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North Carolina beach recommendations? (1 Viewer)

Ed Wood

Footballguy
Heading there this weekend. Like the waves high. Went to Wrightsville Beach years ago and it was nice.

Anybody have any recommendations?

Thanks!

 
As a kid we always went to the Outer Banks area (Nagshead, particularly).  I recall really liking it but haven't been there in like 20 years. 

 
Topsail in two weeks here. I will be a fat lazy drunk for a week. Er, a fat lazy drunk in a completely different state.

 
What are you looking for? Quiet beach? Or somewhere with more to do? What do you want to spend on a place?
I've been to Carolina about 10-12 times and Kure about 5-6 times. Love both, no crowds on the beach. But it is quiet compared to jersey beach towns, ocean city MD etc.

Just the way we like it

 
Thanks, I'll check it out. We usually go out from Oregon Inlet, not familiar with Shellie Island.
It's a new island that just formed near Buxton. Really cool. The current between the OBX and Shelly get a little strong a t high tide.  I'd suggest a kayak to get back and forth.  Sea shells cover most of the island. 

Shelly Island

 
I've been to Carolina about 10-12 times and Kure about 5-6 times. Love both, no crowds on the beach. But it is quiet compared to jersey beach towns, ocean city MD etc.

Just the way we like it
Atlantic Beach is a great option. If you go down the island to Pine Knoll Shores you can get even a bit more quiet.

 
Atlantic Beach is a great option. If you go down the island to Pine Knoll Shores you can get even a bit more quiet.
Emerald Isle is a few miles down the road from Pine Knoll Shores. It is a quiet beach with some shops and eateries around. Indian beach is sandwiched between Pine Knoll Shores and Emerald Isle. 

 
I think Emerald Isle has better beaches than Duck, but if waves are your priority then you want OBX.

Cant compare and contrast with the rest of OBX though. Spent a lot of time between Beaufort and Topsail, but only Duck on OBX. 

 
I think Emerald Isle has better beaches than Duck, but if waves are your priority then you want OBX.

Cant compare and contrast with the rest of OBX though. Spent a lot of time between Beaufort and Topsail, but only Duck on OBX. 
The riptides were bad the first three days when I was at Emerald Isle in June. One person drowned at Emerald Isle and three at Atlantic Beach due to riptides. I got to boogie board my last couple days. Another person died just a couple weeks ago at Atlantic Beach from another riptide incident. 

I was at Wrightsville Beach a couple weeks ago visiting friends in Wilmington, and the water was semi-rough. It had stormed the day before. I had some good boogie board rides, although I wiped out at the end of one ride, and when I rose up from the water my top was down.  :o

For the OP, Topsail/Surf City are north of Wrightsville going towards Jacksonville. Outside of Jacksonville going North you have the Southern Outer Banks/Bogue Banks aka the Crystal Coast (Emerald Isle, Atlantic Beach, Pine Knoll Shores, Morehead City, Beaufort, Indian Beach, Salter Path, Hammocks Beach, Cape Lookout, etc.), and then the Outer Banks (Ocracoke, Hatteras, Nagshead, Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, Southern Shores, Corolla, Duck, Avon, Rodanthe, etc,). Some Beaches South of Wrightsville are Carolina, Kure, Oak Island, Bald Head Island, Holden, Sunset, and Ocean Isle. Sunset and Ocean Isle are near North Myrtle Beach, but in NC.  

 
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Btw when I was in the outer banks two weeks ago the water was a chilly 65 degrees the whole week. Meanwhile I went to point pleasant, nj on Saturday and the water was 75 degrees. Crazy. 

 
The riptides were bad the first three days when I was at Emerald Isle in June. One person drowned at Emerald Isle and three at Atlantic Beach due to riptides. I got to boogie board my last couple days. Another person died just a couple weeks ago at Atlantic Beach from another riptide incident. 

I was at Wrightsville Beach a couple weeks ago visiting friends in Wilmington, and the water was semi-rough. It had stormed the day before. I had some good boogie board rides, although I wiped out at the end of one ride, and when I rose up from the water my top was down.  :o

For the OP, Topsail/Surf City are north of Wrightsville going towards Jacksonville. Outside of Jacksonville going North you have the Southern Outer Banks/Bogue Banks aka the Crystal Coast (Emerald Isle, Atlantic Beach, Pine Knoll Shores, Morehead City, Beaufort, Indian Beach, Salter Path, Hammocks Beach, Cape Lookout, etc.), and then the Outer Banks (Ocracoke, Hatteras, Nagshead, Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, Southern Shores, Corolla, Duck, Avon, Rodanthe, etc,). Some Beaches South of Wrightsville are Carolina, Kure, Oak Island, Bald Head Island, Holden, Sunset, and Ocean Isle. Sunset and Ocean Isle are near Myrtle Beach, but in NC.  
Yowza. Only good waves we usually got at Emerald Isle were around storms. Some fun stuff right at high tide, but relatively calm otherwise whereas it never seemed to die down at Duck. Definitely cooler up there, but @shadyridr's update surprises me since its July.

 
Heading there this weekend. Like the waves high. Went to Wrightsville Beach years ago and it was nice.

Anybody have any recommendations?

Thanks!
Was coming in to say Wrightsville....waves aren't as good as Hatteras but you can paddle from south end of island to Masonboro Island that has better waves. Also not as overcrowded as OBX. 

 
Was coming in to say Wrightsville....waves aren't as good as Hatteras but you can paddle from south end of island to Masonboro Island that has better waves. Also not as overcrowded as OBX.
Wrightsville gets pretty crowded in the summer, and parking is a PIA unless you are lodging in Wrightsville and can walk. Agree with the waves at Masonboro.

 
Btw when I was in the outer banks two weeks ago the water was a chilly 65 degrees the whole week. Meanwhile I went to point pleasant, nj on Saturday and the water was 75 degrees. Crazy. 
We were at the outer banks two weeks ago as well.   The water was chilly but refreshing.    I love the outer banks.  Been there 4 out of the last 5 years and am already planning the trip for next year.    

 
Wrightsville gets pretty crowded in the summer, and parking is a PIA unless you are lodging in Wrightsville and can walk. Agree with the waves at Masonboro.
I worked at a resort there in college and had to shuttle around the guy that set up the BS parking metering system they put in with the kiosks they hide purposefully....if you hit the north end Lot or south end you can usually find something. Water down there gets a lot clearer.....and if ever down there for 4th of July and can get a boat ride to Masonboro that's one of the best parties ever. 

 
We used to go to Ocean Isle when I was a kid, and I loved it.  I remember finding hundred of conch shells every summer, they were everywhere.  It's about an hour north of Myrtle, if I remember correctly. 

 
The riptides were bad the first three days when I was at Emerald Isle in June. One person drowned at Emerald Isle and three at Atlantic Beach due to riptides. I got to boogie board my last couple days. Another person died just a couple weeks ago at Atlantic Beach from another riptide incident. 

I was at Wrightsville Beach a couple weeks ago visiting friends in Wilmington, and the water was semi-rough. It had stormed the day before. I had some good boogie board rides, although I wiped out at the end of one ride, and when I rose up from the water my top was down.  :o

For the OP, Topsail/Surf City are north of Wrightsville going towards Jacksonville. Outside of Jacksonville going North you have the Southern Outer Banks/Bogue Banks aka the Crystal Coast (Emerald Isle, Atlantic Beach, Pine Knoll Shores, Morehead City, Beaufort, Indian Beach, Salter Path, Hammocks Beach, Cape Lookout, etc.), and then the Outer Banks (Ocracoke, Hatteras, Nagshead, Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, Southern Shores, Corolla, Duck, Avon, Rodanthe, etc,). Some Beaches South of Wrightsville are Carolina, Kure, Oak Island, Bald Head Island, Holden, Sunset, and Ocean Isle. Sunset and Ocean Isle are near Myrtle Beach, but in NC.  
Riptides have been bad on the OBX as well

 
I went to Kill Devil Hills 4 years ago for my wife's family reunion.  It was a good place to rent a mansion on the beach.  It looked like there were plenty of large rentals.  I'm not a fan of the Atlantic.  It's too aggressive for me.  The beaches weren't crowded.  Lazy Beach town feel.

 
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We used to go to Ocean Isle when I was a kid, and I loved it.  I remember finding hundred of conch shells every summer, they were everywhere.  It's about an hour north of Myrtle, if I remember correctly. 
I've been going w/ my family to Ocean Isle for years.  Great beach - very laid back.

 
The waves in this area are dependent on the wind. Its not like one beach always has big waves and another beach always has small waves.  

As for recommendations, all of the beaches in NC are 100X better than any of the NJ or Delmarva beaches. Tough to go wrong.

 
Don't go to Hatteras and especially Ocracoke right now. A construction company accidentally drove a steel post into a transmission cable around a bridge in Hatteras, and now there is no power in part of Hatteras and all of Ocracoke. All of the tourist have to be off of Ocracoke by noon today. They will be without power for days or weeks. Terrible time for this to happen during peak season. 

 
Can't hardly beat the Outer Banks.  Several distinct areas with different vibes. You have areas that are exactly what you think of as a beach vacation, you have something for people who like shopping, you have a secluded area, and of course there are several things of interest if you are an American history/military enthusiast.  Great area. 

 
Yeah, NC is a damn awesome state. Living in Atlanta for the past 20+ years, I can't even count all the great road trips. Beaches, mountains, concerts, college basketball, and the people are great. Big fan.

 
roadkill1292 said:
We were there two nights ago.  :hifive: Hasn't been a great weather week, huh?
Hasn't been hot, but I can say this is one of the first beach vacations where none of my children are a sunburnt, whiney mess for the drive home.

 
Thanks everyone for their replies. Had a great time at Wrightsville and the poster who said parking is a PIA knows of which he speaks.

 
Some dining recommendations:

Duck Donuts: Made fresh all day so always warm. Then you pick a coating, topping and drizzle and they make each doughnut to order. I went with glazed topped with coconut and drizzled with chocolate syrup. Holy ####### #### that was good.

Red Drum Taphouse: Big beer selection including beer flights, and pretty good seafood selection. Fried oysters are fantastic.

Tale of the Whale: Excellent steaks & seafood. Probably the top "fine dining" option around.

Biscuits & Porn: Best chicken egg & cheese biscuit I've ever had. It's in a Citgo station.

It's All Gravy Italian Market: Legit Philly style hoagies & cheesesteaks.

There's a good chance I put on a few lbs. up there.

 
Some dining recommendations:

Duck Donuts: Made fresh all day so always warm. Then you pick a coating, topping and drizzle and they make each doughnut to order. I went with glazed topped with coconut and drizzled with chocolate syrup. Holy ####### #### that was good.
Yep we always make 2 Duck Donuts runs. Lines out the door every time. Always a wait but so worth it. They have expanded and there are some 45 min away from me in NJ now.

 

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