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 Water Weight Barbie
Posts: 6829
    
Location: Oz, Kansas | I am trying to plan our Summer vacation & the family wants to go to North Carolina. I know nothing about the beaches there & would like your ideas on where to go. We would be renting a condo/cottage preferably on the beach & would like to spend at least one day in Charlotte to go through the NASCAR museums.
Thanks for your suggestions in advance. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 550
| I love the beaches in the Carolinas. The NC beaches are much less commercial than the SC beaches.
In SC you have Myrtle Beach, and there is a lot more to do there. surfside, Garden City, and Cherry Grove are right outside of Myrtle in SC. Or if you like historic things, try Folly Beach right outside of Charleston.
The NC beaches are a little more laid back, and the actual beach is the main draw. Southport and Oak Island are nice. Wilmington is a bigger town with more to do.
NC & SC would be about an equal drive from Charlotte, it is not a huge difference.
IMO, you can't go wrong either way, just google a few and see what attractions suit you best. Have fun! |
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 BHW Resident Surgeon
Posts: 25351
Location: Bastrop, Texas | I agree with quickchic. I've been to several NC and SC beaches numerous times over the past 25 years, and I have never been disappointed. They all have plusses and minuses. It all depends on what you are looking for. You will always have a great, expansive beach, good food, plenty of shops, and lots to do. Be careful if you are choosing an oceanfront rental. Some real nice homes may seem to have lower rental rates than expected. That may be because you can only get to the property by SUV or pickup on the beach because there aren't roads to some areas....by design.
You see those places along the northern outer banks, so just do your homework. I gurantee you will enjoy your vacation. I've often thought of living there. |
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 Googly Goo
Posts: 7053
| The beaches of the outer banks are as nice as any beach in America. Whale Head is my favorite but there are many good choices.
On the other side of the state, the mountains around Boone are beautiful. You have the Blue Ridge Parkway and Grandfather Mountain but my favorite summer activity in Boone is an outdoor play called Horn in the West.
It takes about 7 hours to get from Boone to the Outer Banks. Charlotte to the Outer Banks is about 4 hours.
Edited by TXBO 2014-01-01 4:51 PM
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Googly Goo
Posts: 7053
| How old are your children, Lookout?
There is a wild west theme park in Blowing Rock called Tweetsie Railroad. It's a fun time.
Edited by TXBO 2014-01-01 5:16 PM
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 Reaching for the stars....
Posts: 12704
| Topsail Island is where the hubb and I detox when needed. But I don't know how much entertainment there is since we go the first week off season in the fall. |
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  A Lady with Fight
Posts: 2701
Location: NC | Topsail Island. Atlantic Beach. Pine Knoll Shores. Emerald Isle. Are some of my favorites.
If you go to the beach, you HAVE to stop at one of the aquariums. We have several on the coast. They're a good time. I personally enjoy Atlantic Beach the most. It's close to the Pine Knoll Shores aquarium & Fort Macon. Just be prepared for a big presence of Marines on the weekend, no matter where you go. And they can be heathens, so I apologize in advance. LOL.
If you go further down the coast, Wrightsville Beach is near Wilmington. They have a very nice boardwalk along the river in Wilmington, and the Battleship is also there. You can go on board & take a tour. Wilmington usually always has something going on too. It's a nice place to go.
And don't forget about the wild ponies!! There are several bands in the Outer Banks. You can look up where to find them.
Charlotte is 3-5 hours away from the Coast, depending on where you're at.
And if you're a wine drinker, you'll love it here. We have a TON of wineries. There's sections in the stores here just for NC wines. They're dotted all over the state.
And yes, there are mountains in the west, beaches in the east, and everything in between! And remember, down here BBQ is a noun, not a verb. :) And it's pee-can.
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 Veteran
Posts: 222
Location: Texas | We have been going to Emerald Isle,NC every year since I was in 6th grade. Before we went to Holden beach.( great beach just not as much to do) Emerald Isle is the best beach!! It's so clean and pretty. Bonus you can drive 20 min and see wild horses! They are on shakleford island which you can take a ferry too. They are pretty easy to find. ( middle of the island in between the dunes eating the grass) and the island is small only about 5-7 miles long. We always devote a day to them and take the first ferry out with suits lunch towels etc. when your horse hunting wear pants and shoes. Bring suits and flip flops in a bag or you will get eaten up walking through the salt grass and burs. Then you can either swim in the inland side of the island or if your brave tackle the HUGe waves body boarding and surfing. It's where all the surfers go bc the waves are huge there. Also great seashell hunting there. Theirs shopping fishing sight seeing etc. il! You will fall in love with the outer banks and never want to go anywhere else. I'm a beach snob bc of it and every other beach I have gone to has not been nearly as nice. I can't wait to go this year!!! We usually get a house the last week of May bc it's still the off season so it's so much cheaper. But my daughter is in school until June so I think we are going to go in the fall. ( off season if you can work it is the best) Definitely get a house on the beach. It's so nice being able to go lay out and come in for lunch and go back out without walking to far. I have a TON of pics on FB or I can email them. Get ready to fall in love! I always told my husband if it wasn't for horses I will plant my butt at Emerald Isle and never leave.
Edit. My mothers family is from Boone so that's where we spent a great deal of time. Tweetsie is awesome! I took my kids three years ago and it was just as amazing as I remember it as a kid. It's 7 hours from Emerald Isle
Edited by Married2Rodeo 2014-01-01 9:10 PM
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 631
Location: Somewhere in N.C. | If you are looking for real beaches with cottages, bike pathes, lighthouses etc...then go to the outer banks.
Anywhere from Corrolla to Hatteras is great. Let me know what you are looking to do etc and I can help minimize your look. Charlotte is not close to outer banks and it may take 5 to 6 hrs depending on where on the outer banks you stay. It's not action packed with amusement parks etc...and I think only one movie theartre on the entire island. We always buy food to cook, take our bikes, go fishing , play lots of games, lay on beach etc. |
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 Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | anyone know anything about southport..
Edited by Bibliafarm 2014-01-01 11:46 PM
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 Worst.Housekeeper.EVER.
Location: Missouri | Married2Rodeo - 2014-01-01 9:07 PM We have been going to Emerald Isle,NC every year since I was in 6th grade. Before we went to Holden beach.( great beach just not as much to do) Emerald Isle is the best beach!! It's so clean and pretty. Bonus you can drive 20 min and see wild horses! They are on shakleford island which you can take a ferry too. They are pretty easy to find. ( middle of the island in between the dunes eating the grass) and the island is small only about 5-7 miles long. We always devote a day to them and take the first ferry out with suits lunch towels etc. when your horse hunting wear pants and shoes. Bring suits and flip flops in a bag or you will get eaten up walking through the salt grass and burs. Then you can either swim in the inland side of the island or if your brave tackle the HUGe waves body boarding and surfing. It's where all the surfers go bc the waves are huge there. Also great seashell hunting there. Theirs shopping fishing sight seeing etc. il! You will fall in love with the outer banks and never want to go anywhere else. I'm a beach snob bc of it and every other beach I have gone to has not been nearly as nice. I can't wait to go this year!!! We usually get a house the last week of May bc it's still the off season so it's so much cheaper. But my daughter is in school until June so I think we are going to go in the fall. ( off season if you can work it is the best) Definitely get a house on the beach. It's so nice being able to go lay out and come in for lunch and go back out without walking to far. I have a TON of pics on FB or I can email them. Get ready to fall in love! I always told my husband if it wasn't for horses I will plant my butt at Emerald Isle and never leave. Edit. My mothers family is from Boone so that's where we spent a great deal of time. Tweetsie is awesome! I took my kids three years ago and it was just as amazing as I remember it as a kid. It's 7 hours from Emerald Isle
My grandparents have had a place on Emerald Isle since I was a little girl...a long time! lol! I spent every summer there growing up. My grandpa died a couple of years ago and my grandmother has moved inland to be with family. When we go now, we stay at my uncle's (if OP is interested, I can provide info. It's ocean view with a small pool.) Just not the same as staying with Grandma :( I agree, if it weren't for horses (and husband), I'd never leave EI.
Sadly, I have never taken the ferry to the OB. We talk about it every year, but haven't made it happen. My kiddos are old enough now to enjoy it, so for sure on our next trip!
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 550
| Bibliafarm - 2014-01-01 10:57 PM
anyone know anything about southport..
Beautiful and quiet. Old Baldy lighthouse is there or Oak Island, they are pretty close and I am not that clear on the division!
There are good seafood restaurants, nice people, beautiful beaches. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 550
| TXBO - 2014-01-01 5:10 PM
How old are your children, Lookout?
There is a wild west theme park in Blowing Rock called Tweetsie Railroad. It's a fun time.
If they are little, Thomas comes to Tweetsie the last week of May, it is a fun time. |
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Water Weight Barbie
Posts: 6829
Location: Oz, Kansas | TXBO - 2014-01-01 4:10 PM How old are your children, Lookout?
There is a wild west theme park in Blowing Rock called Tweetsie Railroad. It's a fun time.
My kids are 12 & 18. My daughter isn't really the beachy type so we have to try & add in things that she will like. It's so hard to figure out where to go when the only suggestions are no more than 24 hour drive & must be on the beach that my 12 yo son can boogy board on. When you live in Kansas you can get to just about any coast in 24 hours. I secretly really want to go to the NASCAR stuff so that's why I'm thinking NC.
Thanks for all the suggestions. |
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Location: Virginia | quikchik - 2014-01-02 7:01 AM Bibliafarm - 2014-01-01 10:57 PM anyone know anything about southport.. Beautiful and quiet. Old Baldy lighthouse is there or Oak Island, they are pretty close and I am not that clear on the division! There are good seafood restaurants, nice people, beautiful beaches.
We have a house on Oak Island and love the Oak Island/Southport area! Southport is a really cute town with lots of small shops and restaurants and then the beach is either a 5 min drive to Oak Island or a ferry ride to Bald Head Island. The movie Safe Haven was filmed in Southport. This is still a very quiet, relaxing area for those who want that.
There aren't alot of touristy activities though. If you are wanting water parks, dinner theatre, Hard Rock Cafe, etc then you need to go down to Myrtle. It is about a 45 min easy drive to Myrtle from Oak Island. Anything between Wilmington and Myrtle (Topsail, Oak Island, Holden, Sunset Beaches) will be nice and it is about a 4 hour drive straight on I-40 to Charlotte. The Outer Banks would be quite a bit further from Charlotte.
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Water Weight Barbie
Posts: 6829
Location: Oz, Kansas | its payday - 2014-01-02 10:57 AM quikchik - 2014-01-02 7:01 AM Bibliafarm - 2014-01-01 10:57 PM anyone know anything about southport.. Beautiful and quiet. Old Baldy lighthouse is there or Oak Island, they are pretty close and I am not that clear on the division! There are good seafood restaurants, nice people, beautiful beaches.
There aren't alot of touristy activities though. If you are wanting water parks, dinner theatre, Hard Rock Cafe, etc then you need to go down to Myrtle. It is about a 45 min easy drive to Myrtle from Oak Island. Anything between Wilmington and Myrtle (Topsail, Oak Island, Holden, Sunset Beaches) will be nice and it is about a 4 hour drive straight on I-40 to Charlotte. The Outer Banks would be quite a bit further from Charlotte.
Thanks so much for the input. We would probably stop at Charlotte either on the way there or on the way home. I just want some place to veg out & really don't care about night life or fancy restaurants. I think it would be cool to stay where the horses run wild. |
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 Perky Gal
Location: On a paint horse... | You have all intrigued me. My hubby and I are looking for somewhere different to take a small getaway. I have never been to the east coast. So many choices from all your posts!! Any recommendations for a newbie, not into the party scene, dont really like alot of people. The wild horse island sounded cool. And also, what is a good time of year to go? |
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 Buttered Noodles Snacker
Posts: 4377
Location: NC | I like Carolina Beach the most. it isn't so crowded but not too far from food and entertainment. We also like Holden Beach but there is less to do there. |
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 The Bird Lady
Posts: 6440
Location: The end of the Earth, SE AR | Cape Hatteras, Outer Banks. We always stayed at a little town just north of Hatteras, Buxton maybe? and we would walk all the way down to Hatteras Point, past the lighthouse. Hatteras Lighthouse means summer vacation to me. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 629
Location: Kentucky | We did that same trip in 2001. It was a great experience. We are NASCAR fans and stopped in Charlotte. Just do some homework before you go. Most are closed on Sunday and Monday and if you go during race season you will not see any drivers around the weekend. So Tuesday, Wednesday would be the best days to run into drivers. Some shops you can tour, some you can't, some have areas with their trophies and awards. We went during July 4th after Earnhardt died and Jr won the Daytona night race. The next day his friends had painted a piece of plywood and wrote "you da man" and had it at the enterance of his driveway, which at the time was across from DEI. We asked a lot of questions of the locals and found where Earnhardt lived when he was just starting to race. We did go to Yates shop because Dale Jarrett was racing for them at the time. It is in the middle of the hood in Charlotte. That was an adventure to find. We did meet Jimmy Spencer, he was nice, had a cigar hanging out of his mouth and was not as big as I thought he would be. A lot of the shops are in an industrial park and the smaller shops you could see a lot more going on. They were doing dino test on an engine at Rustys shop and that was so cool. I would love to go back. I want to go to Childress' shop, because it is not in the same area. We heard that Richard has cars from his racing days up til now. They say if you find Bill Elliotts shop in Georgia that you have found something. He chooses to keep his shop there and it is difficult to find. I believe Roush's and Hendrick's shops are out by the aiport. Of course all this could had changed in 13 years. |
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North Carolina Beach vacation ideas