Jennay Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 We very rarely take vacations and I am trying to plan a two week vacation at a North or South Carolina beach for sometime in April or May. I'd like to stay in a house or condo withing walking distance of the water. I'd like some activities to do nearby but I also want it to be a "quiet" place - I don't want lots of strip malls and bars nearby. Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shell in SC Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Edisto Island, Folly Beach, Kiawah Island in SC Ocean Isle in NC If we go to the beach we usually go to one of those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarheel Heather Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 We very rarely take vacations and I am trying to plan a two week vacation at a North or South Carolina beach for sometime in April or May. I'd like to stay in a house or condo withing walking distance of the water. I'd like some activities to do nearby but I also want it to be a "quiet" place - I don't want lots of strip malls and bars nearby.Any suggestions? For SC we love Huntington Beach State Park, beautiful. And Isle of Palms. We are closer to Huntington and went quite often this summer. IOP is nice because Charleston is very close. They have many rentals on the beach. Neither one of those is overly commercial. I would not venture to Myrtle. For NC I have many friends who love Emerald Isle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momofkhm Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 But in NC I've been to Avon (near Hatteras) and Emerald Isle. Emerald Isle is less busy than Avon, but Avon would fit your bill as well. Shopping but not big strip malls. You can drive to the strip malls in 45 minutes, I think. I've stayed with the church ladies at Emerald Isle. The houses we've rented are wonderful! We stayed with another family is Avon. The house was nice, but not beautiful. All these houses were walking distance to the beach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Okie Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 We used to live outside Wilmington, NC (till 1 1/2 yrs ago)- so... I would suggest Wrightsville Beach or Carolina Beach (or nearby). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danestress Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 We usually go the SC to the areas around Georgetown - Debordieu, Pawley's Island, Litchfield. There is a lot of development along the main highway, but once you are back by the water, it's very nice and relaxing (Litchfield has a lot of condos and hotels, and I have never actually stayed there, but I get the idea that it's still a family beach and reasonably nice). I've been to Holden Beach in NC which we really liked - there a a major major bridge to get over there, and not a lot of buildup around. I like the Wilmington area because there is a lot to do - The aquarium, the USS North Carolina, historical sites, etc. The beaches themselves are pretty commercialized, though. We drove through a couple of years ago, and there is a good mix of very high end real estate and houses that still look sort of like normal people places. When I was a kid all the houses looked humble and beachy, and I miss that. Anyway, I made a mental note to consider finding a home to rent around Kurie because it looked very modest but the beach near the aquarium was just so beautiful and wide. I also love Charleston and if you haven't been there, I would actually choose a beach around Charleston just because of the many fun things to do apart from the beach. But the beaches are getting more crowded I am told. Isle of Palms is very nice but resorty and very "golfy" and commerial - I was there a couple of years ago and had a really nice time, but it didn't feel as homey as the beaches around Georgetown. Nags Head is very developed but Hatteras Island is very long and much less spoiled. You pay a price to go - it takes a long time to drive down there, but once you do, you get that "away from it all" feeling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmgirlinwv Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 We love the Outer Banks of NC! Very family friendly. Lots of houses w/in walking distance of the beach. We always stay at Southern Shores where we're near the grocery store, but in a nice neighborhood area w/ trees and privacy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oak Knoll Mom Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 You've gotten some good suggestions here. I'd advise going as far south as you can, though, because the water is still pretty cold that time of year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oak Knoll Mom Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 We usually go the SC to the areas around Georgetown - Debordieu, Pawley's Island, Litchfield. There is a lot of development along the main highway, but once you are back by the water, it's very nice and relaxing (Litchfield has a lot of condos and hotels, and I have never actually stayed there, but I get the idea that it's still a family beach and reasonably nice). This is where we usually go, too. We love the Bridgewater condo at Litchfield. They have indoor and outdoor pools and hot tubs, kiddie pool and lazy river. If you rent through Litchfield Resorts you also have access to a small water park, too. Still, if you want to get into the water that time of year, I'd go farther south to Hilton Head or Isle of Palms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Anywhere along the Outer Banks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teamturner Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 When we lived in NC we vacationed in Nags Head in the Outer Banks and it was the best vacation! We rented a house on the beach the 3rd week in May so it was pre-season prices. The water was a little cold and the evenings cool but it was still a wonderful trip. We loved our house with it's wrap around deck and the bridge to the deck by the beach. We got up in the mornings to watch for dolphins. It was very quiet. The house had 4 bedrooms and a great kitchen. We didn't eat out very much at all for breakfast or dinner. My little one could take a nap while we were on the beach. There is so much history and the museums and lighthouses were so great. We spent an afternoon on Roanoke Island and they have the whole settlement there with actors acting their part and a wonderful 16th century ship you can explore. Jockey's Ridge sand dunes were fantastic and our beach house was just about across the street from there. I have always hoped to go back when my dc are older and will appreciate the history. We went to some wonderful museum that I didn't get to read as much as I'd liked since my dc were 3, 3, and 1 at the time. :D We also thought the aquarium was really good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennay Posted January 17, 2009 Author Share Posted January 17, 2009 Thank you all for the suggestions! I have plenty to research now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misty Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 Outer Banks of NC!! We used to go camping on Ocracoke Island and it was lovely. Don't know if it would be considered a "day trip" destination or not, but if you can make it at least to the Kitty Hawk area you can see the Wright Brothers museum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2boys Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 I'm not the OP, but really appreciate everyone's answers too. We want to head that way in 2010 for vacation. A question though - if we went to NC in September, would we have warm ocean water, and the benefit of off-season rates? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 I'm not the OP, but really appreciate everyone's answers too. We want to head that way in 2010 for vacation. A question though - if we went to NC in September, would we have warm ocean water, and the benefit of off-season rates? Yes to warm water and off-season rates but there is the possibility of hurricanes in September. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crewmom Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 Another vote for Isle of Palms. We just went there in September (my DH had to go to Charleston for work) and had a fabulous time. We stayed at one of the hotel, but if we went again, I'd want to rent a condo. What I liked best was that when DH went to work and took the van, I could still walk with the kids to the ice cream shop, beach and the nice town park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 Our very favorite is Carolina Beach near Wilmington! It is very quiet and beautiful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess in the Burbs Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 Sunset Beach, NC it's mostly houses but recently some condos were built. there are 2 or 3 rental companies there to rent from. the older side of the island is basic 4 bedroom/2 bath houses with porches or sun roofs. the newer side of the island has some huge, newer, updated homes. we usually stayed 4th row or closer....and you have to walk through the dunes(there are now nice boardwalks) to get to the water. it's very quiet but close enough to go out to dinner in Calabash, NC. And if you want busy it's not too far to go to Myrtle Beach for all that fun. we love Sunset Beach and have never had a bad time....even when we got dumpy houses :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJN Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 place to go and not too far from things to do if you desire. We also go to Emerald Isle, NC, but I don't like it as much. It's grown up through the years and there are many more people there now. Topsail Beach reminds me of what Emerald Isle used to be like when I was a child. I'd also vote to head to the Outer Banks, lots of places to see there. The water temps can be a little cool even towards the end of May in NC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.