I'm thinking of driving down from CT to North Carolina, or maybe as far as Myrtle Beach over our Easter break. I've always wanted to go to the Outer Banks. I'm thinking of stopping at the Assateague N
I'm thinking of driving down from CT to North Carolina, or maybe as far as Myrtle Beach over our Easter break. I've always wanted to go to the Outer Banks. I'm thinking of stopping at the Assateague National Park to see the wild horses, and I understand there are also wild horses roaming on the Outer Banks. The Wright Bros. Memorial looks good. I would like some other activities that might wow teenagers. About how much time should I plan for the Outer Banks?
Should I end my trip there, or continue on to Myrtle Beach, or some other area? I'd like to find an area where we could stay a few days and not be in the car every day before going back home hopefully via a somewhat different route. Any suggestions? What's the weather like in early April? Thanks, Carolyn
Wow! First, Myrtle Beach during spring break is crowded, but you probably couldn't drag a teenager away from the place once they get there. LOL I know the louder and busier the better when I was a teenager and that it will be during spring break. One word of important information from one who has gotten past the teenage years, is that you may not want to stay beach front at MB if you want to get any sleep. If that's not that important, then the beach front is gorgeous and the place to be. Book early though as it will probably be full. If you are a 'shopper' there are some good outlet type malls.
I'm not sure exactly where to start with the other things you mentioned. You could spend a week almost anywhere along the NC Coast and have great fun. Now, what teenagers think is great fun and what adults think is great fun is sometimes very different. I don't know if they are boys or girls and that, too, sometimes makes a difference. Let me just say that the Outer Banks are awesome to adults and it is fun for many teenagers too, but it is much quieter than MB. The Wright Bros. Memorial is a site you'd want to see, but a half day is enough. I'm not sure if you are the paternal or maternal parent, but if cozy historic sites interest you, many people find the town of Beaufort, NC (there is also a Beaufort SC) is cool but not a lot for teenagers. The Wrightsville Beach/Wilmington area has the beautiful beaches and also the USS North Carolina is permanently docked there.
The Manteo area has the historic part of the Lost Colony but that will be too early for the pageant.
I would suggest that you might spend a day or two moving a bit and either 'settle in' at Wilmington/Wrightsville Beach or MB/North Myrtle Beach. Now, for us, the water is too cold at that time of year, but we always enjoy watching the Canadians and northern visitors who don't understand our rationale there. So, either way it's beautiful. There are a lot of beautiful Azalea gardens in the area, but I doubt if your break is late enough for them to be in bloom. You did ask about April though and that's when they bloom. Early April is usually in the high 50s to high 60s in the day and nippy at night. It is a seasonally changing month, so the later part of April can be quite warm. It's my favorite month though as all of the spring flowers are blooming and it's awesome.
As Caroline said -- This is the best time of the year to visit coastal Carolina. With twins you can look forward to having a great time anyplace you go.
We were at Assatteague Island National Seashore last month and saw a dozen or so horses. While there the boys might be interested in visiting the NASA Wallops visitor's center as you approach Chincoteaque on rooute 175. As you go south over the bridge/tunnel stop at the island for coffee and you may see some US Navy ships. When our daughters were that age we visited the nearby Colonial Williamsburg, VA for a a week during spring vacation and they enjoyed it so much that two chose to attend William & Mary, so they could live there for 4 years.
Wilmington, NC would be pleasant that week as the azaleas will probably be at their prime (especially Greenfield Lake). The USS North Carolina is a MUST see, what kids don't enjoy exploring a WW2 battleship? Just south is Carolina Beach and Ft. Fisher. Ft. Fisher is the site of a Civil War battle, which the boys might enjoy exploring. (They probably haven't observed the Civil War from the southern perspective! Adjacent to the fort is a marvelous beach. They might also enjoy the ferry ride to Southport, a laid back southern village. If you happen to have rain there are museums in the area plus an aquarium at Ft. Fisher.
My apologies, cjyap1, I completely and unintentionally ignored your question on wild horses. This morning I had a 'light bulb' moment and the realization that I hadn't answered you. The wild horses are near Corolla. There is a small museum there too. Here are some directions since you will be coming from the north.
Follow signs for the Outer Banks and Nags Head, exit 291B. This is the first exit past the Battlefield Boulevard exit. As soon as you exit, quickly shift to the leftmost lane to get on Route 168. Follow 168 to the Outer Banks (It eventually becomes 158). You will have to pay a $2 toll in Virginia for the Chesapeake Turnpike.
There use to be a video of them on YouTube, I'm not sure if it was placed there by their visitors bureau or a visitor, but I saw it a while back.
Thank you for all your suggestions. I have looked over many of the things that I would love to see, and realize that I am trying to pack too much into the trip. I am going to cut out Myrtle Beach and stick with North Carolina, specifically the Outer Banks. I do have a couple of questions:
1. Has anyone done both the Assatteague Island National Seashore and the Wild Pony Jeep adventures in Corolla. Obviously they are both very different, my question is, are they different enough to both be interesting and fun, or once you've seen one wild pony, you've seen them all (This is what my two boys might be thinking).
2. I was looking into hang glidding lessons at Jockey Ridge State Park. Is it likely to be too cold to be enjoyable? Has anyone done it?
3. Are all the tourist things on the Outer Banks closed on Easter Sunday?
4. Is the Alligator refuge of interest?
5. Are the ghost tours given during this time and are they good for 14yr olds?
I'm thinking we'd leave Connecticut the Sat. before Easter, take two days to get to the Outer Banks, stopping at Assatteague, then continuing on the Norfolk of maybe not that far. The second day (we'd be at the Outer banks on Easter) we'd arrive there, and stay somewhere central. Any Suggestions? I think the Jeep adventures to see wild horses sounds fun, and hang gliding, that could be the anchor for two days. I'd also like to drive the length of the Outer Banks. I think we'd enjoy the wright brother memorial, the cape hatteras lighthouse, jockey ridge state park, the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum.
What else should I be considering? What can I plan if the weather is cold, and/or rainy?
I'm not sure what else we have time for, maybe something as we head back toward home. I'd like to go home a slightly different route for variety. I don't want to do Williamsburg because I feel I should devote more time than just stopping by.
I look forward to reading your suggestions!! Thanks, Carolyn
I was told that the Chesapekeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel is an amazing bridge and that we should make sure to see it. Is there a feature that I should be looking for? Is there a place to stop to look at it for best viewing? Thanks
I don't have specific info on sites being open or closed on Easter, but most things including shopping centers are closed, so I'd surmise that most sites are too. You might try calling them before going to be sure.
Our family has been vacationing on the OBX for many years. We go in the summer and beach activities usually take center stage.
I would expect spring weather to be a really nice time of year to go. You might want to check out renting a house. It will be off season and probably a great deal. There are a number of reputable rental management companies that do business exclusively on the OBX.
I would recommend checking out the lighthouses. Especially Hatteras and Currituck.
On our first trip to see the wild horses in Corolla we went with a tour company. I think it was worth it for the first trip. In subsequent trips we've rented 4WD Jeeps and spent the day. Driving on the beach is something the teens really enjoyed.
We have also gone horseback riding on the beach with Equine Adventures. Really worthwhile.
A climb up Jockey's Ridge is also a must do. We have never done the hang gliding but have watched.
A web site that will be invaluable in your planning www.obxconnection.com. There is a forum (not unlike this one) where people post questions. There are many locals and OBX OBSESSED people who troll the forum daily. Their knowledge and helpfulness cannot be described. I won't go on but you can get great restaurant recommendations and many other suggestions there as well.
Thanks for the suggestions. Keep them coming. 14 isn't a great age for boys wanting to spend quality time with their parents, and if I could find enough "wow" activities to balance out the drive and other sight seeing musts, the trip could be a success.
I will have to plan the trip so maybe Easter day is more of a Travel day.
I haven't checked yet, but is April a rainy time? If so I could use some activities for rainy days.
If I plan to stay in one place and drive to the sites from there, is there an area I should look into?
Normally, April isn't very rainy. There will be a few showers, but it's not anything near a 'rainy season'. The sun will be shining and there will probably be a little nip in the air as early as Easter comes this year. It's my anniversary weekend, so I remember the weather well. Pretty, but nippy but probably not nippy at all for you coming from New England.
I grew up only going to Myrtle Beach, which, as a kid, I loved because there was stuff to do at night. However, as as adult, I love Chincoteague, Assateague and the Outer Bank. Are your sons athletic/adventuresome/active? Are you able to bring bikes on your trip? Bikes would be great to have on the Eastern Shore and Nags Head, too, to a lesser extent. There is a nice paved loop in the park that is only open to vehicles after 3pm, I believe, but earlier in the day you can cycle it. There are other bike trails, too, as well as just the paved park roads. You never know when and where you will see horses. If you're going to stop at Assateague, you will take the Bay Bridge/Tunnel to get on down to the Norfolk/Tidewater area of Virginia -- it's an amazing feat of engineering and there is a visitors center/rest stop on one of the "islands" created as the tunnels go under water. Definitely stop and look at the display of how they built the bridge/tunnel. I think the wild horse jeep tour is touristy but if you want to ride on the beach and you can't do it yourself, go for it. My aunt and uncle did it with their grandchildren last spring and enjoyed it and saw horses. I've seen horses grazing between condos and tennis courts for free! Wright Brothers Memorial good for half a day at most -- good history lesson, of course! Hang gliding lessons should be available -- the dunes are fun to climb and explore, too, as someone posted. There's a nature trail back behind them, too. Definitely drive down to Hatteras, see the lighthouse, read about how they moved it and also, take the ferry over to Ocracoke and you'll visit parts of the OBX that are always in the news come hurricane season!
The majority of visitors arrive on the Outer Banks via route 158, crossing the bridge over the Albemarle Sound. Crossing the bridge the ocean is in front of you. If you go left (north), you will go toward Southern Shores, Duck and Corolla. I've never stayed up that way but have gone there to shop or to go to the lighthouse. There used to be not much up that way except lots of rental homes (big fancy ones especially!) but slowly over the years, there are more shops and restaurants. If you go right (south) on Route 12, you will be at Milepost 1. (This is an important thing to learn about this part of the Outer Banks -- places will often advertise their milepost more so than their actual address.) Between MP1 and MP 19 or so, you will find Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head and South Nags Head. You won't even realize you've gone from one municipality to the next. We prefer South Nags Head but with teenagers, I would be more likely to stay a little further north. You basically have Beach Road, running oceanside, at 35mph or the four-lane Route 12, at 50mph, with lots and lots of stop lights on it; these two are the main north-south roads. Most of the stores and restaurants (yet not all, especially some of my favorites) are on Rt 12.
The typical OBX stay is in a rental house but there are a few hotels, some name brand and some not, for shorter stays. Some of the rental homes can be rented for partial weeks, especially in the off season.
Roanoke Island Fesitval Park is definitely geared toward kids and teaching history. Not too exciting for adults or older kids.
I have used several of the realty companies in the OBX. They all have incredible websites, being able to search by location, number of bedrooms, pool, smoking/non-smoking, pets, etc. Check out www.nagsheadrealty.com, Beach Realty, Joe Lamb Reslty, Sun Realty, to name a few. It just so happen that we got the catalog for Nags Head Realty yesterday in the mail. I was flipping through it last night and they seem to still have a lot of the smaller houses in their inventory which would be perfect for just the 3 of you. What's so nice about renting a house (or even one of many condo rental units) is the extra space you will have, the extra TVs you will have and particularly with the houses, the owners seem to always try to have things in the house for rainy day activities or suggestions -- some have game rooms with pool tables, ping pong tables, board games, video games, etc. You could also call Nags Head Realty at 1-800-222-1531 and have them mail you a catalog. Remember though when you are looking at the prices that there are alot of add ons for cleaning, linens (unless you want to BYO) and administration fees. Still, I think in the end, it's better than a hotel even if you may not use all 7 days of a weekly rental.
Before you send any money to a rental company, I suggest you go to our state's (NC's) Real Estate Commission and check them out. As a native of North Carolina, I've lived here all of my life and know that there have been lots of problems with coastal rentals. So, it's worth taking the time to check them out IMO.
Thank you for all the suggestions. I will certainly look into the rentals, although, I think we'd only be there for 3 days.
If I want to choose one location and base our visit from there, would the Nags Head area be central? So far I think we'd do one of the Jeep adventures in Corolla, touristy I'm sure, but very appealing to teenage boys, the Wright Brothers Memorial, Jockey's Ridge park, and maybe sign up for Hanggliding lessons, climb as many lighthouses as we can, and drive down to Ocracoke or Hatteras, see the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum. If the weathers is too cool for a beach day, it seems like renting bikes could be good. I read somewhere that there are bike paths, are they all over the outer banks, or in a specific area?
That should give us a good sampling of the Outer Banks. Am I missing any other Must Sees?
While I'm sure you are okay, it's always good to trust but verify and that's all I'm suggesting he should do and I think that is good advice. There is no charge to do it and it is a good thing to do when you are getting info from the internet. Nothing offensive intended, just that there have been problems with coastal rentals and I suggest that he may want to do that.
I've just finished talking with the People from Ricks Jeep Adventures and the Kitty Hawk Hang Gliding and they are both open on Easter Sunday, imagine that!
