands.Manteo is home to Festival Park with a nice museum(complete with Lost Colony boat), art gallery and gardens and has a little aquarium for rainy days.Wright Brothers monument and small museum, and Jockeys Ridge are also something to do. Of course there is always the beach!Have fun!

I have experienced both worlds as I am a native North Carolinian and lived in Charleston for 3 years downtown and visit my good friend in Hilton Head often. I am also a 43 year old person with no kids. I say it depends on what you want. If you a beach to get away with easy access to a few bars and some restaurants and to venture out during the day, you will enjoy norther OBX. No offence to Moondoggie, Corolla is good, but pretty high-end with local/former retired suburbanites. Down the road in Nags Head/Kitty Head, my guess it is a little cheaper with more restaurants/bars and a easier access to things south like Manteo and the drive down the "true" outer banks. (Those islands you see in the water on map). Just a little more central, but Corolla is very nice with nice homes. You can go visit Manteo, the Cape Hatteras Light house and work you way down. Can be a wonderful time with non-developed beaches and a very unique place. You must, and I will say again, you must at least stay a night or two in Ocracoke, where there are no chain hotels, only a few locally owned ones, and a few restaurants. But people from other parts of the world to locals whose family’s have lived on the islands for years. It is great in the off-season. Sit on the harbor and drink a beer and ride a bike around. Hilton Head for me (and this is a personal comment) is white-bread Americana. It is high-end, with great restaurants, great beaches, a lot of golf (I mean ALOT of golf and everything that goes with it) but a little too developed and picture-perfect for me, but a good time can be had. Savannah is a wonderful place to see, but Charleston is even greater. Charleston is Manhattan, 150 years ago. The same land structure (peninsula with two rivers up the side and grid streets (for most of it) and very walkable. Great restaurants with some high-end shopping (and low end). A city of more history than you can believe with beaches within 20 minutes. But it is urban if you stay in the city. (Or stay on the beaches and visit the city) I think it depends on what you want. If you want more urban items, Hilton Head, Savannah and Charleston is probably the best. If you want a get-away and somewhat disappear, with some sort of life easily in access? The northern OBX area is great. Both offer History that most true west-coasters find interesting. I will say, there is nothing like visiting the Wright Memorial and then the next day, driving down the Outer Banks and experiencing the seclusion, seeing light houses (especially Cape Hatteras) and taking the ferry over to Ocracoke, drinking a beer on the small Harbor and then going out at night (I think Howard's Pub is still open as the owner just died). It is a great escape and in the off-season, is even better. This again is just my opinion and could be slanted to fit my view of “the good life” !!!

THANK YOU..everyone who posted a reply.
It all sounds great and I still can't decide where to go. Have gotten a few guide books for N & S Carolina to read.
I may have to do both!

HI there

Just to offer my $.02. We've done lots of offshore fishing with Capt Britt from Doghouse Sportfishing our of the Wanchese area. He fishes year-round and has a gorgeous new hand-made boat. If you go down, check out his site beforehand - www.doghousesportfishing.com

OBX in the off season is fantastic!! We went one year the week after Labor Day. Had to delay our arrival by one day due to an off-shore hurricane but the weather was still warm, but not hot like July! Also, there were no lines at the grocery store or in restaurants. We just returned Saturday and I feel the crowds are just getting larger and larger each year. The only grocery store in Corolla was packed no matter what time of day we went. Easily there would be 10 - 15 people in each line with huge orders. Checking out could take one hour. The northern beach homes are a bit more expensive but a great alternative is the Southern Shores area. You are between Duck and Kitty Hawk. We stayed in a home there last year that had a wonderful sound view. The only drawback is that you had to drive a short distance to the beach. Our other favorite place to rent is the Currituck Club which is located between Duck and Corolla. It's situated on a beautiful golf course and you can rent a home with 3 to 6 bedrooms. Village Realty has a lot of the homes in the Currituck Club. It's beautifully landscaped with lighted sidewalks; it's much better than a house sitting on a piece of sand with no vegetation around it. I highly recommend the Flying Fish Cafe (MM 10)
or the new Herron's Waterfront Restaurant in Duck. We had wonderful meals there. Penguin Isle (MM 16) is also one of my favorites. If you have time, take a drive down to Cape Hatteras and see the light house. It will take 1-1/2 hours or more from the northern beaches but it's a beautiful drive. Have fun!!