Comparing Cape Cod to NC Outer Banks

[Anonymous]

I am looking for somewhere to go for summer vacation. I've never been to either Cape Cod or Outer Banks. Which is better? I love the look and feel of Hilton Head yet like the action of Virginia Beach, if that helps. We are a family of one dd5. I love the beach. Husband hates the beach/heat. So I need activities that aren't just beach specific. I would be going in August. Thanks for any opinions.

[Anonymous]

I think for someone who hates the beach, Cape Cod might be better. There is more stuff to do (including non-beach swimming at the kettle ponds).

That said, I love the Outer Banks because the beaches (at least north of the Wright Mem'l bridge) are much less crowded than on Cape Cod, and the houses tend to be walking distance to the beach (houses on the beach are much more unusual/expensive on Cape Cod).

[Anonymous]

The water is much warner in the Outer Banks. On the Cape, the only warm beaches are the sound beaches and they don't have any waves. The Cape ocean beaches (e.g. Nauset and the like) are cold.

They both have sucky traffic.

They both have nice areas and tacky areas.

You can drive to OBX in a lot less time.

I'll post again if I think of more.

I grew up going to the Cape every summer (and even got married there). Now, I am an OBX convert and wouldn't make the trek back to the Cape unless I had a real reason to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I grew up going to the Cape every summer (and even got married there). Now, I am an OBX convert and wouldn't make the trek back to the Cape unless I had a real reason to.

Ditto to this. I did the Cape Cod thing every summer for 30 years (born and raised there) and I wouldn't go back now that I've been to OBX.

[Anonymous]

I also grew up going to the Cape -- and have been converted to OBX (especially when I compared costs recently with someone going to the Cape!).

OBX is big -- you should pick carefully where you want to stay. Before kids we stayed up in the 4 wheel drive area to really get away from it all (wild horses were often on our doorstep). Now that the kids are older we stay near Duck so we can ride bikes on the path to go to the donut shop, etc. You can stay places where there is a community pool, tennis, etc. if that is important. While there are lots of beachfront houses, it's hard to find a small one.

I do miss taking the ferry to Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket for the day (but that is really only fun for older kids). I also vividly remember going whale watching on a boat from Provincetown and it was incredible.