We’re making a sort of last minute trip to North Carolina. I have never been to the Outer Banks. Is it all built up with condos/hotels/kitchy tourist traps or is is quiet/natural/open?
It depends on what part of the Outer Banks you will be going to . It is not as built up as a place like Ocean City, Myrtle Beach, etc. The further south you go, it is less built up(Hatteras, Avon, Salvo, Ocracoke, etc). Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills are more built up (middle). Duck, Corolla,(north) are also less built up(lots of beach houses). The Sanderling resort in Duck is nice.
We rented a large beautiful house right on the beach in Duck. It was spectacular. Relatively quiet area, there are many more beach communities that are far more touristy.
The Wright Brothers National Memorial is very interesting. I like Manteo too.
Great place to visit, but be advised that if you and yours like to spend a lot of time in the water or on the beach, the Outer Banks can be a bit more volatile and windy than other coastal areas because of their location. Riptides and currents can be particularly tricky there, and the wind can be so constant and high as to provide a sandblasting effect while on the beach. Of course, you can get a perfectly calm week as well. But caution in the water there is a must.
I’ve been to the OBX for 16 years and not once have I experienced high wind or “sandblasting” effects. I really don’t think this is something the OP needs to worry about. But one should ALWAYS be cautious in the ocean, regardless.
I was there in April and the first few days were calm and beautiful. The last several were extremely windy and cold (not an issue in summer I’m sure). The water was so roiled up it looked like a Tsunami wave was coming straight at the living room. That wasn’t the case in reality, but the difference was extremely dramatic-when I first walked into the living room with its tall windows, my heart caught in my throat for a moment, it was so scary looking. So I can certainly see how the safety of that water could be something to consider carefully.
We took the kids years ago & stayed in Kill Devil Hills. We did not find it overcrowded. We did feel that Duck seemed a bit more of an upscale beach experience than KDH.
S and his GF were just there. They stayed in Nags Head and had a wonderful time. S is not into crowds, so I assume it wasn’t too crowded. They said the food was fabulous. The further down you go, the less crowded … but you’ll also get fewer places to eat, in case that makes a difference for you.
And watch for sharks. If you look at a map from the ocean perspective you can see why there are more shark attacks there. We took our kids in an rv when they were little and we saw so many shark fins we stuck to the pool.
Keep in mind my parents allowed me to see Jaws when I was 6 or 7 and it’s had a lasting impact on me. I don’t even like to jump off my boat on a river because I’m convinced sharks are everywhere.
Compared to say Myrtle Beach or many areas of Florida coast, it is way less built up…more single homes (huge, multiple bedrooms) and less condos especially high rise. There are also small dunes and grassy areas along much of the coast, setting the buildings back a little bit. THere are some natural parks and islands that you can go to, or drive by.
I agree that if you are used to say Gulf Coast waters, your in-ocean experience will be different! Bigger waves, strong currents. We were there during a storm once and the sea foam was hitting our house windows, and we were WAY back from the beach. Leaving the house was difficult due to the blowing sand. But this was a big storm, Noreaster, on the news…unusual. But I think the caution was more about getting into the water, in normal weather, it does require more caution than many Florida coasts for example.
By now you’ve either gone and returned or will need to wait to see the effects of Dorian. I recall years ago trying to walk on the beach but the winds blew too much sand in our faces.
Thankfully, we decided against the OBX and we are in Virginia. May get some heavy rain and wind here.