new jersey to outer banks

[eposts]

I am planning a 3 day and a night road trip from New Jersey to outer banks this weekend with my wife. We are planning to start driving on Thursday and drive for a few hours and stay at Dover/Salisbury, DE.

Friday: Start early morning and drive all the way to Hatteras. Drive through Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.

Spend the night in outer banks on Friday and Saturday and return Sunday morning. If anyone has suggestions on places to stop at or things to do please let us know. Would also like to know the best route for a scenic drive.

Thanks!

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

Let's see, depending on where in New Jersey you call home, you have 350 to 450 miles to get to the northern end of the Outer Banks, so that makes your Sunday drive quite doable, and your Friday drive very relaxed. A few places you might want to consider on Friday include the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and its neighbor, NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. You might also want to consider taking VA-615 south from Norfolk to Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge and then take the Currituck - Knotts Island Ferry over to the mainland and US=158 south to the Banks.

On the Banks, highlights are: the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kitty Hawk, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site in Manteo, and of course, the attractions of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. And don't worry, just about everywhere you go will be scenic.

AZBuck

[eposts]

Thanks, any recommendations for places to stay. We are thinking of staying one night in ocean city, MD. Still looking for a good place to stay in Outer banks. We will be driving from Montclair, NJ.

[AZBuck]

I've spent a fair amount of time on that particular section of the Delaware-Maryland coast, and I'm sorry to say I've never been a big fan of Ocean City. It is quite built up, although at this time of year, it will be fairly deserted. There are a few beach towns in Delaware such as Bethany, South Bethany, and Fenwick Island that will have a much more intimate feel. Wherever you choose to stay along the beach, you should have your choice of establishments. Sorry I can't be of more specific help, but I have usually stayed at friends' cottages, or rented homes with my siblings.

Similarly, my experience on the Outer Banks will also be of little use, except by elimination. I've generally stayed just off either end, in the Norfolk area or in Cedar Island. In your case, where you're going to be there for a couple of nights, I think I'd aim for somewhere in the middle, say Avon or Buxton. I think that I'd also opt for a Bed and Breakfast over a motel. I've found that spring is the best time to patronize such establishments as the owners will have had the winter to recharge and will be a whole lot friendlier and more accommodating than they might be in late August. And they are always a great source of local lore and knowledge of where to eat.

AZBuck

[afterbush]

Sanderling Inn near Duck on the banks...very lovely.
Anywhere near Duck is nice. My brother lived there for years...my regret for this traveler is he isn't coming up the southern route, thru Cedar Isand, and could take the ferry's-2 hrs on Hatteras or Okracoke ferry-wonderful!