Outer Banks

[wtwo3]

Has anyone ever visited? Is it worth visiting? Family's trying to plan a winter holiday at the end of December, and we have some family that lives in Norfolk area which is a short drive away from the outer banks. Just wondering if it's worth visiting or if we should considering something like Florida instead.

[shawnhayes]

Originally Posted by wtwo3

Has anyone ever visited? Is it worth visiting? Family's trying to plan a winter holiday at the end of December, and we have some family that lives in Norfolk area which is a short drive away from the outer banks. Just wondering if it's worth visiting or if we should considering something like Florida instead.

If you like peace and quiet, and some upscale restaurants without hustle and bustle of "touristy" places, this is the place.

It's awesome. Period. Been there a hundred times. Every time special.

Shawn

[shawnhayes]

This....

[SpeedBuggy]

Great place, as SH indicated. Rather laid back. Always went during the off season. Buxton, Waves, Hatteras and especially Ocracoke Island. Gotta take the ferry to get to Ocracoke. Lots of history.

South of kitty hawk, kill devil island and nags head, lots of the national sea shore to see. Not much in the way of major chains/retailers. If you're staying for a bit, grocery stores are few and far between.

[chassis]

Yep it's nice. Good bucket list place to visit. Scenery is similar to many southeast beachscapes, vibe is laid back as previously mentioned.

[vreihen16]

If you're going to the outer banks in late December expecting it to be warm, you might want to consider Charleston, Florida, or Savannah/coastal Georgia instead. We frequently stop overnight at Virginia Beach when going south for the holidays, and it is almost as cold as NY. I can't imagine the outer banks being significantly warmer.....

[wtwo3]

Originally Posted by vreihen16

If you're going to the outer banks in late December expecting it to be warm, you might want to consider Charleston, Florida, or Savannah/coastal Georgia instead. We frequently stop overnight at Virginia Beach when going south for the holidays, and it is almost as cold as NY. I can't imagine the outer banks being significantly warmer.....

Yeah this was one of my concerns... wouldn't really get any beach time with it being in the 50s.

[DocL]

It's a beautiful area in the warmer months. We used to stop there on our way to Florida by boat. Great fishing too. However in in colder months with the wet air it can be uncomfortable.

[vreihen16]

Originally Posted by wtwo3

Yeah this was one of my concerns... wouldn't really get any beach time with it being in the 50s.

Plus, it's a different kind of cold near the ocean.

The coldest that I've ever been in my life was when it was 29F at Daytona Beach in March back in the 1990's. It was so f-ing cold that I packed up and left three days early! When I got back to NY, I was back on my motorcycle again just like any other winter day. Also worth mentioning is that I grew up in Buffalo, so I know what cold and snow feel like.

I thought that maybe it was a fluke, so I stopped for lunch on A1A in Daytona during the 12/2022 arctic cold snap. It was 37F at the beach, and I was shivering just walking from the almost-Mighty Freightliner into the restaurant's front door wearing my NY winter gear.

From experience, Christmas Eve is hit-or-miss for swimming in the Golden Isles of south Georgia. OCD psycho dog and I have a holiday tradition of taking a swim in the ocean, and it has been too cold for the past two years to even walk the beach. I'd go deep into Florida for the holidays if the beach is important to you, with the caveat that eating Christmas dinner on the patio under palm trees sorta ruins the holiday spirit.....

[wtwo3]

Originally Posted by vreihen16

Plus, it's a different kind of cold near the ocean.

The coldest that I've ever been in my life was when it was 29F at Daytona Beach in March back in the 1990's. It was so f-ing cold that I packed up and left three days early! When I got back to NY, I was back on my motorcycle again just like any other winter day. Also worth mentioning is that I grew up in Buffalo, so I know what cold and snow feel like.

I thought that maybe it was a fluke, so I stopped for lunch on A1A in Daytona during the 12/2022 arctic cold snap. It was 37F at the beach, and I was shivering just walking from the almost-Mighty Freightliner into the restaurant's front door wearing my NY winter gear.

From experience, Christmas Eve is hit-or-miss for swimming in the Golden Isles of south Georgia. OCD psycho dog and I have a holiday tradition of taking a swim in the ocean, and it has been too cold for the past two years to even walk the beach. I'd go deep into Florida for the holidays if the beach is important to you, with the caveat that eating Christmas dinner on the patio under palm trees sorta ruins the holiday spirit.....

Let's see if I can convince them for South Florida. Outer Banks came up because it's about an hour drive for them - but I've raised the concern about going there in late December. At that point I'd probably just prefer to save my money and stay home.

[E92inNC]

We visited the Outer Banks last month when my family visited. It was my first time in the Atlantic water, the kids said the water was too cold to go more than knee deep and I didn’t see anyone else in the water either. There wasn’t many people on the beach so you’ll have plenty of space. If you want to get in the water, you’re probably better going south.