North Carolina Vacation

April 24, 2008 2:40 PM

North Carolina Coast Vacation: Help me figure out where we should go!

Next weekend, (May 1 - 3), several of my friends and I will be going to North Carolina beachy area - we just haven't figured out which one.

We're a mixed gender motley group of six. The girls want a nice beach, boardwalk and fun restaurants, some of the guys want to do surfing/kayaking/hang gliding/kiteboarding/wind surfing (x-treme vacation), and I'm fine with either, but would like a place where we could be around people, maybe go to an active bar, and a place where I wouldn't get in trouble if I hypothetically stumbled home drunk at 3 am.

Even though we went to college in NC, none of us are from there, and people that we've asked so far give us differing opinions on what's good or not.

Our initial thought was to go to Outer Banks. Of course, Outer Banks itself is a big hodgepodge of places. Given our requirements, we thought Kitty Hawk and Duck were viable options. We heard Hatteras was a no go.

Then some us (me) chimed in and said that Outer Banks seems ultra-naturey and that it might be nice if we went somewhere a little more "populated" - so we started thinking Carolina Beach/Wrightsville Beach.

Then we tried to combine the two approaches (you can surf at Carolina Beach, but can you rent a boat? kayak?), and thought we should explore Oak Island or Nags Head or Figure Eight.

Basically, we're all really confused, but that's what you guys are here for!

If I had to prioritize our wants it would be:

1) a place for random adventure
2) water sports - we're all beginners. We're not looking for killer waves or anything like that. Just some place where it's easy to maybe take lessons, experiment, have a good time.
3) "culture" - cute shops, restaurants
4) alcoholism
5) cost - but we must stay ~300 a night.

posted by unexpected to travel & transportation around North Carolina (9 answers total)

I had a good trip to Nags Head. The coast is most developed and refined in the Duck and Kitty Hawk area and becomes less developed and more natural as you move south towards the National Seashore area and Rodanthe.

Nags Head has a lot of bars and mid-tier restaurants one block off the beach, plus there are places to rent surfboards, kayaks and kiteboarding gear on the main drag between the Kill Devil Hills dunes and the National Seashore.

The only thing to look out for is your timing. I was in Nags Head in May and it was before the "season." A lot of the kayak tours and surf lessons don't begin until after Memorial Day. Also, make sure to take a wetsuit for surfing. The water is cold in May.
posted by Andy's Gross Wart at 3:27 PM on April 24, 2008

I like the Buxton/Frisco/Hatteras area because of the easy access to the "naturey" national seashore, but there's also a decent number of restaurants and a few bars, and there are definitely surf and windsurf shops where you can rent gear and arrange lessons. It just seems so easy for Nags Head / Kitty Hawk to feel like it's more about asphalt than sand, in my experience, but obviously a lot of folks go there and have fun, so YMMV.
Of course, if it's May, it will be pre-high season and not as crowded (and also seconding the coldness). If you don't really need to have a big social experience, I'd bring warm clothes and buy your booze before you get on-island and rent a place on lower Hatteras where you can drink on the beach and walk home (after carefully picking up your (non-glass) containers, of course).
Should be beautiful there--I'm jealous.
posted by Mngo at 3:35 PM on April 24, 2008

The shopping on the Outer Banks is kind of weak, unless you're looking for tourist t-shirts. There's also no boardwalk. There are definitely bars, and as Andy's Gross Wart said, there are mid-tier restaurants, but I've never had really great food down there.

I'd say go to Wilmington or any other mid-sized beachy city. There's going to be all of the naturey/sporty stuff within driving distance, and there's also going to be better shopping, food, and maybe a boardwalk.

I really love the Outer Banks, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't sound like what you're looking for. It's more of a family and sporty retreat.
posted by hought20 at 3:38 PM on April 24, 2008

Yeah, you want Wilmington.
posted by konolia at 3:44 PM on April 24, 2008

Bonus question: yea, we figure water will be cold, but we don't mind wearing wet suits. As I look on Amazon though, how thick will I need for this time of year? 2mm? 3mm? full-sleeve, half-sleeve?
posted by unexpected at 3:51 PM on April 24, 2008

The ocean temp at Wrightsville Beach is 64 today, so, I'd say light spring suit.

When I was in N.C. I spent nearly every weekend in Wilmington. It's a great town with some great beaches. You'll dig it!
posted by snsranch at 4:15 PM on April 24, 2008

I thought Kitty Hawk and Hatteras and Nags Head were all pretty "meh" compared to nice east coast seaside towns further North. Very touristy, not a lot to do, ugly development.

However the Kitty Hawk Kites one-day hang-gliding lessons are awesome and surprisingly easy, which made the trip worthwhile for me.
posted by np312 at 5:18 PM on April 24, 2008

Don't you want to stray a little south? If I recall correctly, they even have a bar called the Bearded Clam.
posted by megatherium at 5:47 PM on April 24, 2008

The wife and I dig Oak Island, NC. Just a tad bit south of Wilmington, 45 minutes north of the Redneck Rivera. Not too touristy, real quiet. Going for a week in June...can't wait!
posted by littleredwagon at 10:22 AM on April 25, 2008