Outer Banks vs. Hilton Head
 

Would like opinions on Hilton Head vs. Outer Banks (Duck, Corolla). We have been going to the Outer Banks for the last several years and love it there, but some in the family would like to try someplace new. Have never been to Hilton Head and would like to know how crowded are the beaches compared to the Outer Banks. Also, have seen some websites that indicate there are no boogie boards allowed in designated swimming areas. Does this apply to all of the beach areas in Hilton Head, or only the public access ? Did consider other parts of Outer Banks such as Emerald Isle or Ocean Isle, but didn't seem as if there was as much to do there as Hilton Head for teenagers. My daughter and her friend will be 18, and my son and his fiance early twenties may also be coming. Although, I like the idea of trying somewhere new, I'm
not sure if Hilton Head will be too commercial.

Have you thought about beaches around Charleston like Folly or Wild Dunes?

Hilton Head is an overbuilt series of developments with little "soul". Look at the Charleston beaches or further up the SC coast at Litchfield/Pawley's Island area. GREAT seafood up that way also--beautiful beaches that are relatively uncrowded even in mid-summer.

Agree about Hilton Head having no soul and with Gretchen's recommendations.

Have been to both beaches (actually am going to both this summer) and really prefer HH over Outer Banks. I like to walk the beach and HH is much flatter, wider, and the sand is harder (making it easier to walk, in fact you can even ride bikes on the beach which the kids always enjoyed) I always stay on a plantation (I prefer Palmetto Dunes) instead of a public access beach so as not to be in a crowded area.
Comparing Outer Banks to Hilton Head is very hard, apples to oranges really. But I like the upscale look of the manicured lawns and villas and though it is more built up,(though OBX is changing every year also) I believe it is very tastefuly done.
There is a lot to do in HH and I think your children would enjoy it. (Lots more shopping for the 18 year old girls!) As for boogie boards, the surf is much calmer and safer so unless there is a storm coming up, you really won't find it very suitable for boogie boards anyway. (I've seen more skim boarding and games played on the wide level beaches for the boys.)
Hope you have a good time which ever one you choose, but personally, I think you and your family would really enjoy the change and feel you should give it a try.

HH is VERY commercial. It's almost the opposite atmosphere of the outer banks.

Hilton Head is a resort. The Outer Banks is the beach. Horses for courses.

I don't disagree with those who say HH has no soul. It IS definitely more developed and commercial than OBX. But I like it anyway, not better necessarily, just like it for different reasons.

And you did say you wanted something different from OBX where you've vacationed for several years.

You could do a whole lot worse than HH. I wouldn't hesitate to give it a try. And I think Michele2's description is right on the money.

As to use of boogie boards, okay except in designated swimming areas (basically the public access beach/parks). Here's the official HH web-page about that.

http://www.hiltonheadislandsc.gov/Island/beaches.html

Are there any houses in HH? I was there once about 18 years ago and remember it being hotels and condo's, no charm and nothing to do, unless you golfed.

Personally, I think the OBX has much more to offer and HH is a great place for a corporate meeting or a golf outing.

I second (or third) the recommendation for Pawley's Island. We stayed at the Litchfield beach resort in one of the villas and loved it. Yes, it's a resort, but the surroinding areas had lots of charming cottages, lot's of villages, restaurants and if you had to, you could easily go to Myrtle Beach.

I love Pawley's island, if you like the OBX I think you'd like it too.

We rent a house in HH every year w/our kids & love it. It is in Palmetto Dunes and we can walk to the beach (never crowded) and the whole "plantation" has a very peaceful, well manicured feel to it. While HH may be commercial compared to OBX, I don't find the commercialization the least bit overwhelming. Unlike other popular vaca spots I visited, there are laws regarding signs, etc so even the golden arches are well hidden rather than high in the sky - tasteful commercialism.

We've considered OBX several times as well and one thing that I like about HH that I hear is sometimes an issue in OBX is that every is RIGHT THERE on HH whereas OBX is more spread out and you often have to drive a bit to get to different restaurants, etc. If I were going somewhere just w/dh OBX might be a good place to relax, but if you want lots to do in a beautiful place with great beaches, HH is a great family spot.

So I guess there ARE houses in HH!

Nina,

I think you'll find lots of houses in HH . . . Sea Pines Plantation, Palmetto Dunes Plantation, etc., etc.

It's weird how perceptions of places form. Even 18 years ago, there were lots of houses there. Maybe it's just that the big hotel/condo developments in the resorts commanded your attention.

I guess it was because I was on a sales meeting trip, and all I saw were resorts and golf courses.

I actually googled vacation rentals and see that there seem to be quite a few rental houses there, though they seem newer. I guess they've had a lot of development in HH (like everywhere else on the ocean).

If you are interested in actually renting a house in HH, I highly recommend www.islandgetaway.com - we've rented several houses through them for years. Another thing I noticed when I researched houses in OBX is that there doesn't seem to be a lot of greenery/trees between them? I like the lushness of HH - the houses we rent have always been surrounded by beautiful plants and trees - our own little paradise. Plus the majority of houses for rent in HH have their own pool, which I didn't find in OBX. This is really nice with little ones who might go to bed early as it allows dh and I to enjoy the pool just outside our door while they sleep. It really is a great family destination.

What can I say, I'm excited - we leave next friday!! My kids keep asking - how many days until Hilton Head?

nina, Hilton Head is the epitome of controlled development.

I need to caste a vote for HHI over OBX. HHI may be more developed but the zoning is very good and most of the development is very nice with linited access to the main roads.I prefer the Sea Pines section and rent from Sea Pines.com, saltydog.com or vrbo.com.I'm a non-golfer who feels that their beaches and bike trails are the best!

If your kids want good surfing and things to do look south of OBX at Wrightsville and such. Or Ocean Isle and Sunset Beach. Lots of houses, good seafood (and other) places to eat, beaches that have the look of the "beach" and not a controlled residence development.

Gretchen,

I usually agree with your comments 100%, but I am a little at a loss with your post immediately above.

As to things to do and lots of restaurants, wouldn't you have to give the nod to HH? At least in my experience, HH has a lot more restaurant choices, especially more than OIB and Sunset.

Now as to old-school beach cottage feel, hands down OIB and Sunset take first prize--I agree there.

We have been going to the OBX for over 20 years, first as singles, then married, then married with kids and now married with kids and we bring the in-laws friends and neighbors!! As we've gotten older we've gradually moved from Duck to Corolla to South Nags Head but now we stay in Frisco. We've been to HH but our hearts are in the OBX especially, Frisco. We've always found great things to do, even with kids, from crabbing to playing on the local little league fields to fishing...the beaches are extraordinary, a little rough sometimes, but we've never found them to be crowded. OFten times, we're one of a handful of families on the beach.

From Frisco you can take the free car ferry over to other islands. To use, the naturalness of the area far surpasses anything in HH.

My post is entirely consistent with my feelings about HH. Surfing for teens would be better at Wrightsville. Calabash is an entire town of seafood restaurants.

Gretchen,

good point about Calabash being in proximity to Sunset. The Calabash restaurants are not my cup of tea (except for Cafe Latte), but you're right: there are plenty of them.

Let the ones in the family who want to "try someplace new" do just that and then they can report back.

To say that HH is a resort and the OBX is a beach is kinda simplistic IMO since there is certainly a totally different ambience between the two as people who have actually been to both can easily tell you.

Of course, there are those of us here who don't even consider anything north of Whalebone Junction to be part of the "real" OBX but you know how that goes.

Frankly, I'd stay righj where I am if I were you.

If you are interested in renting a nice Vacation Home with all the amenities, i would suggest you to visit http://www.springvacationrentals.com

you will find vacation homes for every ones needs from 1 - 8 Bedrooms.

This is of my best choice.

Why does have to be a competition? They're both great places with a lot to offer, some similarities but a bunch of differences. I can't imagine the OP's daughter/friends wouldn't have a great time in either place.

>>To say that HH is a resort and the OBX is a beach is kinda simplistic IMO since there is certainly a totally different ambience between the two as people who have actually been to both can easily tell you.<<

I've *actually* been to both places and stand by that statement. It wasn't meant to be an in depth analysis but I think it does characterize an essential difference between HH and OBX. I like both. I have greater attachments to one of them, obviously.

>>Of course, there are those of us here who don't even consider anything north of Whalebone Junction to be part of the "real" OBX but you know how that goes.<<

You're a newbie. The "real" OBX is long gone.

obx, I agree with your generalization about the Outer Banks and Hilton Head.

The last time I was in the Outer Banks was the winter of 1983. I'm sure I'd be shocked.

OBXGirl..do get over yourself...I can appreciate your "attachment" as I have one too..but in my case I was BORN on the Outer Banks so please, hike up your little bathing suit and do the name-calling elsewhere, OK?

And that was back in the 1940's so please don't presume to tell me I am a "newbie."

Whatevah intrepid. I'm not going to trade credentials with you. We're on the same team OBXwise. Let it go at that.

I think the Outer Banks now is just as "real" as it ever was. It is just different now. But it is still the Outer Banks and is just so different than the other Atlantic beach areas. And much of the history is very alive and remains intact through historical preservation projects.

On that subject, obxgirl and others who are interested and love the OBX-- if you get to Bodie Light House this summer, pick up the two DVD set on the OUterBanks in WW II. It is amazing, very well done historically, and it has great segments on the Midgett family of the OBX and their memories of the old days. And a great segment on Mr. Midgett and his first foray into business there as a bus driver, driving a bus for the first time that there ever was one in Nags Head area-- when he was like 10 yrs old! I think you'll really like it.

There is also a good book out now that is a walking and biking tour of some of the old historical areas w/good maps. I esp. like the sections on the old oceanfront cottages and other bldgs that still exist in Nags Head and the families who owned them (and in some cases still own them), and the chapters on Ocracoke and Hatteras.

P.S. On the original question, my teens love the Outer Banks. They love everything about it. I can't imagine not being able to use boogie boards anywhere I wanted to use them, or having parts of the beach designated as swimming areas. I gather that Hilton Head is more refined and manicured. My kids would rather be comfortable at the beach, but that is just them and us. And my daughter likes to shop at the Outlets in Nags Head one day each year, climb JOckeys Ridge, bike the paths, see the lighthouses, and hike at Nags Head Woods (which we just discovered last year). Even when we stay in Corolla, we drive down to do those things.

If you go to Hilton Head, please post back on your experience, as I'd really be interested in it and how the young adults like it.

Thanks, emd, for the heads up on the DVDs. We'll be there next week. Sounds like the kind of thing my dh will love!

I have been to both and the water is very calm in HH. It was perfect for our kids who are a lot younger than yours. HH was a great vacation with good restaurants. Both of our trips to OBX and HH were low key. OBX has much rougher surf and is more just beachy. The area of the OBX that we were in was so far from civilization. This was about 10 years ago and I am sure that has changed. I would try both again. I would have to say very different vacations.

obxgirl, I will look at the DVD set and give you the exact name of it- check this post later today.

it is called "War Zone: WW II off North Carolina's Outer Banks"

emd, Thank you so much. That's got Father's Day written all over it.

I can't stand calm water, neither can my kids. The bigger and rougher the waves the better we like them....what fun is a calm surf?

nina,

I am sure you know this, but just to be sure, as we have had several drownings in MB already . . .

Rough surf often is accompanied by rip currents, the kind that pull you strongly away from shore. They are survivable if you go with flow and swin parallel to the beach instead of trying to fight it.

Just be aware & know what to do.

Thanks Chuck, I know all about rip currents, I grew up with a rough surf, was a lifeguard and the kids are strong swimmers, but I still know how dangerous they are.

I was actually caught in a bad rip current in Kauai and a few in our party panicked but were OK. Luckily I know what to do but it's very scary.

This thread was very interesting to me. My husband and I and our adult children (ages 23 and 21) are going to Corolla on September 9th for the first time ever. My brother had a dear friend drown after getting caught in a rip tide at the Outer Banks about 10 years ago, so I'm a little nervous about that. But we are going to relax and spend the week together just being slugs. We are bringing our dogs (I have one and our daughter has one) and we are just imagining a very restful, relaxing week. I plan to get that DVD you referenced (maybe the library here in Greenville SC will have it). Thanks for the tips!

Either you are an HH type of person or an OBX type of person. We've been going to the OBX every summer for the past 25 years and it's just part of my soul.We also go to the Caribbean every year and I still prefer the OBX. It's heaven.