I've never been there (sigh)...someday.
Hatteras is nice, but to really enjoy the coast, you have to go somewhere that you can't get to by car. That's why I love Lookout. When I was a kid, we would take my Dad's boat over there fishing and clamming all the time.
I took my parents over there this past Labor Day, and they loved it (Dad is 86 and Mom's 80)
A lot more boats there, but it's still beautiful. I don't get there much, as I now live in VA.