Which town in the Outer Banks?

Mominator

I'm trying to decide where the kids and I are going to go on vacation next month. I was going to look at some rentals in OBX, but have no idea where to look. I've never been there, and since it is just going to be me and the kids, personal recommendations are important to me.

eclaires

We went to Avon.

Are you looking for an area with a lot to do or do you just want to hang out at the house and go to the beach?  I would rec Avon for the latter, but not for the having a lot to do.

I think the closer you are to Kitty Hawk, the closer you are to more restaurants/activities.  Avon was easy to get to, nice and we enjoyed it - oh and it was a reasonably priced trip.

grja

We stayed in N. Topsail. Our house was right on the beach. It was great for us (and the adults that went) as we had a hot tub on our deck and watched the sun set from it every night. It was quiet, peaceful and a great time. There was a pier to walk out to and tons of beach space.

Downfalls - not too much to do where we were. It was great if you want to lay on the beach all day. But with kids, not too much.

On our way down, we stopped in Virginia beach and spent the night. Kids had a blast and there were tons to do. Not sure where you live, but next time we'd definitely go there as opposed to OBX since it was about 4 hours closer for us and cheaper.

JenniC1135

I've stayed in Duck and Corolla.  I far preferred Corolla because it's so much closer to something...anything... like the 2 grocery stores, some shops, movies, etc.  I also recommend that you look for a place that changes over on Sundays because the two lane road that leads in there is a total nightmare on Saturdays.  We went on Sunday last year and cut 2 hours off our travel time, and it was two hours of stop and go, bumper to bumper traffic.  We're going on Saturday again this year and I am dreading it.    Also, if you have a 4 wheel drive vehicle, it's much cheaper to stay north of Corolla, where there's no road - you drive on the beach to get to your place.

BubblyToes

Screw the Outer Banks, come to the armpit of hell and hang out with me.  We can leave the kids with the Hubs.

Mominator

Gee, Bubs, as tempting as that sounds.......LOL

I have a better idea, I'll go to Hilton Head and you and W can meet me there, and leave the hubs at home!

katelynsmom

We just got back from there this weekend. We've been twice and stayed in Corolla both times. I think it really depends on what you want to do. There is 1 bridge to the island. If you go North, there isn't a whole lot for kids to do other than the beach or a pool. I know in Corolla, there is mini golf, a lighthouse to climb, if you have a 4WD vehicle, you can do look for wild horses. There are 2 grocery stores and lots of pizza, ice cream and fudge shops.

If you go south, there is Kitty Hawk, an outlet mall, mini-gold, laser tag, more notable restaurants (Outback, Applebees, McD's, etc). You can travel to Cape Hatteras, Roanoke island (there is an aquarium here).  Of course, even if you stay North, you can always go south on a day trip or something.

On a travel note, most house check-ins are approx 3-4pm and check-outs are around 10am. The bridge on and off the island is VERY busy around these times...like stopped traffic. So maybe try to plan getting there and leaving around off-peak times.

Baby4OT

When I used to go in college and grad school with groups of friends, we always stayed in the southern parts of OBX like Kitty Hawk or Nags Head. Like others said, there's a little more to do in those areas - more restaurants, Wright Bros Memorial, more lighthouses, etc. Now we go with my whole family every year and always stay in the northern parts, usually Corolla. There's still some stuff to do there, but it's not quite as built up and it's a bit quieter. For us, Corolla is the right mix of quiet beach without being too isolated.

Carol*Brady

Emerald Isle