Outer Banks Information

[Rpoole8537]

My GF and I would like to travel to Outer Banks area in NC this summer. I'd like to gather information concerning best locations for beaching, taking photos and riding bikes. It would be nice to be in a less crowded area, but not too far from a few good restaurants. We'd like to rent a house, but would consider other options. I've never been to this region, so any and all information would be appreciated.

[joosttx]

Probably not the best place to ride a bike as there is basically one main road. Plenty of bike paths though. But those seems to be for joggers and beach cruisers

[jvp]

The nags head / kill devil hills area has decent cycling and plenty of good restaurants. The beach road has bike lanes, and the sound side of the main road has quiet roads with nice scenery along the sound. You can do a 20 mile or so loop by riding the beach road (with the wind), then cutting over to the sound side for the reverse direction. Cycling maps available at kitty hawk bikes.

[skiezo]

I have to agree with the above. Not a great place to take a bike as the roads are crowded and people are not real aware of there surroundings.
I like the Wilmington NC area better myself. Lots of good beaches and places to eat and the roads are more rider friendly.
IMHO The restaurants on the OB are not that great as most do not know the difference between so so food and good eats.
The Isle of Palms area of SC is a much nicer vacation area IMHO.

[tuxbailey]

I prefer Ducks/Southern Shores vs Nags Head. Seems a little more isolated but close enough to the main strip. The Kitty Hawk/Nags Head area have more traditional beach front activities like miniature golf/go cart, etc.

Be sure to visit the Sand Dunes. It is free and fairly interesting.

[peanutgallery]

Real men stay north of corolla or south of Hatteras in the outer banks. The rest is a tourist trap full of minivans from the burbs

Family has a place in corova beach, no roads and 4x4 only. No stores either, just fishing and drinking and the kids are faced with board games along with limited tv/internet

Fun with a big group as dinner and games are a big deal

Slow paced and the beach is beautiful, usually return very relaxed. Worst part is the traffic getting to and from. DC crowd is the worst

[HenryA]

We visited Okracoke a few years ago and very much enjoyed our stay. I would not take a bike again as the riding was not pleasant on the one main highway. Not so much from traffic but the wind was amazing - in a bad way - sandstorm bad.
Great place to walk around in the little town, sights nearby, great seafood right off the boat, just enough development to be convenient, all the beach and ocean you could want.

[FlashUNC]

Great place to beach and vacation, horrible place to ride.

[arcadian]

We go and stay at Emerald Isle most years, and the riding inland is pretty good. There are quite a few forest service roads in the area. Riding on the island is not for me.

This link has some details about the area I am speaking of.

http://www.bikepacking.com/routes/croatan-gravel-vanish

[2LeftCleats]

Surf City/Topsail Island just north of Wilmington is nice as far as places to stay, beaches and restaurants. Riding isn't very interesting, except that you can get a workout riding into the wind.

[Zoomie80]

We vacationed in Duck several times--rented a condo right against the sand dunes along the beach. Great for relaxing and just listening to the ocean. We often saw Dolphins swimming along the beach. A local icon is Duck Donuts...fresh made donuts while you watch and the pick your toppings. We headed north to Corolla the past few years, rented a townhouse each time at Corolla Light. Newer homes, great beach, very quiet and scenic. Corolla is now our "go to" for beach vacation. Lots of cyclists along the one main road--I recall there's a bike lane each direction--just be mindful of folks just running or cruising along on their rental bikes.

[PeregrineA1]

PM me. I have a house on the water near Harker's Island, southern Outbanks. Lot's of fun stuff to do, even cycling if you like flat rides with wind :).

Lot's of water and spread real thin. Great place to visit (or live), especially away from the tourists. Which my place is.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ePP0qlq7xreU0EzLCQ1gD5vCekkuWd9gabudZzGsChAl9DAr13 lIZ-ZUnK8hyfiAxikedB3Pul5ceSJ02nS_CjhLuL3McqYbJ1M1avhi 8doxDcbkGgMKzcS8HFpKZnyJ7xSxxyzkMWFzdZ-VckMEYEw_CtliX0cQvoihPvOwuY-py1zxJTjaJr-FX6ojzQ4hktHxHdKa7M6niVijXTGOn9gHAri83WLoPJ6w612CG WpJFlVCZwuO2q4-r_OLtVOBDbIZI4Mf8EpdrsDmvVSf1OGvWgjR1EwDOrByhEII2o JS9eutTnjc278hdfV94TfchxPIoyJSGIX7qIq8GQxsIM9rBH2A KyXAZGmAhWVmYk96qjWLUuqfl2qTm_IB3WpI_VEGNvFikC0EEE lLdrowXd5hszPLE9-GRPIovogJbOI_iucpBwg29wyjQaG0aSzIFiE1em62OwMBU9O5Z iyzs2Onq_ZjyiwQcA533qMYdTK1ClAVp-gfi182ThlcbNWaXh6ERGNDhd8QEu2LhZPgazW4_1M7NPx7wmSi OMIlJAskt7Cx0ngUfGHb6CFhbrJddjty0N11zKga7WNE69Qta8 Q6Q89XUkg=w1298-h973-no
My creek and dock.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/kOuxUauc2fFyWUHWYEr5h4mS2YhBW9ojX0tgk5eaMQs5-0gwhfNFfAxuIaImNAjI-tDHiQL1ckHdCcNPA9C5g5UghwnaavYBW8YYafK9tgau0w-qhNwYgGqKzQD9DRjElqahV_iHMhtMxr67dWLmbuzT0H8OjHF_g ecsnF0TB3yDl0oJGLQu0DLRl64SNEI4Tij94IxHqzcgaG7tPCB Qj3iz2jbIvAqSm2T9k6019_b87D9xuqLp1u3hRyXYYka3JamxQ asSZw8Pwp27HaceN52OdONs1KjU5b3pIgYXMxyJnNmYiZ4c7pa vAm8gUuiVUHa_8wox-HrhDh6NM5WeYz1oiiP4XXrNMnWYbQE9hsijMaoNRkgn9rL9BbX tdVgaBReWoipTgP7tuauylABMeTNuGPoGCCDuNfQgv2ggfVWMn fCcUecWZ5EgGc-3sgDwZP6ocPyu-oqX5udRZWPKxFApFWUlUT9nZfwT981WuvvR_-ANNT9llpjqagtKpDZrhM3mUIMER_shRl6sjRZW9EXCfCAAwzhq OEAAaBHBUDdJIRkPoukLaY45M71MoVGCxqQ5IwYesUMd8lXJDS MeJ1DpvF22BqY=w1298-h973-no
My living room.

I've since moved back to So Cal with the bikes and the boat.

[redir]

I always bring a bike but tend to agree that it's really not that great a place to ride one. Nice to have to simply get around though. I used to go to Duck mostly. It's quiet there and just north of that is a beautiful beach state park in Virginia that stretches on for miles and a cool little town accessible only by a beach road.

[verbs4us]

OB are beautiful but it's North Carolina so...make sure you use the right gender-appropriate bathroom.

[Mr Cabletwitch]

My in laws have a house in Corolla, I'm not even going to bother bringing my road bike this year, just going to bring my city beater to ride around with my son. Might borrow a fat bike from a friend. Hit me up if you want info on renting their house. Its a beautiful place on the beach side but not beach front.

[thunderworks]

Emerald Isle and Top Sail Beach are quite nice. Lots of rental options.
Riding on the islands is not for me . . . not interesting at all. Same for food. We've never found particularly interesting food choices. Lots of fried foods. Poor imitation of beef dishes . . . however, you can always search for the best "Hush Puppies", the ubiquitous food item added to every meal it seems.

Great place to hang out though for a week. The beaches are terrific.

[Rpoole8537]

Thanks much for all of the ideas. I do not want to stay where all the vans filled with children go. Not really in to putt-putt or go carts. My son has lived in Charleston for 15 years, so I go there frequently. Someone recommended Sullivan's Island and I agree they have a very nice beach. Folly is a nice beach as well. I'll most likely take a long weekend in Charleston this summer. I used to live near Canaveral Seashore years ago and that was a favorite trip for me, but I just wanted to see the Outer Banks before I leave this world.
I'm checking with a couple that are nice to travel with, to see if they want to accompany us. Then, we'll be ready to make a final decision. Looking for late August. I know, that's hurricane season, so I'll probably spring for the insurance if it covers weather issues.

[saab2000]

I've been in the Outer Banks twice with a bike, but both times were off season, in April or early May. As mentioned, it's not a great place for riding, but if you got out early in the morning you could get in some miles before the traffic picks up. Most of the place has one road up and down the strip of land that is the Outer Banks. It has a bike lane but it's not a bike-friendly area really. It would work to keep your fitness but it's no cycling destination, that's for sure.

[rccardr]

Perhaps a different viewpoiint.

We've spent a week or more in Whalehead, just south of Corolla, for the past 30 years. Awesome. Wake up in the morning, put together a batch of fresh scones, head out for a 20-40 mile ride, when I get back they better have saved me at least one of them!

Roads are flat, but headwinds give you a 'Nebraska workout' one direction or the other. Drivers are very reasonable and give you plenty of room to use the shoulder. NEVER experienced any issue with drivers.

Everything I ride is vintage, but not unusual to average 20+ MPH and my daughter and SiL have to really work to keep up that pace. It's a good workout, followed by a leisurely breakfast, time on the beach, dinner at the house, games/movies at night, then do it all again the next day. Not unusual for me to log 150 or more miles in a week.

[saab2000]

Perhaps a different viewpoiint.

We've spent a week or more in Whalehead, just south of Corolla, for the past 30 years. Awesome. Wake up in the morning, put together a batch of fresh scones, head out for a 20-40 mile ride, when I get back they better have saved me at least one of them!

Roads are flat, but headwinds give you a 'Nebraska workout' one direction or the other. Drivers are very reasonable and give you plenty of room to use the shoulder. NEVER experienced any issue with drivers.

Everything I ride is vintage, but not unusual to average 20+ MPH and my daughter and SiL have to really work to keep up that pace. It's a good workout, followed by a leisurely breakfast, time on the beach, dinner at the house, games/movies at night, then do it all again the next day. Not unusual for me to log 150 or more miles in a week.

I agree with this. It was my experience as well. It's not not a 'cycling destination' but it can be a nice break from the routine. We stayed just south of Corolla and it was a nice time. Sometimes you even have to shift!

[chiasticon]

never has my ass hurt worse than riding in the outer banks. no reason to ever stand, so you get no relief!

seriously, it was OK in the off-season, traffic-wise. but I'd rank the quality of riding to be on par with riding the rollers in the basement, watching golden girls reruns (actually, that would be way better!). was NOT worth dragging my bike there for. HOWEVER, on the way home I rode in Frederick, MD and that was terrific. depending on your location and plans, maybe you could find something fun to ride on the way there/back...

[jvp]

I used to work a job at oregon inlet for the NCDOT, we would go down twice a year for a week (april and october). We always stayed in kitty hawk / kill devil hills. Did this for 12+ years. Here are some pics of the beach road / sound side ride from '06 when I had my first fixed gear bike, a fuji track. Did not care for the mustache bars and ditched them when I got back. As to restaurants there are several nice ones if you seek them out. Tortugas Lie is good, blue moon cafe', rundown, etc.
https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/38077_1347063118492_4252986_n.jpg?oh=9dfb0c2f2eeae 4c850b09d59c2caae67&oe=57C327C2

https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/37526_1347062158468_5874205_n.jpg?oh=72faa44267dfb 13de6478c21ce9751bb&oe=57CF905D

https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/35128_1347059838410_1411446_n.jpg?oh=34055aae53e8d e9026b4d464e6a18b02&oe=57C7890A

[zap]

never has my ass hurt worse than riding in the outer banks. no reason to ever stand, so you get no relief!


53/11 is your friend...........get out of the saddle regularly and sprint to beat a light, to a sign, race motor vehicles, whatever.

[redir]

I used to bring my track bike down to Duck just to make it more fun and interesting. The very first time I went there with my bike I went for a ride early in the morning and it was just fantastic. Never did I feel better on a bike. Just flying down the street taking in all the beautiful sites when I then had to turn around and... Oh.. My..God!

If I had my phone on me I would have called my wife and begged her to come and pick me up. The wind was so intense I could hardly turn the cranks on my track bike. It was truly the most miserable experience I ever had on a bike. I would so rather climb in steep mountains, even with the wrong gearing, then face a wind like that ever again.

But man the ride out was spectacular :D

Lesson learned... Start out with the wind in your face and you will love the ride back home. Also gears are good even at the beach.

[chiasticon]

^^^^ hahahaha! yeah I made the same mistake there. longest/worst 35 miles of my life. next time I went into the wind first. in the little ring at about 15mph for an hour, in the drops, killing myself. turned around and flew home pedaling easy at 30mph.

[TiminVA]

I took my bike with me the first time we went to Emerald Isle and if I headed out early enough I had the roads to myself. This was in mid June if I remember correctly. I was typically finished by 8am though. The last couple of times we've been, I just ran each morning instead. There's basically only one road on the island so the back and forth got old. Otherwise, Emerald Isle is a great place to go. Not too crowded and not a whole lot to do other than hang out on the beach all day.