We are looking at taking a vacation to the shore in late September. We've been to Assateague and Chincoteague but were thinking about going a little further south. Probably to the outer banks area as Myrtle beach is a little further south than I want to drive for a quick vacation.
If I remember right, I think some of you all have been in that area. Any advice would be appreciated.
Endless trails
Last March DW and I drove to Hilton Head from NY, about 11 hrs, I would do that again. It
may a little too far south for a quick vacation. I've been to VA beach, the outer banks (Buxton
& Nags Head), Ocean City (both NJ and MD), but they are too touristy at certain times of year.
When I was stationed in Ocean City, MD. I ran a bunch of road races in the Rehoboth Beach/Lewes, DE area. I think that whole area is underrated and more on the quaint side, a nice
alternative to the Ocean City crowds. Good fishing at the Indian River Inlet, and lot's of places
to drink beer and eat crab. Now, if you really wanted to do it right you'd head up to Cape Cod
or Martha's Vineyard, but that's more of a commitment.
They have some pretty neat places on the Outer Banks. I was there for about 2.5 years when I was in the Marines. I wish I had spent my time off and my leave more productively by traveling when I had plenty of money and time. But, I did have a lot of fun going to concerts and whatnot. Anyway, I think it would be a great vacation to go to the Outer Banks.
LB2
I've been to the northern end of the Outer Banks a lot - Corolla and Duck, mostly. Duck is my favorite - good combination of beach, water sports, town with decent restaurants/shops. I generally get a little stir crazy there - very beach-focused, not a ton of things to do and not a close drive to anywhere. But if you're content with going to the beach, going to the pool and doing some low-key sightseeing (lighthouses, Kitty Hawk, etc.), it's a good spot.
There's also hurricane season to consider - get renter's insurance.
Wrightsville Beach NC. Very runner friendly. You can run on beach. They have a loop thru town you can run at night.
If you go to outer banks go fishing. You can get to the gulf stream in just a few miles.
Tim
Late September can get cold anywhere North of Virginia Beach. Outer banks or Myrtle are good choices as price drops quite a bit when schools go back in.
We've used Resort Realty for Outer Banks rentals, and I like the Duck area. Corolla can get to be a long drive anytime you want to do anything.
For Myrtle Beach, I like to stay in North Myrtle area. Plenty of activity and good food with a little less crowd. Some of the high rise buildings have heated pools, and that's nice in late September.
“Paralysis-to-50k” training plan is underway!
+1 on the outer banks in general. We've mostly stayed south-- Buxton, Avon and Frisco and we go in the off season primarily for kitesurfing. IMO, it's prettier and quieter once you get south of Kitty Hawk (very touristy any time of year). Late September, the weather should be quite nice. Not a lot of night life or restaurants. If you go, set aside a day to take the ferry to Ocracoke for the day. It's more quiet, but really a pretty little island and town with some interesting history.
If you go that time of year, check the hurricane policy on your rental. The one year we had to cancel because of one, the owner very generously let us push the reservation to the following year with no penalty. He did not have to do that, and many don't.
I've been to the northern end of the Outer Banks a lot - Corolla and Duck, mostly. Duck is my favorite - good combination of beach, water sports, town with decent restaurants/shops. I generally get a little stir crazy there - very beach-focused, not a ton of things to do and not a close drive to anywhere. But if you're content with going to the beach, going to the pool and doing some low-key sightseeing (lighthouses, Kitty Hawk, etc.), it's a good spot. There's also hurricane season to consider - get renter's insurance.
Le professeur de trail
I second or third or fourth OBX. Can't really go wrong any where in there. But as was said, September is hurricane season any place up and down the east coast is a gamble.
VA Beach is ok too but I am not remembering too many specifics about it.
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