[gratefulwharffratt]

I see an island called Kill Devil Hills - that sounds interesting.

If it is beachgoing for the boys, then Myrtle Beach is not to be missed.

Wilmington is a great place, as the USS North Carolina is there, as well as the riverfront area, and UNC-W is nearby. Bald Head Island is EXCLUSIVE, and beautiful and remote, and it is one of the few East Coast places where you can watch the sunset over water because of the way it is situated.

Further on up the coast, you might want to go through Emerald Isle and Atlantic Beach and Morehead City as you drive. Fort Macon is BEAUTIFUL. (and free!) I intend to own a place at Emerald Isle sometime in the future. It is a quiet, residential place, but as you drive up the island, it is VERY scenic, because you can see the water on both sides of you in most places. The boys might not love it, but it is one of my most favorite places.

Kill Devil Hills and Kitty Hawk are just GIANT sand dunes. Yawn. And there really is NOTHING on the coastline in the Northern part of the state, except Hatteras. Nags Head is also very scenic. It is ALL just as beautiful as it can be, but not terribly overdeveloped.

If you go inland a wee bit, you could detour over to Cherry Point, and tour the base, or the same in Jacksonville. Or you could go by New Bern which has an old money waterfront that is as beautiful as any place you are likely to see.

HOWEVER, you will be driving through the part of North Carolina that is called 'Down East.' The people are just fine, but it is pretty desolate. The entire Crystal Coast is beautiful. Please go between April and November, when it is 85+ degrees and 85+ percent relative humidity. :-)

If landscapes, and nature are your thing though, the entire state ought to be nice.

[null and void]

*sigh* No-one said anything about Beautiful Beaufort....

[ValerieUSA]

Thanks, ratty -- we'll be there in June and will spend a lot of time along the Atlantic coast and try to avoid freeways. I hope to avoid travelling more than 440 miles in any one day - except maybe for on the return trip home through the inland. But Tennessee and Arkansas might be worth looking at, too.

[Darlin']

Bald Head Island is a lovely place. I have a client who has several children and every year one or more kids spend a few weeks at a summer camp in NC. When the parents go to pick them they all go to Bald Head for a week or two. They love it. You're right, it is pretty exclusive and fairly expensive, too. :)

[Mo1]

Nags Head is also very scenic

Don't they have those wild ponies???

[ValerieUSA]

It might be best for us to avoid giant sand dunes - that always makes the boys homesick for their 4-wheelers they used to have and ride on trips to the Oregon coast. Beaches with pretty girls will appeal to them.... but not when the sun is high. I think we'll spend a few days on the coast and outer banks. Maybe Grant would be able to come down and spend a couple of days with us there before we go to Annapolis. It will take me a couple more days to figure out the schedule - I don't really like schedules.

[ValerieUSA]

The Emerald Isle, Crystal Coast looks great.... (I'm still surfing the links you posted) I've seen the Pacific Ocean lots of times, but this will be my first time to see the Atlantic.