Thinking of driving from MA to FL end of Sept/early Oct. Would prefer to stay loose with plans, staying or going as we preferred. Would we need reservations at this time of year in Civil War sites in VA, the Outer Banks, Beaufort, etc.? Have been to Charleston and Savannah many times so don't need to do that. May want to stop in St. Augustine too. Thanks.

Don't know your planned route and you've asked about a number of locations, but regarding the Outer Banks, it's a good 3-4 hours out of your way if you're doing the interstates from MA to FL.

If you've got or want to have excursions off the highways, the OBX might be more in your target range.

Late Sept/early Oct is a gorgeous time to visit the barrier islands.

You can make the OBX a lot less "out of the way" depending on which part you decide to stay in.

If, for example, you decide the much LESS built-up southern end of Hatteras Island (as opposed to the Nags Head area) then you'll have to consider taking the ferry to Ocracoke and then the ferry from there over to Cedar Island.

If you want the upper OBX..Nags Head and north to say, Duck, then the route out (southbound) would be easier and not involve ferries.

Well worth your time IMO no matter where on the Banks you end up..simply wonderful, especially in late September.

Probably will forget about VA and just do OBX. Haven't been there in 25 years. Don't mind ferries. Do you think we'll need hotel reservations or could we just wing it? Would rather not be tied to a schedule and time isn't an issue for us.

Just in case you change your mind, you shouldn't have a problem finding somewhere near most Civil War sites around the time of your trip. The one exception would be places in the Shenandoah Valley when you get into October.

just winging it should be no problem. We've gone down to Hatteras in Sept for fishing and had no problem finding a place to stay.
but, if you are taking a ferry to Cedar Island, you might want to make a reservation on the ferry.

Thanks, everyone.