Besides the fishing?

We went a couple years ago for the first time in probably 20 years, and as a beach, I found it a little on the irksome side. There were man-eating mosquitos that could miraculously fly against a constant 75 MPH wind. A surf that would just beat you up, and you couldn't let down your guard and just relax in the water. These miniature cacti that, god forbid you step off of the beaten path with or without sandals, would punch holes through the thickest of heels. Did I mention the mosquitos? I probably lost a pint of blood after being bitten 3 times. Oh and these things drink DEET for breakfast, so they ignore OFF.

I loved sightseeing, especially Ocracoke Island, and I enjoyed the sparse population that Avon had. But it was just not that enjoyable as a beach, IMHO.

I just wonder if we were at the wrong place. Are conditions any better further north, around Nags Head? I ask because I see that OBX sticker on about every other car, and I'm thinking not that many people could be that crazy about the OBX.

7/6/2014 8:16:28 PM

k

7/6/2014 9:05:02 PM

My favorite parts of the Outer Banks are north of KDH. Duck and Corolla are great

7/6/2014 9:25:52 PM

The bugs and waves thing completely depends on the wind direction relative to the beach you are at. The cacti things are more common later in the summer and fall. Areas farther north have more wooden walkways than most of hatteras island, but more crowded beaches.

7/6/2014 9:26:11 PM

there is nothing there to love

7/6/2014 9:33:07 PM

Quote :

"Are conditions any better further north, around Nags Head? "

Yes

7/6/2014 9:55:54 PM

they're overgrown sandbars. what do you expect?

7/6/2014 10:07:45 PM

i love that people build houses on them, then complain when they fall down.

7/7/2014 11:11:41 AM

is it cool to not like the outer banks now

7/7/2014 11:42:18 AM

I know it doesn't officially count as Outer Banks (but it is close enough) but I find none of those things troubling at Topsail Island.

7/7/2014 11:50:42 AM

The past several trips I've made out there have all been to Duck or Corolla, and it's generally pretty enjoyable. Since it's a long drive to a lot of beach, the crowds don't get bad despite the excessive development. And the absence of crowds is kinda my jam for beaches.

But I seriously hate bugs. Something got to me while I was asleep, and I've got 50+ bites on my feet/ankles at the moment. It's revolting.

7/7/2014 11:51:33 AM

I like the Duck and Corolla area better than Nags Head. My cousins and us have actually discussed buying a house up past Hwy 12 in the Corova area but are not sure if our friends and extended family would want to use it since you need 4WD to get there.

7/7/2014 12:06:54 PM

Do it.

7/7/2014 12:28:07 PM

I like most of it for the most part

7/7/2014 12:29:52 PM

Topsail is where we usually go. And I think Avon is sandwiched between Duck and Corolla, so I would think the conditions are similar. Maybe we just went on a bad week.

7/7/2014 6:34:52 PM

Avon is like an hour and a half south of Duck/Corolla. Some towns are quieter than others, but in my limited experience, I've never heard that one particular beach was generally way worse than another. Any time the surf or mosquitoes are especially bad, that's obviously gonna suck.

And I don't know what the deal is with everybody and those stickers. I thought they were cool twenty years ago, but I also thought Brew Thru t-shirts were cool...still got one I wear to the gym inside out. The screenprinty thing sticks to my back, but I'm sentimental about my tees.

7/7/2014 7:51:47 PM

Strictly from the standpoint of swimming / messing around in the ocean, I much prefer going farther south to more gently sloping beaches

7/7/2014 7:55:31 PM

containment area for yankees

7/7/2014 8:42:12 PM

I'm biased but the Crystal Coast beaches dominate the upper OBX beaches in my not so humbled opinion.

7/7/2014 11:02:33 PM