Carova Beach

We are leaving for Carova Beach NC in June. My rental company originally told me my vehicle would be fine to drive. I have a Mistubishi Endeavor. Now they are telling me I cannot drive an all wheel drive vehicle on the 4 wheel drive beach. They said I will get stuck. I was told when I bought the car that all wheel drive does the same thing as 4 wheel drive so I%26#39;m confused. I%26#39;m afraid I will get stuck if I drive my car. Does anyone have any info or suggestions that can help

Thanks Lisa

Carova Beach

I grew up driving on the beach there. Often people get stuck in a 4 wheel drive!! The sand is deep and often soft. I would not suggest an all wheel drive unless you have lot%26#39;s of experience driving on the beach. Not familiar with that model but there should be lots of clearance between the beach and the vehicle? Your rental Co seems to have given you bad info and should be willing to switch you to a cottage maybe in Corolla.

Carova Beach

Another idea...if you really want to stay in Carova? You could drive down and then rent a jeep from the dealership on the Bypass in Kill Devil Hills............just depends on how badly and why you wish to stay in Carova.

We just got back from Carova yesterday. You will definitely want 4WD - our Escalade even had trouble at times - and whatever you do, make sure you take the tire pressure down to 20psi- we tried without that and realized quickly that we needed to do it. We fell in love with the area and can%26#39;t imagine staying anywhere else - and are already discussing our return trip next year. We were at mile marker 20 - which was 7.3miles from road - depending on the tide it took us anywhere from 10 -25 minutes. Enjoy!

Did you end up going to Carova last summer? We are supposed to go in August 2008. We have a Honda Pilot AWD but it can go into 4WD. Just wondering your your Endeavor held up if you made your trip. Our Honda dealer said it would be fine as did the realtor in Carolla, but reading your post made me wonder!

Thanks,

Terri

I would heed lois%26#39; report as she did the trip recently and it is first hand advice. I%26#39;ve been stuck on that beach with the tide coming in and it is not a good feeling even with 4 wheel drive. Tire pressure is definitely a key so be sure you have a gauge with you.

I rented a jeep last year up there and saw people getting stuck. The sand is soft %26amp; deep with plenty of ruts. You need low pressure and balloon type tires. I wouldn%26#39;t take your vehicle out there at all. Even if you manage to not get stuck, the environment is pretty harsh on a vehicle. There are a couple of companies that rent to Corova vacationers.

One thing I noticed, this is just me, but the constant buzzing back %26amp; forth of 4x4%26#39;s on Corova seemed to detract from it. It%26#39;s great to experience %26amp; see, but to stay in Corova, I don%26#39;t know how much I could relax and take in the full beach feeling with trucks whizzing by every ferw minutes.

Good point jmass, you really have to be careful with children on the beach there. Crazy drivers, hot days, and cold beverages can be a dangerous situation. One reason we like Ocracoke is that the beach is really much wider-plenty of room for cars and people.

Fortunately, our children are 12 and 6 years old, so I don%26#39;t have to worry about them running about aimlessly. We are staying quite a ways up the beach--only 2.5 miles from the VA border...Is there as much traffic up that far?

You will not have any traffic up in the Carova area. In addition to the things listed above about driving on the beach, there are a couple of other things I%26#39;d like to add. Get a tide chart, you need to know the times for high and low tides-it%26#39;s important to know if you have a vehicle on the beach. Also, if the tide chart only shows the time for Oregon Inlet, you will need to check the time difference for tides in the Corolla/Carova area. It%26#39;s a good idea to have a shovel with you, just in case you do get stuck. One of the smaller camping shovels will work fine. Use landmarks when driving-this may sound crazy at first, but nothing is marked up there, and after a long day all the dunes can look the same! The last thing is driving at night-Please be careful. It can be very tricky up there, and there are NO lights, and very few homes. It is also much more difficult to gage sand depth, water, etc at night, and I have heard some bad stories about people stuck up there on the beach at night. I am not trying to scare anyone with this, but driving on the beaches at night is dangerous if you%26#39;re not very experienced with beach driving, and if you don%26#39;t really know/live in the area.

You will love Carova. It is really beautiful, and a really unique area beacuse it is so open and not built up. Hopefully, you will see the horses, too. I would also stock up for groceries in Corolla at the Harris Teeter or Food Lion stores. Both are nice, but the Harris Teeter is a newer store, and they have everything.

more than one person has lost their life over the years driving that beach at night. The shifting sands often uncover ';stumps'; of trees from when the woods were where the shoreline is now! Mostly in the area of Penny%26#39;s Hill. If you must drive at night stay a bit up from the shoreline and slow down! Don%26#39;t even think of going on the beach without a shovel and a small board to place under your stuck tire as well as a tire gauge. The tide comes in quickly. Many photos exist of 4 wheel drive vehicles swamped by the tide. Most accidents happen when not observing caution and paying attention to what you are doing. I have been stuck there in a jeep and it is no fun when getting out just as the tide approaches your door jamb! Less fun if the sea gets the vehicle!

Bike rentals in Ocracoke

We have found so many nice cottages on Oyster Creek, but now I%26#39;m worried that it%26#39;s not walkable. We were thinking of bikes- but we have a 3 year old and a 13 month old. Do they have any kid-friendly bikes?

Thanks!

Dena

Bike rentals in Ocracoke

You are correct-Oyster Creek is the farthest area from the village, I would say depending where on Oyster Creek, a good mile or more, so biking is a great option. There are several places to rent bikes on the island. You can start with your rental agency or if possible, bring your bikes from home.

Bike rentals in Ocracoke

The Slushie stand rents bike that are kid friendly they have the tag along that is hooked on the back of a bigger bike not sure if you 3 year old is experienced enough for that or trailer that I think will hold 2 children I think it is netted so they are not hit by rocks or sand that might fly up I%26#39;m sure you can find something there

The Slushie stand is right on Rt 12 you can%26#39;t miss all the bikes

Oyster Creek is one of the more isolated parts of the village. It%26#39;s advantages are canal access for boats and in many cases nice views of the sound. The down side is that you are not close to the restaurants, shops or anything else. It would seem somewhat of an inconvenience to me especially with two young children but it really depends on your priorities for your stay.

As others have said, you can get bikes that accommodate children.

Enjoy your stay!

Kirk

Thank you for your replies guys!

It%26#39;s great to know they have bikes with kid attachments at the slushie stand, only thing is- we will be going the first week in November, is the Slushie stand still open?

We have chosen not to stay in Oyster Creek, instead we are staying at the ';Lucky Duck cottage'; owned by Edwards of Ocracoke- anyone know if that%26#39;s convenient for biking into town?

That is much closer to town. Not sure about the slushy stand being open. I will try to find out in a few weeks when we are on the island. Many places continue to be open but on limited hours. Hotels tend to continue until the Thanksgiving holiday.

Beaches and Day Trips near Beaufort

My family is planning a trip to North Carolina this summer and we%26#39;re still trying to narrow down where we%26#39;re going to stay. We%26#39;re looking pretty hard at Beaufort right now.

We%26#39;re wondering how close a driving beach would be to Beaufort? My kids are all about the beach, but I%26#39;m thinking the ferry would get expensive?

Also, are there some good day trips we could make from Beaufort?

Thanks for any help you can give!

Beaches and Day Trips near Beaufort

I love Beaufort! Atlantic Beach is just a few miles away, on the Morehead City side of the bridge. Some day trips: drive out to Cedar Island and take the 2 1/4 hour ferry to Ocracoke for the day, take the ferry to Cape Lookout, Fort Macon at Atlantic Beach. The Maritime museum also has activities for the family. Lots to do!

Beaches and Day Trips near Beaufort

Thanks for the info and good ideas. I really appreciate it!

Mar-Y-Posa

Has anyone ever stayed in this rental? If so, what did you think?

Ocracoke in early November

We will be going to Ocracoke the very first week in November...

is this a good idea? Are things still open? Is it too cold?

Any input would be helpful!

Thanks,

Dena

Ocracoke in early November

According to weather tables the average temp in Nov is 52 to 64 degrees. Water temps are listed as 58. If you are interested in swimming, I would go in Sept early October. One bonus is that the island is not as crowded at that time.

Some shops are still open, but with limited hours. Most if not all of the indoor restaurants will be open.

Ocracoke in early November

You will find most things open (restuarants and shops), most start to close in mid to late November. The biggest variable will be the weather, it might be nice or it might not be nice. That time of year the weather can be ALL over the place. The swimming will be out but beach fishing and shell collecting can be very good at that time. The crowds will be zero.

Kirk

Thanksgiving is unusually the end of the season Many places close before then I have been there in November and it can be nice enough to swim during mid day but as Kirk said the weather can be anywhere so it all depend on that. But it is a good time to fish and enjoy the island with little or no crowds . My favorite time of the year down there.

Norfolk, VA to Wilmington, NC - which route?

I will be driving from Norfolk, VA to Wilmington, NC next Sunday. Should I take US Route 58 to I-95 and then I-40, or should I go via the US Routes 13 %26amp; 17 through Eastern NC? Google Maps says taking Rte 58 to 95 to 40 will be quicker, but will I really save much time by taking such a round-about route? What do you think? Thanks, Johnny

Norfolk, VA to Wilmington, NC - which route?

If you want to get there quickly and mindlessly, then go the 58/95/40 route.

I did the opposite once-Jacksonville NC to VA Beach using 17. It took FOR..EV..ER.... Yes, I think you really will save a lot of time.

I-40 is a very nice, newer highway.

Norfolk, VA to Wilmington, NC - which route?

Thank you for your input. Actually, I live in Richmond, but will be in Tidewater this weekend and will head to Wilmington from there. Richmond to Wilmington, we have always gone 95 to 40. While I would love to see Eastern NC, I admit I am not thrilled by your ';For-ev-er'; reference. Havning no other feedback at the moment, I may have to look towards the ';straight shot'; of 58 to 95 to 40. Thanks again.

- Johnny (native of DC area)

I have done it too. Seemed like it would be a nice drive to cut down the coast, but it does take forever. Don%26#39;t do it...unless you have a day to kill.a

58 to 95 to 40 is the way to go.

Yeah, we did it on a whim, ';Oh, won%26#39;t this be scenic!'; I always like to see new things.

We had been vacationing on Topsail and were going to visit friends in VA Beach before heading back to NOVA. We left fairly early morning and I don%26#39;t think we arrived in VA Beach until 6:00. It had been raining too, which made it worse. It was one of those drives where you come upon a mileage sign...';X miles to ABC'; and you would GROAN because it was still SO FARRRRRR.

I remember my husband was sunburned too-so was terribly uncomfortable and whining-worse than the two boys in the back!

There are some nice areas to visit through that general area. Tryon Palace in New Bern is one of my favorites. But yeah, save it for a time when you can do it at a casual pace and it is the purpose of your trip.

I had the time to kill and wound up doing the ';scenic'; route. US Rte 13 to US Rte 17. Yes, it took longer...about 6.5 but the traffic DID move. I don%26#39;t know that I would do it again, but am glad I did the scenic, as I will be doing Interstate on the way back.

Thanks for all of your time and responses.

brunch in Cary

My daughter and son-in-law are new to Cary. they love going out for sunday brunch. can you recommend a good place for them to go ?

brunch in Cary

Herons Restaurant at The Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary has perhaps one of the best brunches in the entire country. They should check it out!

brunch in Cary

Hi LadyMary,

The one place I always take company or clients that are looking for brunch is: Courtney%26#39;s Restaurant in Cary. They do not have to dress up and have a large variety of food items. I have never had anyone say they were not full or were unhappy when they left the restaurant.

Hope this helps!

Brig%26#39;s. It is very similar to Courtney%26#39;s but the food and service is better.

Courteneys is now closed.

Brigg%26#39;s in Cary - highly recommended

I had brunch at Lucky32 (on Tryon/Hwy 64) in Cary and it was fantastic.

I LOVED Brigs! YUMMM its usually a wait but worth it! Try the belgian waffles or the french toast!

We LOVE La Farms Sunday brunch - its a little French Cafe. Its very well-known among the locals and the food is excellent. Celebrity chefs have visited and raved! If you want something away from the %26#39;masses%26#39;, try La Farm - check it on their website.

ENJOY!