Is Outer Banks worth it? Help convince my husband it’s better than any New England beach

[Anonymous]

Our family has rented in Corolla for the past decade+

Big priority is short walk to the beach (1-2 blocks max) and a private pool. We are 8 adults and 6 kids.

I'd love to convince the family to consider other, more interesting parts of OBX. If solely for some variety; Corolla is nice but I'm bored of it.

They won't do sand driving so Carova is out, but I'd love something a bit more "natural" and less built up. Suggestions?

[Anonymous]

If you like frigid water and frigid people, by all means continue going to your NE beaches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH has absolutely no interest in Outer Banks and I have every curiosity about what people love about the beaches there.

We did all of Delaware beaches and he’s originally born and raised in Maryland. Grew up with Ocean City and didn’t love the Delaware coast. I think that’s why he enjoys the variety in NE.

Sorry. Not better than a New England beach. Can’t compare. Primarily because there is not “there, there.” Miles and miles of the same strip malls with Walmarts, McDonald’s etc. New England has quaint towns and shops and is beautiful. Outerbanks is like more of the same cookie cutter beach.

Sounds like you didn’t make it south of Nags Head. No strip malls and fast food on Hatteras.

+1 Avon is one of the more peaceful vacations that we've taken

We like Avon too. It’s ok if people don’t like OBX, but I’m always amazed at the amount of people who just go to Nags Head and Kitty Hawk and right off all of the Outer Banks. It’s similar to going to Cape Cod and only visiting Yarmouth. There is nothing wrong with Yarmouth, but it’s not my preferred part of the Cape, and it’s much different than Chatham, Orleans, Truro…etc.

[Anonymous]

OBX is probably as different from OC as a beach can possibly be, so I understand your husbands trepidation.

That said, I don't really understand the appeal of the OBX. It's litterally just the beach. I understand that it's nice to have houses right on the beach, as opposed to the set up that's in the MD/DE beaches, but even if you have kids who are old enough/enjoy spending all day at the beach, it feels like you have to do something during the week that you're there that's not just going to the beach. I mean, what do you do if it rains?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NC beaches are nice and smooth. New England beaches are rocky.

Writes the person who’s clearly never been to the Cape, islands, most of Rhode Island, CT and north shore Mass.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OBX is probably as different from OC as a beach can possibly be, so I understand your husbands trepidation.

That said, I don't really understand the appeal of the OBX. It's litterally just the beach. I understand that it's nice to have houses right on the beach, as opposed to the set up that's in the MD/DE beaches, but even if you have kids who are old enough/enjoy spending all day at the beach, it feels like you have to do something during the week that you're there that's not just going to the beach. I mean, what do you do if it rains?

We vacation on Hatteras Island and I agree that it is a little boring. That’s actually kind of the appeal. I like the beach, but I’m not a sit on the beach all day kind of person. We also fish, kayak, play volleyball and just relax. If it rains, it’s pretty miserable. We once had a washout for the whole week. Not fun.

[Anonymous]

I'm sorry- I can't in good conscience help you convince your husband of the second half of your statement. New England's coastline is vast and variegated. For specific OBX comparison purposes though I would hone in on the Cape Cod National Seashore. The ocean is a deeper blue and the sand is silkier at the CCNS beaches. I find the OBX sand to be very sticky and I always feel bad that even after toweling down and then showering at friends' homes I still have sand around my ankles. Hard to get rid of it. Not so at the Cape. The water is chillier at the Cape of course but it is so refreshing after living in the summer swamp of DC. At the OBX, the host and we retreat inside from 12 noon to 2 pm because it is just too darn hot to be on the beach.
As others have said, the Cape towns are so charming- some polished, some authentically cool and rustic. You have the commerce centers of Hyannis/Dennis/Yarmouth in the middle of the Cape that are kind of like Nags Head, Kitty Hawk etc but overall it is a far different flavor. Lots of strip mall restaurants and tiki type restaurants on the OBX (while some having a view, not real beach access).
No OBX beaches on Dr. Beach's Top 10 this year.
But your original question was "Is the Outer Banks worth it?" Considering it was recently listed as the least expensive place to beach vacation in the US... Maybe it is, for some.

[Anonymous]

Full disclosure: I love the beach…any beach…all beaches. I love being on the ocean/sea even more.

Here’s my take on beaches as a 50 year old beach lover:

1. You are either a beach person, or you aren’t. People who aren’t beach lovers often struggle with a weeklong domestic beach vacation. They find it overpriced and boring. If you are saddled with someone who isn’t a beach lover, find a location that offers them something else they will enjoy.

2. Most people feel nostalgic about the beach they grew up going to. That’s why so many locals still enjoy going to OCMD and the DE beaches even though they have become overcrowded. We feel nostalgic getting ice cream at places our grandparents took us to or eating at certain restaurants. Plus, we smile when we drive past certain places as we recall Beach Week memories as a teen.

3. We aren’t stupid. We vastly prefer a week in the Caribbean or on the Mediterranean, so we visit different beaches when we travel. But we still enjoy mixing it up at domestic beaches.

4. Every beach has a different vibe. OBX is a place where you hang out at your house/beach. You aren’t exploring, and you eat means at home. That appeals to tons of folks who arrive with groceries and rarely move their car.

5. Beach snobs are the worst. Every beach has its own appeal, plus many people are nostalgic about their childhood beach. For everyone who grew up going to the Cape, there’s someone who grew up going to Bethany or OBX.

6. What’s the harm in trying something new? I’ll try any beach at least once. Why not?

[Anonymous]

Poster 10:12, I wholeheartedly agree with all you wrote.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in Boston and only went to NE beaches until I was an adult. I never went out beyond my ankles b/c it was so cold. The Outer Banks beaches are much warmer comparatively.

Outer Banks beaches are definitely warmer. The Cape and Rhode island beaches are mixed warmer and cold depending on location. Too far south and the beaches water is too warm, not refreshing at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OBX: big house, big sandy beaches, big flags, and big trucks/SUVs. You’ll definitely come across MAGA/Trump flags, especially as you head north to Carova on the beach 4WD road.

That said, my in laws love OBX and we go every year so we can have 15 people in a house with a pool and one block walk to the beach. It’s hard to find that in the Northeast for under $20K/week.

This is why people go to the OBX. Big, multifamily houses. Beyond that, the beaches aren’t that great - narrow, steep, rough gravely sand, super windy. Traffic blows. Not a lot of restaurant options. Duck Donuts are trash. Too many MAGA/confederate flags.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know why you need to try to convince him it's so much better. They're both good beach vacation sites. But OBX is much cheaper than most NE beach rentals, and some of the rental houses/cottages have pools because they're newer construction.

Ew. So trashy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OBX: big house, big sandy beaches, big flags, and big trucks/SUVs. You’ll definitely come across MAGA/Trump flags, especially as you head north to Carova on the beach 4WD road.

That said, my in laws love OBX and we go every year so we can have 15 people in a house with a pool and one block walk to the beach. It’s hard to find that in the Northeast for under $20K/week.

This is why people go to the OBX. Big, multifamily houses. Beyond that, the beaches aren’t that great - narrow, steep, rough gravely sand, super windy. Traffic blows. Not a lot of restaurant options. Duck Donuts are trash. Too many MAGA/confederate flags.

So we now rate beaches by the quality of their donuts? I’m not a donut person, but I’ll take a Duck Donut over Dunkin every day,

Obviously, you don’t like OBX, but have you actually been there? Hatteras Island (other than Rodanthe) and South Beach, on Ocracoke, have great beaches. Sand is nice and the water is usually beautiful. Water quality depends on wind direction. If it’s blowing from the west, water is turquoise blue/green. Wind from the east, and water gets muddy. BTW, this is the case with most beaches on the east coast.

Finally, I will concede that restaurants on OBX are not that great. This is true in a lot of resort areas- overpriced and usually a pretty uninspiring menu. Luckily food isn’t that important to us. We’ll grill most nights and get pizza one night. Doesn’t have to be complicated.

[Anonymous]

Very disingenuous debate if you don't address the #1 thing against OBX: the traffic getting there. Unless you own your own house and therefore can go down anytime, driving down there for a rental is among the most horrific experiences I've ever had. 1000s of people driving over this two lane bridge so they can get to intersection where half the people (at least) have to turn left. then slogging up Rt. 12 at 2 mph for another hour just to go 10 miles.... come on. then you spend back half of the week worried about doing the same thing in reverse. no thanks - almost any beach (even going over Bay Bridge or getting to Cape Cod out of Boston - both of which I've done dozens of times) is no where close as awful...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Very disingenuous debate if you don't address the #1 thing against OBX: the traffic getting there. Unless you own your own house and therefore can go down anytime, driving down there for a rental is among the most horrific experiences I've ever had. 1000s of people driving over this two lane bridge so they can get to intersection where half the people (at least) have to turn left. then slogging up Rt. 12 at 2 mph for another hour just to go 10 miles.... come on. then you spend back half of the week worried about doing the same thing in reverse. no thanks - almost any beach (even going over Bay Bridge or getting to Cape Cod out of Boston - both of which I've done dozens of times) is no where close as awful...

Traffic to/from OBX isn’t fun. We don’t go there as much as we used to, but when we did we would leave Friday, and stay the night in Suffolk/Chesapeake. This would put us ahead of the traffic on Saturday. We usually stayed in Hatteras. Did Corolla once and the crawl north on 12 was brutal.

Been to Cape Cod multiple times. Love the Cape beaches, but that drive isn’t a walk in the park either.

As much as we love OBX and Cape Cod, lately our beach trips have been to Fenwick and OCMD. Easier drive, beaches are nice enough and it just seems like less work.