Masonboro sound figure 8 bchs and the very northend Carolina bch are peaceful. Kure is not bad. I have never been to atlantic bch or morehead; Are they myrtle beachish or nice?
Atlantic Beach isn’t too bad, and from there you can 4WD north along the surf into really rugged wilderness in the Point Lookout park beaches. I’ve never spent any time in Moorehead but it looks like a pretty developed beach-lots of houses right on the dune line, some multi-story condo units and a fast food and shopping strip in the middle of it all.