Ribbon Of Sand – NC’s Outer Banks
If You Ever Have Trouble Explaining Why Our Outer Banks Barrier Islands Are So Special, Consider Sharing This Video Narrated By Meryl Streep and John Grabowska.
USA Today’s “10 Best” Visits Alluring Outer Banks!
In a 10 Best featured article for USA Today, “10 Best Visits the Alluring Outer Banks.” The article notes, “When it comes to beaching it, everybody is different. Some sun worshippers long for action, a busy Boardwalk and plenty of after-dark activity. Then, there’s the Outer Banks. This series of North Carolina barrier islands attracts a mellower crowd. A strip of laid back beach towns connected by bridges, the Outer Banks, or OBX for short, is home to about 60,000 residents year-round. That number nears 500,000 during the summer and fall, vacationers drawn by powdery sand, stellar fishing and a shallow coastline dotted with historic wrecks. Most stay in the McMansions that line the beaches; six, seven and eight-bedroom homes that can easily host a multi-gen family getaway, a girlfriend’s weekend or a sporty man-cation.”
Rodanthe Among USA Today Travel “Experience Beach” Section “Most Romantic Mid-Atlantic Beaches.”
Of Rodanthe, the article said, “Made famous by the romantic Nicholas Sparks novel, Nights in Rodanthe (which was turned into a movie starring Richard Gere and Diane Lane), this quiet beach in the Outer Banks provides the perfect backdrop for real-life romance. The windswept coastline is dotted with cottages, and the skies are filled with rare birds like white pelicans, thanks to a wildlife refuge bordering the town. The fishing pier is a beautiful spot to watch the crashing waves (some of the biggest on the East Coast), and it’s also popular for stargazing beneath some of the darkest skies east of the Mississippi.”
Bodie Island Light Station Among ’10 Best Lighthouses Around The USA’
Bodie Lighthouse on Bodie Island is among USA Today’s “10 best lighthouses around the USA.” A lighthouse website and app creator, Kraig Anderson first took a trip to see a lighthouse in North Carolina more than a decade ago, and has since visited every beacon in the country – that’s more than 750 depending how you define them. Of Bodie Island, the article notes, “This 156-foot Outer Banks beacon is often overshadowed by the nearby Cape Hatteras lighthouse, located on the same National Seashore. But its renovation last year, which opened the tower for climbing, makes it a must-see. ‘It’s stunning,’ Anderson says, and one of many standouts in the region. ‘The Outer Banks has the premier collection of lighthouses in the United States.'”
Top U.S. Beaches for 2014 Revealed
Chosen using a criteria of 50 physical factors like “sand softness” and “air temperature”, Cape Hatteras returns to the official Dr. Beach’s Top 10 List:
1. Duke Kahanamoku Beach, Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii
2. Barefoot Beach Bonita Springs, Florida
3. St. George Island State Park Florida panhandle
4. Waimanalo Bay Beach Park Oahu, Hawaii
5. Hamoa Beach, Maui, Hawaii
6. Cape Hatteras, Outer Banks of North Carolina
7. Cape Florida State Park Key Biscayne, Florida
8. Coast Guard Beach Cape Cod, Massachusetts
9. Beachwalker Park Kiawah Island, South Carolina
10. Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park, Naples, Florida
Sadly, the editors at USA Today Travel show photos of Virginia Beach VA & The Crystal Coast NC …
NOT AT ALL THE SAME as Hatteras Island & Cape Hatteras National Seashore!.
Wall Street Journal ‘Spring Adventures’ Recommends Cape Hatteras Beaches
As the article’s writer notes, “A ride on the shifting sands of Cape Hatteras National Seashore offers a glorious tour of the Outer Banks… [but] be prepared …Since the National Park Service issued new rules in 2012 in an effort to preserve nesting habitats for shore birds and turtles, the beach is less open to 4×4 traffic. Even so, if you have the right vehicle, the right permit from the NPS, the right map, and if you go at the right time of year, you can put together the longest beach drive in the continental U.S. I think … Compared with Hatteras, Daytona Beach in Florida is like a drive through an overpopulated sandbox.” The newspaper’s Spring Adventures series is a guide featuring 50 gutsy ways to shake up the season.
