I've never really been anywhere on the coast other than Wilmington, and I would like to remedy that.

Need some recommendations. Here is what I'm looking for:

Small town, small hotel/inn or bed and breakfast, near a non-crowded beach. I'd also like to get some great seafood and a good steak. Also, any kind of coastal museums, parks, or other sites of interest nearby, but that's the least important part.

I'm looking for peace, quiet, and good food.

Where should I go?

[Edited on June 18, 2012 at 2:42 PM. Reason : a]

6/18/2012 2:41:16 PM

Places I've enjoyed in the past

Kitty Hawk
Maritime Museum (Beaufort)
Aquariums (Fort Fisher and Pine Knoll)
Fort Fisher
Ocracoke
Lighthouses
USS North Carolina (I know you said you've been to Wilmington, but not sure if you've been here or not)

[Edited on June 18, 2012 at 2:48 PM. Reason : .]

6/18/2012 2:46:44 PM

Get a room at the Inlet Inn in Beaufort.
Great view and easy walking to all the shops, restaurants, and bars in Beaufort.
Hop on a ferry boat and visit Shackleford Island a couple days. You won't find many beaches that are less crowded than that.
The maritime museum and old cemetery in Beaufort are pretty good. The aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores is worth a visit too.

[Edited on June 18, 2012 at 2:52 PM. Reason : l]

6/18/2012 2:49:49 PM

Quote :

"visit Shackleford Island a couple days"

cool place except for the swarms of dime sized flies everywhere on the sound side of the dunes.

6/18/2012 3:07:51 PM

The wife and I just got back from a weekend in the Kill Devil Hills/Kitty Hawk area and it was great. It was my 3rd time there but I still want to go back. We stayed at a neat little B&B

http://www.atlanticstreetinn.com/

and we saw the Lost Colony play in Manteo which I highly recommend, did some shopping and went to the beach. I also recommend going to the Wright Brothers Memorial, Jockey's Ridge State Park, the Aquarium on Roanoake Island, visiting the lighthouses in the area. I'm sure there's more stuff but that's what I can think of off the top of my head.

6/18/2012 3:22:05 PM

Quote :

"cool place except for the swarms of dime sized flies everywhere on the sound side of the dunes."

In my experience you can find that anywhere in the more secluded areas of our coast if the wind is blowing right. Having good bug spray on hand is crucial and will save you a lot of pain if they are bad at the time you're visiting. I keep a citronella based bug spray in my beach chair, but I'm sure the ones with heavy chemicals would be even better if that's your thing.

I have never had any notable problems out there although I have experienced what you're talking about at other places. I have seen a lady at Shackleford covered in hundreds of biting flies while myself and my girlfriend walked in parallel 10' away from her with no problem. She must have had some lotion or perfume that was attracting them. She was literally spraying the flies on her legs and arms with OFF and they didn't even fly away. I've spent plenty of time on the sound and ocean side of that island and made plenty of trips through the dunes...If you don't put on your honeydew lavender body lotion and keep some good bug spray with you things should be fine.

On that note...When I go I carry a beach chair with a pocket on the back and backpack straps that acts as a backpack for me. All I carry in the chair are two types of sunscreen (lotion + spray), bug spray, towel, and a washcloth for wiping down my glasses. I carry a handheld cooler with water, Gatorade (water + electrolytes), Mountain Dew (sugar), PB sandwiches (tasty dense energy), and a Nalgene bottle with a pint or so of rum and a couple cans of coke in it. Don't underestimate the number of calories you'll need to consume, the amount of liquid you need to take in, or the amount of sun you'll get if you spend a day on the island or you will regret it. The first full day on an island is not the time to cut weight or get a good tan.

People generally leave your stuff alone, so I don't worry too much if I want to leave the camp and walk for a few hours down the beach.

[Edited on June 18, 2012 at 3:46 PM. Reason : l]

6/18/2012 3:33:18 PM

I've really enjoyed Oak Island, Emerald Isle on the coast, and the town of Washington more inland.

Oak Island has a decent beach, Ft. Fisher and the aquarium in Pine Knoll Shores are near Emerald Isle, and
we went to an estuary nature center in Washington. Neat stuff.

6/18/2012 3:34:54 PM

Almost all of the items/ places wdprice said +1 plus the jockeys ridge sand dunes
Love the atlantic street inn as well, worth noting the owner does not serve any breakfast and that is reflected in the rates. Theres an indy pancake shop less than a minutes walk away tho Kitty Hawk down to Nags Head is fairly busy and commercialized during the summer relative to the rest of the OBX but not enough to put me off from staying there.

And if youve got 4x4 then obligatory beach driving / surf fishing out north of corolla or way down at hatteras seashore.

If you're going during the week ocracoke island fits the bill as well, tho i cant remember the name of the b& b we stayed at.

6/18/2012 4:37:19 PM

fwiw, i think you have to buy permits to drive at hatteras now.

I like oak island too...plenty to do, but it never seems too crowded.

6/18/2012 4:52:24 PM

Skip down to Charleston instead

6/18/2012 4:55:03 PM

IMO Oak Island and the Nags Head/Kitty Hawk/KDH area are still pretty crowded in season. Not as bad as someplace like Wrightsville, but still. If you can deal with the drive I'd do Ocracoke or the south end of Hatteras Island (Buxton, Hatteras Village, etc.)

If you don't mind the beach being a long-ish bike ride or a short drive away, Ocracoke would be my vote. All of the inns/B&B are on/near the harbor and the beach is a protected seashore on the other side of the island. Really pretty and nothing big, no high-rises, etc.

6/18/2012 5:02:08 PM

Topsail Island is nice and quiet.

6/18/2012 5:07:28 PM

Emerald Isle

It's pretty much the only NC beach I will go to

6/18/2012 5:13:16 PM

^ Why? EI is great and all, but there is a lot more to the NC coast than that small strip. Some of our beaches even get waves from time to time.

6/18/2012 5:28:03 PM

Because when I go on vacation I don't want to be bothered

EI is by far the quietest of the NC beaches imo

6/18/2012 5:30:31 PM

bwahahaha.

Wait, you're serious? I love EI and I go a couple of times a year, but it is fairly crowded every time I go.

6/18/2012 6:12:13 PM

Its been a few years since I've been, but unless something has changed EI is much less crowded than the likes of Wrightsville/Carolina/Myrtle beaches. Traffic is a pain regardless b/c there is just that one road along the Crystal Coast. But once you're there I always found it easy to find a spot to plop down and have dozens of feet between you and the next group.

6/18/2012 6:29:43 PM

go to ocracoke

6/18/2012 7:09:10 PM

^^ this.

It has gotten a little more touristy over the past couple years, but still nowhere near as bad as the other NC beaches.

6/18/2012 7:22:53 PM

Do yourself a favor the next time you're at Emerald Isle...Drive over the bridge to Swansboro and jump on the ferry to Bear Island from Hammocks Beach State Park. There is a world of difference between "There aren't a lot of public parking spots" and "you have to do some paddling, own a boat, or take a ferry to get here".

I don't remember the price, but I'm thinking $10/person and there is a decent museum there worth visiting.

http://www.ncparks.gov/Visit/parks/habe/main.php

[Edited on June 18, 2012 at 8:14 PM. Reason : l]

6/18/2012 8:10:21 PM

Ocracoke matches what you described perfectly. Dont listen to these suggestions of emerald isle or kitty hawk, these places are pretty damn crowded.

6/24/2012 11:25:08 AM

Anywhere on hatteras island.
Ocracoke (about as quaint of a town as it gets)
Portsmouth (never been, want to go... word is you need to bring everything)
[hatteras/ocracoke/portsmouth can all be done on the same trip, since you're looking at a short stay]

Bald head island (no cars allowed, only golf carts... also oldest lighthouse in NC)



[Edited on June 24, 2012 at 2:02 PM. Reason : [.][.]

6/24/2012 1:58:34 PM

you could go somewhere like Sunset Beach if you didn't mind a 20 minute drive to Myrtle for the good steak dinner

6/24/2012 3:44:58 PM

http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/06/22/2154226/mecklenburg-man-opens-frying-pan.html

6/24/2012 4:13:51 PM

Absolutely go to Bald Head Island

6/24/2012 5:02:50 PM

Been a while but when I was a kid we went to Ocracoke almost every year, it sounds like the perfect fit for what you described. I loved riding the ferry from Swan Quarter to get to Ocracoke and also there is a ferry not too far away where you can get to Hatteras and visit there for a little bit. I think it is essential for anyone living in North Carolina to visit the Ocracoke and Hatteras lighthouses atleast once.

6/24/2012 7:15:04 PM

The Outer Banks are great IF the wind is blowing in the right direction. If not, those massive flies will bite the piss out of you. You can't beat the history and site-seeing, though.

The northern part of OBX might be a little too crowded/commercial for what you're looking for (Nags Head/Kill Devil Hills area), so Ocracoke seems like the right fit. If you go, rent some kayaks and paddle around the sound/Silver Lake area. We also did a walking ghost tour once and had a blast (Ocracoke is surprisingly haunted as hell). Then there's Howard's Pub, possibly the best dive bar along the coast. Lodging wise, there's some great B&B's right on the lake, but we usually stay at Blackbeard's Lodge: http://blackbeardslodge.com/ ... great place.

The Brunswick County beaches are nice too-- esp love Ocean Isle -- but they don't have the same charm as the OBX. Still, the biting flies are nowhere to be found and there's some great golf down that way. Calabash is right down the road, and the food down there is second to none.

6/25/2012 10:11:26 AM

Bald head is amazing.

I took a day trip to Topsail yesterday and had dinner at Daddy Mac's. I love that place.

6/25/2012 1:50:58 PM

tour all the lighthouses


i WILL do that this year

6/25/2012 1:54:01 PM

Maybe it's because on my love for brick/nc state, but I've always thought Currituck Lighthouse was best one of all. It's not the tallest by a longshot, but the most scenic. The big yellow house right next to it is great too (Whalehouse Club?), and there's always tons of people fishing for crabs along the inlet.

Just a really cool scene.

6/26/2012 10:19:50 AM

I had the goal to visit all the light houses last year. I made it to several

Visited:
Currituck
Bald Head
Oak Island
Bodie Island
Cape Hatteras

Not Visited:
Ocracoke
Cape Lookout


Got my goal for this year

[Edited on June 26, 2012 at 3:09 PM. Reason : ]

6/26/2012 3:08:44 PM

I saw a black bear on US 64 yesterday crossing through the Alligator.

6/28/2012 9:37:29 AM

I've seen all the lighthouses except Currituck and Lookout. Hope to see both of those before too long; getting married at Kill Devil Hills next year and we're thinking about going north for a few days afterward which would make Currituck possible.

Hatteras had already closed for the night the one time I went there though. I need to go back and climb to the top one day. I've seen the view from the top of the second tallest light on the east coast (Barnegat Light in New Jersey) so I need to climb the tallest also...

[Edited on June 28, 2012 at 2:33 PM. Reason : d]

6/28/2012 2:33:21 PM

Go to Ft. Fisher aquarium and see my Dad's Lionfish. I donated him to a local aquarium after my Dad died 3 years ago. He got so big that they moved him to Ft. Fisher. He's badass.

6/28/2012 3:05:48 PM

Going to Topsail/Surf City this Friday thru Tuesday. Staying closer to Surf City (within 1/2 to 3/4 mile of the bridge), and was wondering if anyone had suggestions on what to check out while there. I haven't frequented the area all that much (only for a wedding in 2009).

8/17/2016 2:49:58 PM

Topsail and Surf City are by far my favorite beaches in NC. Not a whole lot to do besides sit on the beach, which is exactly what I hope to do. There's several restaurants and even a couple of small bars scattered throughout the island, but its really best to relax and enjoy the ocean.

8/17/2016 3:10:05 PM

the dumpy looking seafood place in surf city right by the bridge has some good fried seafood options, the NY deli place in surf city has good breakfast or lunch options.

go visit the sea turtle rescue center. in south topsail there is a missiles and more museum that has some history of the missile testing observation towers and the military history on the island. if you have kids, soundside park is a good spot for playground and fishing from the boardwalk

the south end of the island is a good place to walk and explore. north end of the island has some beach driving area but it feels somewhat dumpy up there.

8/17/2016 3:34:10 PM