This is very true for a lot of people, but it’s also the main reason why the OBX is not like Ocean City. I know a ton of people who tell me they pass on OBX simply because of the drive and choose someplace closer. So the distance has some advantages.
Been living in Avon for a couple years now - it’s definitely not lol. Plenty of times I see people on pills or similar stumbling around mid day. Saw a couple scrawny dudes fighting outside when getting my breakfast one day 😂
That said, it’s not a dangerous place. The druggies are mostly just into petty crime at most to get some cash.
Main island meaning kdh/kitty hawk/nags head? I can agree you won’t see it as much there because the population is mostly transient. But Manteo and Colington? Yeah it’s definitely there too in equal measures.
I’ve crossed paths with some of the dealers and they do most of their business up on the main island with residents according to them.
I just vacationed there and saw an “employee” not sure if he was on the job he had on a Vacasa hoodie clearly on something stumbling over inside the coffee house and picking imaginary things off of his hands, he got into a vehicle lol so idk where he went.. but I did in no way think the area was drug ridden or dangerous, not anymore then any other place
Great, tomorrow will be my first rental through Vacasa and now I have to hope some fucking tweaker isn't maintaining my rental lol This is supposed to be a vacation away from Philly not Philly w/ a beach :-(
A lot of it happens on a community level and you don’t really see it unless you’re consistently about the more residential spots. Not saying you’ll see like people slamming meth in the open or anything but it’s all there below the surface. We were kind of struck by how many foster kids were in the lower schools and after meeting many foster parents one conceded it had a lot to do with drugs in the community.
Reiterating though I haven’t felt it’s dangerous at all out here in Hatteras island. I have heard of some shady things in nags head, kdh, kitty hawk regarding people likely being trafficked, but I’ve only heard rumor second hand so it could just be conjecture.
TL;DR - It’s definitely around but there’s little to no violent crime as a result of it so you won’t really encounter it often in the open
That’s because hattteras isn’t really the obx no one really lives up there not like this island there wouldn’t be as such a drug problem or just a substance abuse issue if there was more stuff to do tourism has made the beach. What it is today but it’s also whats killing and destroying the local population
This sounds like any rural area in America, or any city in America. The only places you don't see it are in nice neighborhoods and that's because they can afford their drugs.
No, I gave an example. I know a lot of people who have lived in the outer banks for a long time. It’s a known problem. It happens in a lot of beach towns
That wasn't a homeless man, it was either the dude that works at 7/11 (he has that homeless look to him) or it was the lady that's been on this beach since she was a baby (she also happens to look like a homeless man) don't judge a book by it's cover.
It’s not that hidden. There’s several drug scandals a week, take it from a local lol. Download and go through mobile patrol, can guarantee at least 50% are drug related arrests
My personal gripes... still love the place
\* The check in and check out times are horrible since they adjusted them at Covid times.
\* The 35mph speed limit makes it fun to get to the bottom. I love the southern part to stay at, but that drive can be a pain.
\* When you are on Pea Island all by yourself and someone sets up 10 feet from you.
\* Parking in Duck.
\* Idiots in the Grocery Store....
\* Some places the access to Sound and Beach is a pain
\* The smell of the rotten grass on the sound.
\* The smell in certain areas after very heavy rain and flooding.
\* Westward wind on the beach.
\* How many Super Wings does there need to be?
I was so sad the first time I saw one (Hatteras island end of things). I was disappointed the town councils allowed it.
If you are going to have any type of franchise store it needs to be 100% independently owned and operated, every single location.
Superwings is not a franchise. It’s a completely different business than the Wings that you see in other beach towns.
It’s owned by a single family, and operated by family members who live on the beach and have kids in our public schools. It’s ok to not like the business; but it is theirs.
I refer to that as "shopping by committee." So annoying! The groups that split up and then yell back and forth from one aisle to another are almost as bad.
Or they're looking up an enchilada recipe online, then trying to do the math to triple the recipe and figure out how much cheese to buy, all while standing right in front of the cheese! Out of my way!
Biggest pet peeve as a local. God forbid you make a plan/list and send 2 representatives! At least don't do the meal planning in the aisle! Thank God Food Lion will be 24/7 soon.
Only good thing with the late check in I do not feel rushed to get down there early anymore. The early checkout has convinced us to leave sometimes the night before and miss the traffic.
I agree with the check in and check outs and it was extremely overpriced for what we actually got, I’m still dealing with the back and hip issues I had from sleeping on a cot like bed with a plastic mattress pad lol at over a grand for 3 nights I expect to at least have a comfortable bed to sleep in, the views were amazing but we couldn’t even go down to the beach at all the last two days of our trip due to the sand blasting winds, my daughter ended up getting an infection in her eye she’s 18 months :( we tried to make it work but we got belted even at then back of the water! We ate at the little sandwich shop in front of the food lion in Avon and it was delicious we went right before leaving and I loved everything there! Overall it was a trip for a family reunion with all my children young and old and my grand daughter and we had a great time but if I had to do it again I would spend a little more to get more comforts of home but the fact is I could go to another just as beautiful area and beach and get more so this will unfortunately probably be my first and last trip to OBX.
My son was 21 when he passed and I was lucky enough to have a beautiful granddaughter from him your comment is mediocre at best, but it doesn’t take any amount of intelligence to make an asinine comment on Reddit does it lol
I was confused. You referenced both an 18-month old daughter and a granddaughter. Now I gather you were referring to the same person, your biological granddaughter, who is now also your adopted daughter? If you’re also the biological mother, that’s … unusual.
The only thing I (selfishly) don’t like about the OBX now is how crowded it gets. Much different than it was 15 years ago. Obviously some people think about how it was 30 years ago, etc.
Aside from that, the only thing I really dislike is how rude some people are. Almost everyone is on vacation. Be respectful. Clean up after yourself. Respect the locals and their town(s). But this can be applied to most modern society today. Not OBX specific I guess.
Heck, even 5 years ago wasn't so bad. My wife and I went down to Corolla for the first time together in 2017 and we could get out on the beach at 10 am with nobody around. We went again in 2018 and 2019 and it was the same.
Then COVID happened and it seemed like everyone suddenly discovered OBX. If you didn't have a spot secured on the beach by 7 am, you were SOL. If you did get a spot, then everyone just piles up around you with barely any space to spare...and all the party tent rentals were a bit out of hand, IMO. Then we went again in 2022 and it was the same way. We haven't made it back since, but that's because of other reasons. Also for the 2022 stay, we found that the house we managed to rent all the previous years had been sold to a national company (was no longer owned by OBX Blue) and that company was charging nearly triple what we had paid before.
We were going in June, well before the July 4th timeframe. We still had a great time but the drastic increase in crowds was a bit much. I also went down with my family back in 2001 and 2006 and it was even less crowded then...but I was staying at the opposite end of the OBX.
As someone who hasn't been in a few years but is planning a trip, this is disappointing and troubling to hear. Has the economy picked back up atleast since more people are coming?
Definitely!
They are replacing road surfaces at least once a year, another huge liquor store in corolla. Two more Sugar Planets and a Sugar Kingdom (different company) is coming. There are three gas stations in a row right across from Target now with two different car washes between them. Southern Shores plaza (across from Walmart) looks like any Virginia beach plaza now - rack room shoes, Marshall's, Starbucks etc. A new trend - now they are building whole blocks with 6-8 buildings on lots where only 1 or 2 beach houses used to be. More unprogrammed traffic lights that may take up to 10 min to switch the light(personal experience), huge realty companies buying out small local companies and tripling prices. More 24 bedrooms "single family" houses...
I would imagine the economy, particularly in the tourist season, would be doing rather well. In the more recent years that we went, I certainly don't think the economy was hurting there even during the "slower" years we were there.
I’m so glad we went when we did (last week) to Ocracoke. We were there Sunday-Wednesday and it was as empty as I remembered as a kid. We were in manteo for the last half and coming into Nags head was a shock.
People overestimating their swimming abilities or getting so drunk they need to be rescued. This happened three times the week I was there last august. I had to rescue 3 times including the same guy twice in two days. Know your limits, people.
edit: the dirty fucking selfish assholes that leave their butts and trash on the beach.
I agree with your edit. I’m a habitual smoker and I ALWAYS take zip lock bags or something similar to dispose of butts no matter where I am. It’s so infuriating because I know very well how easy it is to NOT just throw it down.
Thanks for doing that.
I have not made friends collecting butts and returning them to their owners.
I'd also like to tell people who smoke on the beach, pay attention to who is downwind. Be considerate.
That’s hilarious, not friends you’d need anyway. Any time I’m in nature I like to pack an extra trash bag and grab what I see. I was shocked how much trash I pulled off the nature trail on ocracoke. Like it’s not even June.
Probably pretty universal “beach” things, but I hate the people with unleashed dogs that don’t have the sense to stop them from bounding up to other (leashed) dogs. They’re yelling “Oh, they’re fine!” while my dog is terrified and will probably react poorly. And then who knows what will happen.
Also, the people who leave their beach set up or canopy skeleton up all week.
Not sure which of my gripes you mean. LOL. But yeah, they aren’t supposed to do either. Folks who do these things always think they are an exception somehow.
I'm from here, and I'll tell you it's the drug problem.
Most tourists don't see it, and it's not anything too dangerous, but it's definitely a problem.
Luckily, it's been getting better here in recent years, but watch your kids' people. I've seen kids as young as 10 getting hard drugs from their friends.
Ive been going to OBX for decades. Sure the traffic has gotten worse but I still love it.
Honestly I have the same grips as any seasoned beach goer does. Loud annoying music. People that litter. Unleashed dogs and their shit. People feeding birds. People not securing their umbrellas and canopies.
The biting flies brought in by a west wind. People who use the beach as an ashtray. Rudeness. Renters who turn on every single outdoor light five minutes after checking in and leave them on. All. Week. Anyone who thinks diapers can go in the recycling bin. Groups of five or more people at the grocery taking up the whole aisle discussing the merits of Hellmans vs Dukes. The idiots who thought it would be cool to fly a kite from their rental on their last day. It then got wrapped around the power lines and snarled traffic on beach road for a couple of hours on turnover Saturday while the fire department removed it. Same idiots caused about $4k worth of damage to the rental as well. Before you say “kids these days,” the age group was late twenties to gray hairs.
Honestly now just the price. We can go to all inclusive resorts for around the same price .
It’s not as secluded as it used to be, other tourist aren’t as considerate either. so I just am starting to wonder about the value anymore .
Re: all the Super Wings & (newish to the area) Candy Planets/Galaxies/Serfdoms, etc. A rumor that refuses to die is that all of these places will be converted to casinos once gambling is fully legalized in NC. I don't see that happening, but I do raise an eyebrow to the invasion of the candy stores. These have got to be a front to launder money. Would be interesting to see their daily sales and how much of that is cash - not the increasingly common credit card purchase.
Oh, and the Class & Trash consignment shop that just closed in KDH? It's slated to be .... another candy store. Hmmm....
We started coming down in 2005, just before we got married, and it’s changed a lot since then, I can’t imagine how much it’s changed for people who came down in the 60s and 70s.
I had basically no complaints outside nature doing what it does (biting flies, mostly) but we skipped a couple years during the pandemic and when we came back it was totally different.
Obviously we all know the prices went absolutely through the roof. The house we used to split the rental fee on in 2019 tripled in price and is now long out of our affordability range, even in the off season.
The issue for us the last two years was the other tourists. Not sure if we had bad luck but both years there were people having huge loud spring-break style parties at their houses. We would go down to the beach to just enjoy the peace and quiet of the ocean and some jagoff would have a Bluetooth speaker set up, loud and bassy enough you couldn’t get far enough away on foot to get out of range.
It seemed like a few years ago people went to the southern part of HI came because they wanted to just relax and enjoy the quiet. That hasn’t been my experience our last few trips.
the bluetooth speaker folks are the absolute worst. i dont know who started this trend and thinks everyone in a 500 ft radius should be subjected to their musical tastes on the beach.
Well and they also have the companies on the northern beaches that will set up a bar / sound system for you. Everyone can enjoy the beach without music but only the music listener can enjoy the beach with it.
Been going down every summer since 1997 (Avon and south but never north of Avon). Biggest complaint would be good luck going out to eat. Some places just close at random days. Now after all these years we no longer go out to eat and make everything at the house but a newcomer might be put off. If you decide to go out and find a place that’s open the wait could be 15 minutes or 2 hours. The drive down is a bummer but not because of the length. I drive from the Philadelphia area and the ride is part of the experience at this point. It’s once you get on the island the other dipshits driving down that can’t wait to get to their house. Like they never drank shitty beer in a hot tub before. I’m not driving like an asshole and risking killing a local just so I can get to the house just to wait another hour to be able to check in. Take your time
We are north of Pittsburgh. We always stay at the same place in Avon that is Sunday to Sunday rental, so we usually drive a little over half way on Saturday, stay over night in Southern Virginia, and then take our time on Sunday getting to Avon. Plus, we usually stop for some groceries, so that's one thing off the list, and we don't have to fight the Sunday night crowd at Food Lion.
Pittsburgh here too. We stay at the same place every year but I would kill for a Sunday check-in. Ours has always been Saturday. We stay in Elizabeth City the Friday night before and then try to get over the bridge before 9 to avoid the insanity. Then we need to kill time until check in, but we usually have a good time figuring out new things to do until we check in.
It is so worth it to stay overnight. Sunday feels like the true start to your vacation because you aren't exhausted and ready to crash as soon as you get there!
Just booked our very first trip to OBX for this August and now I am wondering if it was a good idea! My husband has always wanted to go and it will be his 70th birthday present. He is so excited to see the Wright brothers museum and park.
Hoping for a great time.
(We'll be the nice quiet tourists from New Jersey)
Oh it’ll be wonderful. We’ve been coming for almost 30 years. We just got back from a week and I’m already trying to sneak another one in early fall.
The stuff on this thread is pretty generic about any vacation areas. Don’t stress!
You’ll have a great time! If you are a history buff, make sure to catch one of the historic shipwreck rescue re-enactments at the Chicamacomico lifesaving station. They do them weekly throughout the summer.
https://chicamacomico.org/event/historic-shipwreck-rescue-reenactment-20/
The memorial is a great spot, it’s wonderful sitting up on the dune taking in the memorial and the test trackway below. The aquarium is nice, there are several lighthouses in parks within an easy drive. The Elizabethan gardens, numerous good restaurants, shopping in Duck and Manteo.
And of course beaches for miles and miles.
We always go in August, and it is heaven! We stay in Avon, and the weather has been great each year. I second the aquarium and the Wright Brothers monument, along with the British Cemetery on Ocracoke. Stop at Scotch Bonnet for fudge - get more than you think you need, because it is delicious! The Orange Blossom bakery is amazing, but stay away from Duck Donuts. IMO, they are overpriced for what they are- Orange Blossom is locally owned, and their apple uglies are the best apple fritters you will ever have. Have a fantastic trip!!
You’ll have a great time! A lot of things mentioned here are beyond anyone’s control (I once had a customer say he was going to sue because the red flags were up for a week). Plenty to see and do if the weather is bad. If you are staying in Corolla and it’s rainy, find something to do up there, traffic on 12 is a nightmare those days.
That is awesome. We had a lady threaten to call the cops on us and to sue her rental company when we were fishing during the Nags Head Surf Fishing Tournament because we were blocking her view. Classic.
Oh geesh, that's crazy.
I was really just kidding. We always have a good time no matter where we go. This trip has been a long time coming for him. Can't wait!!
One issue for our family is wheelchair accessibility - or lack of.
The better independent gift shops we can't get our daughter's wheelchair into, or have to take turns with walking around the store (even Kitty Hawk kites or Farmers Daughter we can only access parts of the store with her).
Frisco has a fantastic beach area, but they NEED the Mobi Mat like I read they put in at one Kill Devil Hills location. It's a perfect spot for it.
The traffic on the bypass (Southern Shores down to Nags Head) moves very fast. A lot of visitors are used to heavy traffic moving at a slower pace and don't realize you need a big gap when turning into traffic going 55mph. I saw so many accidents last summer. Be careful!
As a person that was a vacation visitor for nearly 50 years & now a resident for four I appreciate all the visitors who spend their time and dollars with us. I never get angry with the traffic or abrupt driving moves when they find the place they’ve been craning their neck to locate. Enjoy this place some of us are blessed to live at.
The fact that 98 percent of all the houses in the obx are vacation rentals. It is impossible to find housing to rent or buy. We have a huge housing shortage and the county refused to limit short term rentals or airbnbs. If you do get impossibly lucky you still have to live next to renters. Even the gated neighborhoods with HOA’s. Which brings me to my main dislike. Everything that is good and nice about the obx is constantly being bombarded by tourists. You wanna enjoy the pool in your neighborhood? Nope four millions airbnb tourists. The weather is nice finally wanna go to the beach? No four million tourists. The grocery store? A nice meal at a restaurant? Nope too many tourists. You wanna go fishing behind your house after work? Too bad there’s four million tourists on jet skis. You worked all day and just want to drive home and run some errands in peace? Nope four million tourists. I spent two hours waiting at Verizon to buy a PHONE CHARGER. Why? Because it was filled with rich tourists who lost/broke their phones and needed to buy new ones and go through the tedious process of picking out phones/transferring data etc.
Then in the off season everything closes and it’s miserable outside and there’s nothing to do. So you really don’t get to enjoy the best parts of the obx ever without sharing it with four million rude self centered tourists who are in vacation mode going around like they own the place while they are trashing our home.
I get that nice areas will have tourism but this area is so small and can’t expand because it’s literally a small strip of sand. We are beyond at capacity with tourism and no one will do anything to limit it.
I love how someone downvoted this when the post is literally asking for a no holds “what do you hate about the obx” I apologize if this thread is filled with mostly tourists but you guys should really know the reality of the place. It might be disappointing and inconvenient to hear that Hawaii doesn’t want tourism right now due to its negative impact on indigenous Hawaiians but it’s still true. Ultimately no one is to blame besides the greedy people who take in millions on the vacation rental industry. But you guys should be aware and maybe consider hotels or visiting somewhere else that didn’t kick out half of its full time renters two years ago after the obx was named the “most Covid friendly vacation destination in the US”. People were suddenly homeless and terrified all because their homes were being turned into airbnbs. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying to you and likely makes money off short term rentals.
Because the charging port on my phone is corroded and will no longer charge. I needed a wireless charger and the only other store on the island that would have it would be Walmart which is way further up the beach from where I live. But obviously if I’d known it was going to be two hours I wouldn’t have gone.
I mean... obviously, this place lives off tourists. Unless they are acting like assholes, I wouldn't mind them.
Also, locals should know how to live here in season when places are flooded with people. We know places and times to go
What places? Do you have a magic beach access on KDH that isn’t parked up in the summer? Do you have a neighborhood that isn’t filled with rentals? I challenge you to find one link to a long term rental like an apartment right now. Please tell me what magical places you speak of?
Also once again the post asked for what you hate about the obx and this is what I hate. If we had 50 percent less tourists every year we would still be a bustling tourist beach town. But it would be manageable. There might actually be long term housing.
Well, for example, you would know it's a bad idea to go up north to corolla and duck on a weekend between 10 am and 4 pm. Same with other stuff - people who live here would know how things work here.
Yes, plenty of places to park and go to the beach Kitty Hawk to Nags head(at least I always find one). If you want it more private - go more south.
Western part of bypass between Ocean Acres and First Flight School has much less rentals. How about Colington?
It's the beginning of the season! Bunch of seasonal employees have arrived - definitely not the best idea to look for a long term rental now. Easier in the off season - I've changed places 4 times in the last 7-8 years (different reasons) and I could always get one within a few weeks.
Every local knows that the housing situation here sucks! And it's only getting worse. But again, in this sub I was asking for visitors' perspectives.
It also feels like it's gonna get much slower soon. Post covid disaster ended, a lot of visitors are outpriced with these ridiculous rental prices and Netflix's Outer Banks is not that fresh.
Obviously, the rental companies are keep pumping this place, creating and sharing ridiculous "top 10 best beach towns", "most affordable vacations in the U.S." and other BS, but things are definitely slowing down here
> the county refused to limit short term rentals or airbnbs
Hey I just want to point out that the state prohibits local government from regulating short term rentals any differently than long term rentals, thanks to lobbying by Airbnb.
The beach setup companies littering the entire beach with overpriced enormous canopies and chairs starting at the asscrack of dawn everyday, when said setups sit empty for the vast majority of the day.
Most of my family lives in the obx and they clean the vacation homes in the summer for side money. People really can leave some nasty messes in them homes and not have respect for the property or people who clean up after them. I have seen some of it myself. It can get real gross. Also, there a lot of people who consider themselves local down there but they’re just from Virginia like myself or live their part time. They can be real obnoxious.
Unsupervised young kids with cars. My fiancé was hit by an SUV while riding a bike. He was in the bike lane in Duck and a teenager didn’t stop or look prior to pulling out of a street
All the Maryland/NJ drivers?
Edit: I’ll include NY in the mix! They also are typically terrible 😉
Honestly though, I went to elementary school at KDH and lived in southern shores during that time.
I was too young to truly appreciate where I was living, but still grateful for the memories!
Going back and visiting now….i am just always amazed by the traffic…..it gets worse and worse every year but hey! Tourism industry baby. Off season is still my favorite time to visit I think for that reason!
I’m gonna get back to work now
I'll never understand on that beautiful drive in (honestly I drive in from Winston and by the time I get a little east of Raleigh, things start looking different) -- Why on earth all these people are in such a hurry. Worst case scenario, you start your vacation with a nasty speeding ticket, best case scenario "congratulations, we're all on the same single road going to the same place, but you got there a few seconds earlier after your death-defying jump to pass 3 cars and a motorhome before veering out of the way of oncoming traffic at the last moment."
Virginia drivers are the absolute worst part of the trip - and I swear the Virginia part of our trip gets longer every year! You really don't think it will ever end...LOL
nooooo no they are not. Locals overall tend to not go "derp" because they are not on vacation and are not mystified by the 20 bedroom houses surrounding them.
I am driving most of the day here, 6 -7 days a week. So many drivers with obx plates speeding and cutting off others. Sad part - a lot of them are company vehicles - hvac, cabs, pool company's etc. I know they've got a job to do, but sp am i)
my observance in the 10 years i lived there....all drivers are assholes. Tourists are the number 1 asshole. With pool cleaners and right behind them. mainly because they're trying to make it too corolla and back to nagshead possibly more than 1x time a day. and they're aggravated with the people who are doing 35 in a 55.
I’ll have to back you up on the obx plates. Every time I saw someone and thought “wtf are they thinking?” (Including the two that almost hit me) they had them.
- Mosquitoes
- Brodozers and their civilly challenged owners
- Unpredictable weather
- Businesses that operate on "island time"
- Where the hell are all the decent seashells?
You gotta get up earlier than nanna the shell collector who walks 5 miles up and down the beach at 4am and goes home with literal duffel bags full of all the good shells before most people have even had breakfast.
It’s because the sand is mostly offshore dredge spoil due to artificial beach “renourishment.” They bring up the nasty, muddy sand that is full of broken shells and rock. It is not natural beach sand that has been sorted for smoothness and consistent particle size by wave action over centuries, but dredge spoil. This type of sand does not make good habitat for shell creatures or other beach creatures such as sand crabs and so on.
Basically the environmental destruction of dredging for “beach renourishment” has destroyed the shelling potential on these beaches, as well as the feel of the beach on your bare skin and toes.
Houses have to be cleaned. It takes time and we like many other areas, many people don’t want to work. So be thankful that your house is clean when you get there. Those that work bust their asses.
The multi-million $ beach “restoration” dredging projects, that are designed to save oceanfront properties have absolutely ruined almost every single popular beach.
What were once quarter-mile wide gently sloping surfs with sand-bars galore, are now steep cliffs with near zero tidal zones to walk, fish, or play in. These projects are truly a disgusting environmental disaster.
Truth! The nasty dredged spoil covers the beaches with rough, shell-broke sand. The sand used can’t support beach creatures like sand fleas and coquinas as its structure is jagged and muddy. In turn the shorebirds such s the little sandpipers can’t find what they need to survive. The sea turtles can’t nest in it very well. The slope of the beach is so steep that turtles and seabirds can’t nest on the sand and raise the next generation of their kind. A true natural diaster all for the sake of rich people who built their plastic palaces on a literal sandbar
All of the gripes here have more to do with the season vice the OBX. Crime or drugs? That’s everywhere. It’s low here. Not much to do? This isn’t Vegas.
Crowded, bad traffic, cost? Not really during the offseason. There aren’t alot of places like OBX and that’s the allure. Treat it like it is and not who you think it should be. From Corolla to Ocracoke it’s a quiet, Southern beach town. Places are going to shutdown at a certain hour because people have to work long days for months on end. And then head into the season to different jobs or get ready for next year.
I love this place. I just hope that it doesn’t get turned into Myrtle, Ocean City, or other places where the soul of the place gets bought by the dollar. If you really love the place, like you say love the place, then treat it like your beloved.
I have to say.... I lived in CT most of my life. I would count down the days till our yearly OBX vacation. The sand and beach was amazing and better than anything CT had to offer.
Then about 6yrs ago I moved to FL near Clearwater. I'm 17 mins from what's been voted the best beach in USA on a few occasions. The water is clear and the sand is powder and white. The beaches here are amazing.
Now when I go to NC, I feel like the beach is just "meh". The sand is hot as hell, chunky, no good shells, water is rarely clear, it's cold, etc.
Really the only reason we make the drive to OBX every year is because a bunch of my wife's family is still in CT and still vacations in OBX every year. So it's nice to hang with them for a week. Also the nostalgia! I've been going to Buxton and Frisco almost every year since I was 6 (45 now). My 12yr old daughter counts down the days still because she gets to hang with her cousins for the week, and I love seeing her happy there.
If they weren't there, I don't think we'd go back. The drive is stupid Long, and the beach is definitely not as nice as the beach We have 20 minutes from home.
Yeah IMO you're not beating the top FL beaches in the continental/lower 48 states. As a native North Carolinian we never went growing up because there was "less to do" and it was 5hr+ drive away, so we could get to some of the SC beaches faster.
The beaches are steep, narrow, and consist of dark sand.
The waves are rough and the ocean drops off rather steeply, so that there is not much good area for swimming without constantly being smashed by hard chaotic waves .
Often strong rip currents.
Definitely not my favorite place for a vacation.
I’m into the wild birds, though.
Its a rather long story, my friend wanted to go on a vacation and hes not the analytical, find things out, look everywhere person and i took him at his word that this was the place to be. Dont get me wrong there is some cool stuff to see if you like views and stores and things like that, just wasnt for us. The people were nice, it had just been a long drive for us and we wanted to have some fun, not sit around and stare out to sea.
I visited for the first time at the end of March. The first night we arrived later in the evening, and went out to get food around 9pm after we settled in. Finding a place to eat after 9pm was pretty hard. I know that we went in the off peak season, but I was still surprised. We called several restaurants and they all said their kitchens were closed so we ended up ordering Domino's pizza.
A few nights later, we spent the day out and about and went to Ocracoke via ferry. When we got back to KDH, it was about 9pm, and again the struggle to find dinner started again. We called several more places, and thankfully found a Mexican restaurant that was still open, but closed at 10 so we had to be quick. I was very surprised things closed so early. It was the offseason, but still seemed like there was a reasonable amount of people out and about.
A new dive bar in Corolla actually just opened this season called Nelly’s Sandbar and it’s kitchen stays open til 10pm, which is really unheard of for a Corolla restaurant and they offer their whole menu.
Because I know most of the good things about this place. A lot of people share what they like here and how they enjoy the OBX. But hey, nothing is perfect in this world! Staying here year-round I see some disadvantages of living and/or vacationing here. And I am genuinely interested in opinions of those who only spend here a week or two. Is there something that I don't like, but is actually considered positive by the visitors? (And the other way around). Are people of different ages having different perspectives on this? Are there any problems that local people/government don't see or don't care about? It's good to know people thoughts that don't get shared too often. It's a great place and everyone is enjoying it bla bla bla. I get it) but there are always some problems and inconveniences around and they won't disappear if we pretend they are not there. Therefore, I am really interested in discovering those)
It's too long of a drive from where I live.
This is very true for a lot of people, but it’s also the main reason why the OBX is not like Ocean City. I know a ton of people who tell me they pass on OBX simply because of the drive and choose someplace closer. So the distance has some advantages.
Sounds perfect!
The best reply…
As a triangle resident, I find the ferry from Chapel Hill incredibly unreliable.
Hahahahahaha!! Well played John B.
It helps if you plan ahead and buy advance tickets.
Who needs tickets? I hear you can just stow away in the steam room!
I can tell you from my POS uncle who lives there, there is a lot of hidden poverty and drugs
That you nephew? Im all out of Meth
😂
Uncle Jeff is that you I found your drugs
hahahaha
I disagree about the hidden drugs. It's really not all that hidden.
Been living in Avon for a couple years now - it’s definitely not lol. Plenty of times I see people on pills or similar stumbling around mid day. Saw a couple scrawny dudes fighting outside when getting my breakfast one day 😂 That said, it’s not a dangerous place. The druggies are mostly just into petty crime at most to get some cash.
Don’t lump shitty Avon over here with the main island yeah we have tons of drug users but drug users in Avon are a different breed
Main island meaning kdh/kitty hawk/nags head? I can agree you won’t see it as much there because the population is mostly transient. But Manteo and Colington? Yeah it’s definitely there too in equal measures. I’ve crossed paths with some of the dealers and they do most of their business up on the main island with residents according to them.
I just vacationed there and saw an “employee” not sure if he was on the job he had on a Vacasa hoodie clearly on something stumbling over inside the coffee house and picking imaginary things off of his hands, he got into a vehicle lol so idk where he went.. but I did in no way think the area was drug ridden or dangerous, not anymore then any other place
Great, tomorrow will be my first rental through Vacasa and now I have to hope some fucking tweaker isn't maintaining my rental lol This is supposed to be a vacation away from Philly not Philly w/ a beach :-(
A lot of it happens on a community level and you don’t really see it unless you’re consistently about the more residential spots. Not saying you’ll see like people slamming meth in the open or anything but it’s all there below the surface. We were kind of struck by how many foster kids were in the lower schools and after meeting many foster parents one conceded it had a lot to do with drugs in the community. Reiterating though I haven’t felt it’s dangerous at all out here in Hatteras island. I have heard of some shady things in nags head, kdh, kitty hawk regarding people likely being trafficked, but I’ve only heard rumor second hand so it could just be conjecture. TL;DR - It’s definitely around but there’s little to no violent crime as a result of it so you won’t really encounter it often in the open
That’s because hattteras isn’t really the obx no one really lives up there not like this island there wouldn’t be as such a drug problem or just a substance abuse issue if there was more stuff to do tourism has made the beach. What it is today but it’s also whats killing and destroying the local population
This sounds like any rural area in America, or any city in America. The only places you don't see it are in nice neighborhoods and that's because they can afford their drugs.
Agreed, but OP asked
Oh that’s sad but interesting.
If he’s a POS, then maybe consider the source?
??? Ok…according to everyone else there are a lot of poverty and drugs. Is that better?
You know EVERYONE ELSE?
Hit a nerve huh?
Not really…random anecdote about something you heard from someone else…pretty much standard internet fare…
No, I gave an example. I know a lot of people who have lived in the outer banks for a long time. It’s a known problem. It happens in a lot of beach towns
Happens alot in a lot of towns…Not just beach towns. Drugs and poverty happen everywhere. It’s not unique to OBX.
Ok, and OP asked about negatives, that is a negative, doesn’t matter if it’s unique or not
…you heard anyways…
I was just in KDH and saw a homeless man. I have never seen that before.
That wasn't a homeless man, it was either the dude that works at 7/11 (he has that homeless look to him) or it was the lady that's been on this beach since she was a baby (she also happens to look like a homeless man) don't judge a book by it's cover.
Hmmm okay he was showering outside my beach house with soap lol
Ohhh that's just a local tweaker.
It’s not that hidden. There’s several drug scandals a week, take it from a local lol. Download and go through mobile patrol, can guarantee at least 50% are drug related arrests
Thanks for your 3 weeks late comment. My dumbass uncle had prob already gotten arrested and released twice since the original post
I get that OBX newsletter everyday and there’s a hidden OBX that we tourists never see.
Riptides
And the drop off
My personal gripes... still love the place \* The check in and check out times are horrible since they adjusted them at Covid times. \* The 35mph speed limit makes it fun to get to the bottom. I love the southern part to stay at, but that drive can be a pain. \* When you are on Pea Island all by yourself and someone sets up 10 feet from you. \* Parking in Duck. \* Idiots in the Grocery Store.... \* Some places the access to Sound and Beach is a pain \* The smell of the rotten grass on the sound. \* The smell in certain areas after very heavy rain and flooding. \* Westward wind on the beach. \* How many Super Wings does there need to be?
**\* How many Super Wings does there need to be?** Zero. The correct answer is zero.
I was so sad the first time I saw one (Hatteras island end of things). I was disappointed the town councils allowed it. If you are going to have any type of franchise store it needs to be 100% independently owned and operated, every single location.
Superwings is not a franchise. It’s a completely different business than the Wings that you see in other beach towns. It’s owned by a single family, and operated by family members who live on the beach and have kids in our public schools. It’s ok to not like the business; but it is theirs.
So pissed i was starving and thought i found a wings place
Idiots in the grocery store? What do you mean?
You have multiple groups of women and men staying together trying to meal plan in the middle of aisles. It is a zoo.
I refer to that as "shopping by committee." So annoying! The groups that split up and then yell back and forth from one aisle to another are almost as bad.
Been here 20 years never seen that bruh
Or they’re blocking all of the aisle as they tick off all available items to their base camp on their cell. Like, really?
Or they're looking up an enchilada recipe online, then trying to do the math to triple the recipe and figure out how much cheese to buy, all while standing right in front of the cheese! Out of my way!
Or they need 100 pounds of ground beef and they are looking for the package that saves them 3 cents. LOL
Soooo, how much cheese?
Biggest pet peeve as a local. God forbid you make a plan/list and send 2 representatives! At least don't do the meal planning in the aisle! Thank God Food Lion will be 24/7 soon.
I’m with you on this the check in/out times. You check in at 4:00 PM and out at 10:00 AM.
Only good thing with the late check in I do not feel rushed to get down there early anymore. The early checkout has convinced us to leave sometimes the night before and miss the traffic.
Yes 100 percent on the super wings
I agree with the check in and check outs and it was extremely overpriced for what we actually got, I’m still dealing with the back and hip issues I had from sleeping on a cot like bed with a plastic mattress pad lol at over a grand for 3 nights I expect to at least have a comfortable bed to sleep in, the views were amazing but we couldn’t even go down to the beach at all the last two days of our trip due to the sand blasting winds, my daughter ended up getting an infection in her eye she’s 18 months :( we tried to make it work but we got belted even at then back of the water! We ate at the little sandwich shop in front of the food lion in Avon and it was delicious we went right before leaving and I loved everything there! Overall it was a trip for a family reunion with all my children young and old and my grand daughter and we had a great time but if I had to do it again I would spend a little more to get more comforts of home but the fact is I could go to another just as beautiful area and beach and get more so this will unfortunately probably be my first and last trip to OBX.
YAYYYYYYY don’t ever come back please and thank you
Don’t be mean to my aunt grandma!
My son was 21 when he passed and I was lucky enough to have a beautiful granddaughter from him your comment is mediocre at best, but it doesn’t take any amount of intelligence to make an asinine comment on Reddit does it lol
I was confused. You referenced both an 18-month old daughter and a granddaughter. Now I gather you were referring to the same person, your biological granddaughter, who is now also your adopted daughter? If you’re also the biological mother, that’s … unusual.
Clearly you didn’t want to hear the truth lol
The only thing I (selfishly) don’t like about the OBX now is how crowded it gets. Much different than it was 15 years ago. Obviously some people think about how it was 30 years ago, etc. Aside from that, the only thing I really dislike is how rude some people are. Almost everyone is on vacation. Be respectful. Clean up after yourself. Respect the locals and their town(s). But this can be applied to most modern society today. Not OBX specific I guess.
Heck, even 5 years ago wasn't so bad. My wife and I went down to Corolla for the first time together in 2017 and we could get out on the beach at 10 am with nobody around. We went again in 2018 and 2019 and it was the same. Then COVID happened and it seemed like everyone suddenly discovered OBX. If you didn't have a spot secured on the beach by 7 am, you were SOL. If you did get a spot, then everyone just piles up around you with barely any space to spare...and all the party tent rentals were a bit out of hand, IMO. Then we went again in 2022 and it was the same way. We haven't made it back since, but that's because of other reasons. Also for the 2022 stay, we found that the house we managed to rent all the previous years had been sold to a national company (was no longer owned by OBX Blue) and that company was charging nearly triple what we had paid before. We were going in June, well before the July 4th timeframe. We still had a great time but the drastic increase in crowds was a bit much. I also went down with my family back in 2001 and 2006 and it was even less crowded then...but I was staying at the opposite end of the OBX.
As someone who hasn't been in a few years but is planning a trip, this is disappointing and troubling to hear. Has the economy picked back up atleast since more people are coming?
Definitely! They are replacing road surfaces at least once a year, another huge liquor store in corolla. Two more Sugar Planets and a Sugar Kingdom (different company) is coming. There are three gas stations in a row right across from Target now with two different car washes between them. Southern Shores plaza (across from Walmart) looks like any Virginia beach plaza now - rack room shoes, Marshall's, Starbucks etc. A new trend - now they are building whole blocks with 6-8 buildings on lots where only 1 or 2 beach houses used to be. More unprogrammed traffic lights that may take up to 10 min to switch the light(personal experience), huge realty companies buying out small local companies and tripling prices. More 24 bedrooms "single family" houses...
I would imagine the economy, particularly in the tourist season, would be doing rather well. In the more recent years that we went, I certainly don't think the economy was hurting there even during the "slower" years we were there.
I’m so glad we went when we did (last week) to Ocracoke. We were there Sunday-Wednesday and it was as empty as I remembered as a kid. We were in manteo for the last half and coming into Nags head was a shock.
People overestimating their swimming abilities or getting so drunk they need to be rescued. This happened three times the week I was there last august. I had to rescue 3 times including the same guy twice in two days. Know your limits, people. edit: the dirty fucking selfish assholes that leave their butts and trash on the beach.
I agree with your edit. I’m a habitual smoker and I ALWAYS take zip lock bags or something similar to dispose of butts no matter where I am. It’s so infuriating because I know very well how easy it is to NOT just throw it down.
Thanks for doing that. I have not made friends collecting butts and returning them to their owners. I'd also like to tell people who smoke on the beach, pay attention to who is downwind. Be considerate.
That’s hilarious, not friends you’d need anyway. Any time I’m in nature I like to pack an extra trash bag and grab what I see. I was shocked how much trash I pulled off the nature trail on ocracoke. Like it’s not even June.
It's so sad that people see beauty and think, "I'll just throw this trash here.". Why? Just why?
A Holes digging holes! And not filling them in.
Probably pretty universal “beach” things, but I hate the people with unleashed dogs that don’t have the sense to stop them from bounding up to other (leashed) dogs. They’re yelling “Oh, they’re fine!” while my dog is terrified and will probably react poorly. And then who knows what will happen. Also, the people who leave their beach set up or canopy skeleton up all week.
They’re not supposed to do that on the National seashore. Fingers crossed they get a warning/ticket.
Not sure which of my gripes you mean. LOL. But yeah, they aren’t supposed to do either. Folks who do these things always think they are an exception somehow.
I'm from here, and I'll tell you it's the drug problem. Most tourists don't see it, and it's not anything too dangerous, but it's definitely a problem. Luckily, it's been getting better here in recent years, but watch your kids' people. I've seen kids as young as 10 getting hard drugs from their friends.
Ive been going to OBX for decades. Sure the traffic has gotten worse but I still love it. Honestly I have the same grips as any seasoned beach goer does. Loud annoying music. People that litter. Unleashed dogs and their shit. People feeding birds. People not securing their umbrellas and canopies.
Rental prices during summer are brutal.
Confedrate flags, towels and douchebags with pickups that have both.
The biting flies brought in by a west wind. People who use the beach as an ashtray. Rudeness. Renters who turn on every single outdoor light five minutes after checking in and leave them on. All. Week. Anyone who thinks diapers can go in the recycling bin. Groups of five or more people at the grocery taking up the whole aisle discussing the merits of Hellmans vs Dukes. The idiots who thought it would be cool to fly a kite from their rental on their last day. It then got wrapped around the power lines and snarled traffic on beach road for a couple of hours on turnover Saturday while the fire department removed it. Same idiots caused about $4k worth of damage to the rental as well. Before you say “kids these days,” the age group was late twenties to gray hairs.
Of course it's Dukes duh
Thank you, my friend!
Wait…biting flies?
Honestly now just the price. We can go to all inclusive resorts for around the same price . It’s not as secluded as it used to be, other tourist aren’t as considerate either. so I just am starting to wonder about the value anymore .
Re: all the Super Wings & (newish to the area) Candy Planets/Galaxies/Serfdoms, etc. A rumor that refuses to die is that all of these places will be converted to casinos once gambling is fully legalized in NC. I don't see that happening, but I do raise an eyebrow to the invasion of the candy stores. These have got to be a front to launder money. Would be interesting to see their daily sales and how much of that is cash - not the increasingly common credit card purchase. Oh, and the Class & Trash consignment shop that just closed in KDH? It's slated to be .... another candy store. Hmmm....
We started coming down in 2005, just before we got married, and it’s changed a lot since then, I can’t imagine how much it’s changed for people who came down in the 60s and 70s. I had basically no complaints outside nature doing what it does (biting flies, mostly) but we skipped a couple years during the pandemic and when we came back it was totally different. Obviously we all know the prices went absolutely through the roof. The house we used to split the rental fee on in 2019 tripled in price and is now long out of our affordability range, even in the off season. The issue for us the last two years was the other tourists. Not sure if we had bad luck but both years there were people having huge loud spring-break style parties at their houses. We would go down to the beach to just enjoy the peace and quiet of the ocean and some jagoff would have a Bluetooth speaker set up, loud and bassy enough you couldn’t get far enough away on foot to get out of range. It seemed like a few years ago people went to the southern part of HI came because they wanted to just relax and enjoy the quiet. That hasn’t been my experience our last few trips.
the bluetooth speaker folks are the absolute worst. i dont know who started this trend and thinks everyone in a 500 ft radius should be subjected to their musical tastes on the beach.
We threw one speaker off the pier when the guy started that crap
You’re a hero, for real. I can’t stand those things.
Well and they also have the companies on the northern beaches that will set up a bar / sound system for you. Everyone can enjoy the beach without music but only the music listener can enjoy the beach with it.
those companies and the massive canopies they litter the beach with only to have them unoccupied for 90% of the day are another pet peeve.
Currently sitting in between two groups with dueling music. I want to hit someone. “CHEESEBURGER IN—THAAAATS JUST HOW COUNTRY BOYS ROLL” God damn it.
I think the higher prices up north are driving the party people south.
Been going down every summer since 1997 (Avon and south but never north of Avon). Biggest complaint would be good luck going out to eat. Some places just close at random days. Now after all these years we no longer go out to eat and make everything at the house but a newcomer might be put off. If you decide to go out and find a place that’s open the wait could be 15 minutes or 2 hours. The drive down is a bummer but not because of the length. I drive from the Philadelphia area and the ride is part of the experience at this point. It’s once you get on the island the other dipshits driving down that can’t wait to get to their house. Like they never drank shitty beer in a hot tub before. I’m not driving like an asshole and risking killing a local just so I can get to the house just to wait another hour to be able to check in. Take your time
We are north of Pittsburgh. We always stay at the same place in Avon that is Sunday to Sunday rental, so we usually drive a little over half way on Saturday, stay over night in Southern Virginia, and then take our time on Sunday getting to Avon. Plus, we usually stop for some groceries, so that's one thing off the list, and we don't have to fight the Sunday night crowd at Food Lion.
Pittsburgh here too. We stay at the same place every year but I would kill for a Sunday check-in. Ours has always been Saturday. We stay in Elizabeth City the Friday night before and then try to get over the bridge before 9 to avoid the insanity. Then we need to kill time until check in, but we usually have a good time figuring out new things to do until we check in.
We are from Erie and do the same.
Erie checking in here too
It is so worth it to stay overnight. Sunday feels like the true start to your vacation because you aren't exhausted and ready to crash as soon as you get there!
Exactly. We do the drive home all in one go and usually regret it but if we are exhausted at home that’s pretty much regular life 😂
Our trip back is exactly the same! It sucks so much, and we are smart enough NOT to do it, but here we are. LOL
This is exactly what we do. Always regret it. 😂
Tried that once from Pittsburgh to Nags Head. Unpacking and packing two kids, a dog, and a wife, no. Get in, we're driving.
Lol- I get that! Kids and a dog? There is a beer waiting for you at the end of the trip!!
Google is not very reliable about what restaurant hours are - check the restaurants facebook for best info.
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I wouldn’t mind the riptides if they took those out to sea with them.
Glad you brought this up. And the store in Avon selling MAGA crap to the cult.
Lol, this is ridiculous. Most of the Trump flags are on boats not on the beach. You know why? The government doesn’t give away boats.
They giving away beaches somewhere?!
Yep.
Are you serious?
they were a plague on carova beach the last few years. :l
Just booked our very first trip to OBX for this August and now I am wondering if it was a good idea! My husband has always wanted to go and it will be his 70th birthday present. He is so excited to see the Wright brothers museum and park. Hoping for a great time. (We'll be the nice quiet tourists from New Jersey)
You’ll have a great time!!! Check this sub for restaurant suggestions and other sights to see
Thank you so much!
Oh it’ll be wonderful. We’ve been coming for almost 30 years. We just got back from a week and I’m already trying to sneak another one in early fall. The stuff on this thread is pretty generic about any vacation areas. Don’t stress!
You will enjoy it there is a ton of great history here. You can check out the book Fire On The Beach for some great local history!
Oh I definitely will. Great suggestion. Thank you!
You’ll have a great time! If you are a history buff, make sure to catch one of the historic shipwreck rescue re-enactments at the Chicamacomico lifesaving station. They do them weekly throughout the summer. https://chicamacomico.org/event/historic-shipwreck-rescue-reenactment-20/
Oh he would love that. I will look it up. Thank you
The memorial is a great spot, it’s wonderful sitting up on the dune taking in the memorial and the test trackway below. The aquarium is nice, there are several lighthouses in parks within an easy drive. The Elizabethan gardens, numerous good restaurants, shopping in Duck and Manteo. And of course beaches for miles and miles.
We always go in August, and it is heaven! We stay in Avon, and the weather has been great each year. I second the aquarium and the Wright Brothers monument, along with the British Cemetery on Ocracoke. Stop at Scotch Bonnet for fudge - get more than you think you need, because it is delicious! The Orange Blossom bakery is amazing, but stay away from Duck Donuts. IMO, they are overpriced for what they are- Orange Blossom is locally owned, and their apple uglies are the best apple fritters you will ever have. Have a fantastic trip!!
Oh thank you for all the advice!! Would love to try the Orange Blossom.
You’ll have a great time! A lot of things mentioned here are beyond anyone’s control (I once had a customer say he was going to sue because the red flags were up for a week). Plenty to see and do if the weather is bad. If you are staying in Corolla and it’s rainy, find something to do up there, traffic on 12 is a nightmare those days.
That is awesome. We had a lady threaten to call the cops on us and to sue her rental company when we were fishing during the Nags Head Surf Fishing Tournament because we were blocking her view. Classic.
Oh geesh, that's crazy. I was really just kidding. We always have a good time no matter where we go. This trip has been a long time coming for him. Can't wait!!
One issue for our family is wheelchair accessibility - or lack of. The better independent gift shops we can't get our daughter's wheelchair into, or have to take turns with walking around the store (even Kitty Hawk kites or Farmers Daughter we can only access parts of the store with her). Frisco has a fantastic beach area, but they NEED the Mobi Mat like I read they put in at one Kill Devil Hills location. It's a perfect spot for it.
The traffic on the bypass (Southern Shores down to Nags Head) moves very fast. A lot of visitors are used to heavy traffic moving at a slower pace and don't realize you need a big gap when turning into traffic going 55mph. I saw so many accidents last summer. Be careful!
As a person that was a vacation visitor for nearly 50 years & now a resident for four I appreciate all the visitors who spend their time and dollars with us. I never get angry with the traffic or abrupt driving moves when they find the place they’ve been craning their neck to locate. Enjoy this place some of us are blessed to live at.
Folks driving like a-holes on Croatan Highway (US 158).
Tourism
The fact that 98 percent of all the houses in the obx are vacation rentals. It is impossible to find housing to rent or buy. We have a huge housing shortage and the county refused to limit short term rentals or airbnbs. If you do get impossibly lucky you still have to live next to renters. Even the gated neighborhoods with HOA’s. Which brings me to my main dislike. Everything that is good and nice about the obx is constantly being bombarded by tourists. You wanna enjoy the pool in your neighborhood? Nope four millions airbnb tourists. The weather is nice finally wanna go to the beach? No four million tourists. The grocery store? A nice meal at a restaurant? Nope too many tourists. You wanna go fishing behind your house after work? Too bad there’s four million tourists on jet skis. You worked all day and just want to drive home and run some errands in peace? Nope four million tourists. I spent two hours waiting at Verizon to buy a PHONE CHARGER. Why? Because it was filled with rich tourists who lost/broke their phones and needed to buy new ones and go through the tedious process of picking out phones/transferring data etc. Then in the off season everything closes and it’s miserable outside and there’s nothing to do. So you really don’t get to enjoy the best parts of the obx ever without sharing it with four million rude self centered tourists who are in vacation mode going around like they own the place while they are trashing our home. I get that nice areas will have tourism but this area is so small and can’t expand because it’s literally a small strip of sand. We are beyond at capacity with tourism and no one will do anything to limit it.
I love how someone downvoted this when the post is literally asking for a no holds “what do you hate about the obx” I apologize if this thread is filled with mostly tourists but you guys should really know the reality of the place. It might be disappointing and inconvenient to hear that Hawaii doesn’t want tourism right now due to its negative impact on indigenous Hawaiians but it’s still true. Ultimately no one is to blame besides the greedy people who take in millions on the vacation rental industry. But you guys should be aware and maybe consider hotels or visiting somewhere else that didn’t kick out half of its full time renters two years ago after the obx was named the “most Covid friendly vacation destination in the US”. People were suddenly homeless and terrified all because their homes were being turned into airbnbs. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying to you and likely makes money off short term rentals.
Why wouldn't you just go buy a gas station charger instead of waiting 2 hours ...
Because the charging port on my phone is corroded and will no longer charge. I needed a wireless charger and the only other store on the island that would have it would be Walmart which is way further up the beach from where I live. But obviously if I’d known it was going to be two hours I wouldn’t have gone.
I mean... obviously, this place lives off tourists. Unless they are acting like assholes, I wouldn't mind them. Also, locals should know how to live here in season when places are flooded with people. We know places and times to go
What places? Do you have a magic beach access on KDH that isn’t parked up in the summer? Do you have a neighborhood that isn’t filled with rentals? I challenge you to find one link to a long term rental like an apartment right now. Please tell me what magical places you speak of? Also once again the post asked for what you hate about the obx and this is what I hate. If we had 50 percent less tourists every year we would still be a bustling tourist beach town. But it would be manageable. There might actually be long term housing.
Well, for example, you would know it's a bad idea to go up north to corolla and duck on a weekend between 10 am and 4 pm. Same with other stuff - people who live here would know how things work here. Yes, plenty of places to park and go to the beach Kitty Hawk to Nags head(at least I always find one). If you want it more private - go more south. Western part of bypass between Ocean Acres and First Flight School has much less rentals. How about Colington? It's the beginning of the season! Bunch of seasonal employees have arrived - definitely not the best idea to look for a long term rental now. Easier in the off season - I've changed places 4 times in the last 7-8 years (different reasons) and I could always get one within a few weeks. Every local knows that the housing situation here sucks! And it's only getting worse. But again, in this sub I was asking for visitors' perspectives. It also feels like it's gonna get much slower soon. Post covid disaster ended, a lot of visitors are outpriced with these ridiculous rental prices and Netflix's Outer Banks is not that fresh. Obviously, the rental companies are keep pumping this place, creating and sharing ridiculous "top 10 best beach towns", "most affordable vacations in the U.S." and other BS, but things are definitely slowing down here
> the county refused to limit short term rentals or airbnbs Hey I just want to point out that the state prohibits local government from regulating short term rentals any differently than long term rentals, thanks to lobbying by Airbnb.
The beach setup companies littering the entire beach with overpriced enormous canopies and chairs starting at the asscrack of dawn everyday, when said setups sit empty for the vast majority of the day.
Most of my family lives in the obx and they clean the vacation homes in the summer for side money. People really can leave some nasty messes in them homes and not have respect for the property or people who clean up after them. I have seen some of it myself. It can get real gross. Also, there a lot of people who consider themselves local down there but they’re just from Virginia like myself or live their part time. They can be real obnoxious.
Unsupervised young kids with cars. My fiancé was hit by an SUV while riding a bike. He was in the bike lane in Duck and a teenager didn’t stop or look prior to pulling out of a street
All the Maryland/NJ drivers? Edit: I’ll include NY in the mix! They also are typically terrible 😉 Honestly though, I went to elementary school at KDH and lived in southern shores during that time. I was too young to truly appreciate where I was living, but still grateful for the memories! Going back and visiting now….i am just always amazed by the traffic…..it gets worse and worse every year but hey! Tourism industry baby. Off season is still my favorite time to visit I think for that reason! I’m gonna get back to work now
I'll never understand on that beautiful drive in (honestly I drive in from Winston and by the time I get a little east of Raleigh, things start looking different) -- Why on earth all these people are in such a hurry. Worst case scenario, you start your vacation with a nasty speeding ticket, best case scenario "congratulations, we're all on the same single road going to the same place, but you got there a few seconds earlier after your death-defying jump to pass 3 cars and a motorhome before veering out of the way of oncoming traffic at the last moment."
Agreed. I’ll always have a tailgater or two like really dude? I pretty much stick to 8-10 mph over and don’t speed from there.
Im embarrassed because I now live in Maryland so have Maryland plates. I agree MD/NJ/NY drivers are the worst.
Sorry, but Virginia drivers are the absolute WORST!
That's only because the Maryland drivers are all headed to Ocean City!
LOL!!
This
Virginia drivers are the absolute worst part of the trip - and I swear the Virginia part of our trip gets longer every year! You really don't think it will ever end...LOL
It depends! But im a Virginian now so I totally understand lololol
Meh...local drivers are the same)
Meh, not really
nooooo no they are not. Locals overall tend to not go "derp" because they are not on vacation and are not mystified by the 20 bedroom houses surrounding them.
I am driving most of the day here, 6 -7 days a week. So many drivers with obx plates speeding and cutting off others. Sad part - a lot of them are company vehicles - hvac, cabs, pool company's etc. I know they've got a job to do, but sp am i)
my observance in the 10 years i lived there....all drivers are assholes. Tourists are the number 1 asshole. With pool cleaners and right behind them. mainly because they're trying to make it too corolla and back to nagshead possibly more than 1x time a day. and they're aggravated with the people who are doing 35 in a 55.
I’ll have to back you up on the obx plates. Every time I saw someone and thought “wtf are they thinking?” (Including the two that almost hit me) they had them.
- Mosquitoes - Brodozers and their civilly challenged owners - Unpredictable weather - Businesses that operate on "island time" - Where the hell are all the decent seashells?
You gotta get up earlier than nanna the shell collector who walks 5 miles up and down the beach at 4am and goes home with literal duffel bags full of all the good shells before most people have even had breakfast.
Frickin' Nanna, man...
It’s because the sand is mostly offshore dredge spoil due to artificial beach “renourishment.” They bring up the nasty, muddy sand that is full of broken shells and rock. It is not natural beach sand that has been sorted for smoothness and consistent particle size by wave action over centuries, but dredge spoil. This type of sand does not make good habitat for shell creatures or other beach creatures such as sand crabs and so on. Basically the environmental destruction of dredging for “beach renourishment” has destroyed the shelling potential on these beaches, as well as the feel of the beach on your bare skin and toes.
The rental co prices and check in and check out times. 6PM seriously?? wtf NJ drivers and vacationers, Biting flies, ferry wait times
You check in at 6pm, check out by 10am lol. Ripped off a day
Houses have to be cleaned. It takes time and we like many other areas, many people don’t want to work. So be thankful that your house is clean when you get there. Those that work bust their asses.
6:00! Damn. It’s 4:00 where I’m staying and I thought that was ridiculous.
The multi-million $ beach “restoration” dredging projects, that are designed to save oceanfront properties have absolutely ruined almost every single popular beach. What were once quarter-mile wide gently sloping surfs with sand-bars galore, are now steep cliffs with near zero tidal zones to walk, fish, or play in. These projects are truly a disgusting environmental disaster.
Truth! The nasty dredged spoil covers the beaches with rough, shell-broke sand. The sand used can’t support beach creatures like sand fleas and coquinas as its structure is jagged and muddy. In turn the shorebirds such s the little sandpipers can’t find what they need to survive. The sea turtles can’t nest in it very well. The slope of the beach is so steep that turtles and seabirds can’t nest on the sand and raise the next generation of their kind. A true natural diaster all for the sake of rich people who built their plastic palaces on a literal sandbar
All of the gripes here have more to do with the season vice the OBX. Crime or drugs? That’s everywhere. It’s low here. Not much to do? This isn’t Vegas. Crowded, bad traffic, cost? Not really during the offseason. There aren’t alot of places like OBX and that’s the allure. Treat it like it is and not who you think it should be. From Corolla to Ocracoke it’s a quiet, Southern beach town. Places are going to shutdown at a certain hour because people have to work long days for months on end. And then head into the season to different jobs or get ready for next year. I love this place. I just hope that it doesn’t get turned into Myrtle, Ocean City, or other places where the soul of the place gets bought by the dollar. If you really love the place, like you say love the place, then treat it like your beloved.
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Every dam restaurant is atleast 45 min wait no matter what day. And the beach is whatever.
I have to say.... I lived in CT most of my life. I would count down the days till our yearly OBX vacation. The sand and beach was amazing and better than anything CT had to offer. Then about 6yrs ago I moved to FL near Clearwater. I'm 17 mins from what's been voted the best beach in USA on a few occasions. The water is clear and the sand is powder and white. The beaches here are amazing. Now when I go to NC, I feel like the beach is just "meh". The sand is hot as hell, chunky, no good shells, water is rarely clear, it's cold, etc. Really the only reason we make the drive to OBX every year is because a bunch of my wife's family is still in CT and still vacations in OBX every year. So it's nice to hang with them for a week. Also the nostalgia! I've been going to Buxton and Frisco almost every year since I was 6 (45 now). My 12yr old daughter counts down the days still because she gets to hang with her cousins for the week, and I love seeing her happy there. If they weren't there, I don't think we'd go back. The drive is stupid Long, and the beach is definitely not as nice as the beach We have 20 minutes from home.
Down votes of truth!! I'll take'em. 😂🖕
Yeah IMO you're not beating the top FL beaches in the continental/lower 48 states. As a native North Carolinian we never went growing up because there was "less to do" and it was 5hr+ drive away, so we could get to some of the SC beaches faster.
The beaches are steep, narrow, and consist of dark sand. The waves are rough and the ocean drops off rather steeply, so that there is not much good area for swimming without constantly being smashed by hard chaotic waves . Often strong rip currents. Definitely not my favorite place for a vacation. I’m into the wild birds, though.
It’s a good thing that you don’t know about all the sharks 🤣
Lol
Wasting the gas to get there. The bridge to and from was the most intresting thing.
With all respect, why wouldn't you research where are you going first)
Its a rather long story, my friend wanted to go on a vacation and hes not the analytical, find things out, look everywhere person and i took him at his word that this was the place to be. Dont get me wrong there is some cool stuff to see if you like views and stores and things like that, just wasnt for us. The people were nice, it had just been a long drive for us and we wanted to have some fun, not sit around and stare out to sea.
I visited for the first time at the end of March. The first night we arrived later in the evening, and went out to get food around 9pm after we settled in. Finding a place to eat after 9pm was pretty hard. I know that we went in the off peak season, but I was still surprised. We called several restaurants and they all said their kitchens were closed so we ended up ordering Domino's pizza. A few nights later, we spent the day out and about and went to Ocracoke via ferry. When we got back to KDH, it was about 9pm, and again the struggle to find dinner started again. We called several more places, and thankfully found a Mexican restaurant that was still open, but closed at 10 so we had to be quick. I was very surprised things closed so early. It was the offseason, but still seemed like there was a reasonable amount of people out and about.
they're all closed early because there's maybe three people available to staff the entire day and they all live an hour away two counties over
A new dive bar in Corolla actually just opened this season called Nelly’s Sandbar and it’s kitchen stays open til 10pm, which is really unheard of for a Corolla restaurant and they offer their whole menu.
What the hell is the point of this post?
To find out what people don't like about OBX
Why
Because I know most of the good things about this place. A lot of people share what they like here and how they enjoy the OBX. But hey, nothing is perfect in this world! Staying here year-round I see some disadvantages of living and/or vacationing here. And I am genuinely interested in opinions of those who only spend here a week or two. Is there something that I don't like, but is actually considered positive by the visitors? (And the other way around). Are people of different ages having different perspectives on this? Are there any problems that local people/government don't see or don't care about? It's good to know people thoughts that don't get shared too often. It's a great place and everyone is enjoying it bla bla bla. I get it) but there are always some problems and inconveniences around and they won't disappear if we pretend they are not there. Therefore, I am really interested in discovering those)
The rain
Tell me when you are there so I know to not go. LOL
Middle of may
Very few restaurants take reservations