Driving to outer banks on a summer Saturday - strategies?

[Anonymous]

We are heading to the outer banks for the first time this summer and wondering what the best strategy will be to minimize drive time for. DC. I am imagining the busiest time to try to arrive is the afternoon since that's when people can check into a house rental. Would we be better off leaving D.C. Early in the morning and just finding a spot for lunch somewhere in the local area (we are going to Corolla)? Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Was just talking about this with someone. Basically just accept that it will take you two hours once you get to the road that leads to corolla.

[Anonymous]

Leave very early (like 5am) or very late. You can also drive most of the way on Friday night and get a cheap hotel in Williamsburg or Norfolk/Va beach.

[Anonymous]

We leave Fri night after kids are asleep. We move them to car while asleep. We arrive about 1 in the morning and check into cheap motel with pool. We sack out. Kids wake up and go to pool. Midday we leave to get keys etc from real estate

[Anonymous]

You have to cross that bridge before noon - ideally before 10 a.m. to avoid a huge traffic hangup.

We usually leave at like 3:30 in the morning (northern MD) to do that and pay a little extra for early checkin at our house so we can enjoy the afternoon actually vacationing and not sitting in a miserable traffic jam.

[Anonymous]

We also leave Friday and stay in Williamsburg or Norfolk. Ge up early and get to duck early. The brIdgewill start to back up by around 9:00 am. It's a pain by the houses are never ready before 4:00 but we go to the shops, have lunch, etc. we have tried leave no at 5:00 but even then got stuck in traffic on 95 and at the bridge. Just prepare for a long drive.

[Anonymous]

When we lived in Burke, we always left by 5am and had 0 issues.

[Anonymous]

Do not even think of leaving this area after 6am. Anytime I've done that it's been HORRIFIC. Like, not just slow, but 2 hours to go 10 miles slow. You will be 10 miles from your house and in a parking lot that just kind of inches forward sometimes. It. Is. Miserable.

If I ever go again (that's a big if for this reason) I'd plan to leave my house by 4:30/5am. The key is you have to miss any sort of potential slow down on 95S by Fredericksburg. If you get stuck in 30-45 minutes of traffic there, you are doomed!

You must be across the bridge by 10am. That would be my goal. Do not dilly dally because house check in isn't until 3pm or whatever. Just get across the one obnoxious bridge, and then figure out what to do (close to the house and rental office).

It has taken me 8 hours before. The worst traffic I've ever seen and I grew up in this area.

[Anonymous]

Is there a way to fly? It has never taken us less than 8 hours at any different time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is there a way to fly? It has never taken us less than 8 hours at any different time.

You can fly to Virginia Beach. We rented a big house once with a lot of couples, some from DC and some from NY. Some of the NY people flew and rented a car.

Aside, but you can skip the horror of the beach road going up to Corolla by renting in Nags Head or anywhere else south of the bridge. I dont know why anyone puts up with that mess.

[Anonymous]

We are a Sunday check in and still leave NW DC absolutely no later than 4:45 AM. We pack breakfast to eat in the car. We are in Corolla by 10 am. We go to brunch and walk around the shops. Some of our group pack bathing suits and go hang out on the public beaches for the afternoon while we are waiting for the text from the rental agency the house is ready.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are heading to the outer banks for the first time this summer and wondering what the best strategy will be to minimize drive time for. DC. I am imagining the busiest time to try to arrive is the afternoon since that's when people can check into a house rental. Would we be better off leaving D.C. Early in the morning and just finding a spot for lunch somewhere in the local area (we are going to Corolla)? Thanks!

Helicopter or transporter.

[Anonymous]

Op here - sounds like it's going to be ugly - unfort we can't leave the night before because we have people flying into BWI fairly late that are joining us. Guess we will leave bright and early, though!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here - sounds like it's going to be ugly - unfort we can't leave the night before because we have people flying into BWI fairly late that are joining us. Guess we will leave bright and early, though!

Can the folks flying into BWI fly into somewhere else and meet you in OBX? Like fly into Richmond (half the bad traffic is just getting past Fredericksburg on I95) or Raleigh?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here - sounds like it's going to be ugly - unfort we can't leave the night before because we have people flying into BWI fairly late that are joining us. Guess we will leave bright and early, though!

Can the folks flying into BWI fly into somewhere else and meet you in OBX? Like fly into Richmond (half the bad traffic is just getting past Fredericksburg on I95) or Raleigh?

Unfort no, tickets purchased and non refundable