We are thinking of visiting the OBX, after Memorial Day. Is this a good time to visit in terms of the weather being reliable? Also would we need to book accommodation at that time of year? Can anyone recommend anywhere to stay, ideally somewhere where it is possible to walk to shops, restaurants, bars etc - or is everything strung out along Highway 12 so you have to drive everywhere?
We are coming from the UK and visiting a friend in NY first, thinking we may fly back from DC, how far is that to drive from the OBX?
Any help greatly appreciated! Thanks
Thinking of visiting the OBX in late May/early JUne
The time of year is just wonderful! May not be too crowded since some schools systems are still in session. You will definitely need to book ahead of time.
Are you thinking of a week rental or just a few days?
As you look can find on this site, there are several areas of the outer banks to stay. Yes, things do tend to be a bit spread out, but you don%26#39;t necessarily have to drive. If you stay in Nag%26#39;s Head, there will be more restaurants/bars to choose from as opposed to Duck, Corolla or Hatteras. Staying on the island of Ocracoke will ensure walking distance to all the bars, shops and restaurants, but the beach is not as accessible.
The drive back to DC is about roughly 6 hours or so?
Thinking of visiting the OBX in late May/early JUne
Hi, we go the OBX in May/early June every year. The only advice I have is that the ocean is not very warm that time of year so we always rent a house with a pool and pay to heat it. The men all go in the ocean, the kids go into their knees to get buckets of water, the women put their toes in, but we all go in the pool. We%26#39;ve had days that were 60%26#39;s and rainy and days that were 80%26#39;s and sunny, but we%26#39;ve never had a week that was a total wipe out.
We%26#39;ve stayed from Corolla to Nags Head and we end up walking to the beach and driving every where else.
We agree DC is 6 hours.
Don%26#39;t forget to check out Basnight%26#39;s Lone Cedar in Nag%26#39;s Head. Great restaurant. Enjoy your trip!
We travel to OBX every Memorial Day to visit family. I agree that the water temp can be a little on the cool side. The area is beautiful with lots of nature. Not at all like a boardwalk type of beach. Things to do can be spread out and it isn%26#39;t known for a huge nightlife (however there are some fun restaurants that have bands - like Kellys). Anywhere on the main island (Kitty Hawk to Nags Head) will have things to do.
From the bridge coming on the island it takes us 4 hours to reach D.C. and that is doing just over the spead limit.
Thanks for your replies. Now thinking of picking up a hire car at Newark airport on Memorial Day and driving down through NJ/DE/MD to spend a few days on the OBX, probably on Hatteras Island (north sounds bit overdeveloped for our tastes). We would then continue south via Ocracoke to the NC mainland, then maybe down to Charleston (and possibly even Savannah if time permits), then across to the Gt Smoky Mountains NP and then back to Dulles Airport via the Skyline Drive and Shenandoah NP. May be a bit too much to pack into 10 days or so though?
You may want to consider spending a day or two on Ocracoke before you take the ferry. I think you will really enjoy the slow pace of the island and village as well as the restaurants, shops, and local artisans.
So enjoyable to bike around the island.
We go every Memorial Day, the crowds are thin and the air still a little cooler at night. No bugs!
Ocracoke is a great place to visit. On the way down you could visit Hatteras Lighthouse (that is the one they had to move and you can still climb to the top for a fee). Oracoke is very laid back with great beaches. The time you are talking about would be nice for the island. It can get busy by the lighthouse section in the summer.
You might also enjoy Bethany Beach/Fenwick Island area of DE if you are going down the coast that way. There is also Dewey (young crowds and partying), and Rehoboth (some neat shops) but the Bethany/Fenwick has nice beaches, quiet and family styled.
Personally, I think you may end up driving the whole trip and not enjoying the sites. It is great itinerary though. The eastern shore of Delaware/Maryland/Virginia has a great, distintive feel. You could fly into DC, travel through Annapolis to Delaware/ MD beaches- (3-4 hours, but much longer on Fridays). Assateague, chincoteague, St. Michaels, are beautiful towns on the eastern shore. Drive down through Norfolk to the Outer Banks...Salisbury to Norfolk is 3 hours. Don%26#39;t drive from Norfolk to the Outer Banks on Saturday, unless its early morning. If you are continuing south from Ocracoke, its a ferry, backroads and slow travel. Ocracoke is beautiful and remote (one of the top beaches in the world). It will be a long trip to South Carolina, but some pretty destinations along the way. It would be too much for me, and driving back through the mountains would be really long. If you went back through Norfolk to the Virginia mountains, its about 4 hours to the Blue Ridge mountains. Beautiful sites up the parkway to DC.
Once again thanks for everyone%26#39;s comments. We are flying to JFK on Sat 24th May (arriving at lunchtime), returning from Dulles on Fri 6th June (late night flight overnight back to the UK).
Looking to spend Sat and Sun in NYC with our friend, then on Mon (Memorial Day) pick up a hire car at Newark airport and drive to somewhere on the DelVaMar peninsular to stay overnight (assuming eveyone will be heading the other way?). Then a couple of nights in Hatteras area, 1 or 2 in Ocracoke. After that maybe miss out SC and head straight across to the Smokies, then along the BRP to Shenandoah.
We have done a few 2-week road trips round various parts of the US before: New England, Pacific NW (Seattle-Olympic NP-Oregon Coast-Crater Lake-Columbia Gorge-Mt Rainier NP), California (SF-Big Sur-Death Valley-Sequioa-Yosemite) and the SW (Vegas-Zion-Bryce Canyon-Capitol Reef-Canyonlands-Monument Valley-Grand Canypn-Vegas) and never found any of these to be too much driving. Although the distance are much greater than here in the UK, the roads are wider and well aligned and there is less traffic so it is a pleasure to drive!
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