Vasilia Vidi of Highland remembers getting up early to stake a claim on the beach while vacationing in Maryland, where putting out chairs and blankets before breakfast assures you’ll have somewhere to sit later in the day.

When she and husband, Peter, decided to give the Outer Banks a try, she was thrilled to discover uncrowded beaches and a more leisurely pace.

“It’s definitely one of our favorite vacation places,” says Vidi, of the chain of barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina. The Vidis — with daughters Victoria, 14, and Briana, 11 — now travel to Corolla on the northern Outer Banks every other year.

“You can go out at 11 a.m. — any time really — and get a spot and your spot is 10 feet away from the closest person. You don’t have to be on top of each other,” she says.

Beautiful beaches, affordable rents and lots of attractions have made the Outer Banks a favorite vacation destination for many local families. And despite the 300-plus-mile drive that can take anywhere from five to 10 hours, more Marylanders are making the trek each year, according to the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau. Even traveling bumper to bumper through the state of Virginia can’t deter the Outer Banks’ enthusiasts, because once you’re there, the vibe and amenities can’t be beat, they say.

“It’s cleaner. The sand is softer. It stays warmer longer — it feels like what vacation is supposed to be,” says Beth Miceli of Cockeysville, who vacationed in Corolla last summer with husband Jim, their 1 1/2- and 3-year-old children, her mother, sister, sister’s husband and their new baby. She says her husband “hates crowds,” and they were looking for a quieter, slower-paced environment.

The Outer Banks offers 130 miles of ocean-side beaches on a series of barrier islands, stretching from Virginia to the north to about half way down the North Carolina coast. Communities including Corolla, Duck, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head and Cape Hatteras are accessible by causeways at Kitty Hawk and the town of Manteo. Although the area only has about 40,000 year-round residents, it attracts more than five million visitors annually.

“Even with the mass of people who come during August, when every rental house is booked, our beaches aren’t crowded. We have over 300 miles of beaches here, counting the bay and ocean sides,” says Jennifer Wilson, a broker with Kitty Dunes Rentals, which handles about 450 rental properties.

“Bring the kids, the dog, the cat, grandma, your sister, your cousin,” says Wilson. “The emphasis is on the family. It’s part of our southern hospitality thing.”

A peaceful, easy feeling

Beth Hibbard of Columbia and her family have been vacationing on the northern Outer Banks for the past 17 years. She and her husband, Pete, liked it so much, they bought a house in 2007 so they can go down throughout the year.

“When we drive across that bridge, this feeling of peace settles over us,” says Hibbard. “It’s laid back. It’s beautiful. It’s family oriented.”

Outer Banks regulars say they love the area because it offers just about everything you could want in a beach resort, but in a less aggressive manner.

“It’s truly a relaxing vacation. Everyone’s very welcoming,” says Michele Demek of Ellicott City, who has made seven trips to the Outer Banks over the years with her husband, John, and their four children, ages 5 through 13.

“I like that there is no boardwalk,” says Demek, adding that she finds a nearby boardwalk exhausting with young children. “When the boardwalk is right there, it’s ‘Let’s get a snack. Let’s play golf. Let’s do this, let’s do that.’ Here, you can find all that stuff — the Putt-Putt golf, the go-carts — but it’s not in your face.”

A survey commissioned by the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau in 2006 ranked the beauty of the beaches as the largest draw, followed by interesting historic sites, scenic drives, good accommodations and a safe and clean environment. The area offers swimming, golf, mini-golf, hang gliding, kayaking, surfing, windsurfing, kite surfing, wave runners, fishing, boating, bird watching, four-wheel driving on specific beaches, movies, art galleries and many shopping and dining opportunities.

There are a number of historic attractions including the Wright National Memorial where Orville and Wilbur took their first manned flight in 1903. Fort Raleigh National Historic Site honors the first English colony in America, which was started in 1585 and vanished by 1590. What happened to the colonists remains a mystery, but their story is retold nightly — June through August — in “The Lost Colony,” the longest running outdoor theater production in the country.

The Outer Banks is home to the 30,000-acre Cape Hatteras National Seashore; four historic lighthouses (including the country’s tallest at Cape Hatteras); Jockey’s Ridge State Park, billed as the largest natural living sand dune on the East Coast; and the Graveyard of the Atlantic, a 70-mile strip along the coast where numerous sunken ships remain, some visible from shore. The North Carolina Aquarium, one of three in the state, is located in Manteo.

“Our amusement park is mother nature,” says Carolyn McCormick, managing director of the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, adding that the most attractive feature is “free and open access to the beaches.”

“We like to say this is America’s beach,” she says. “It’s any beach for anybody.”

Affordable rentals

Value for the vacation dollar is a key selling point for many families, says McCormick. Outer Banks rentals are “easily 20 to 30 percent less” than comparable rentals at beaches to the north, she says. The number of rental homes has tripled from about 4,000 a decade ago to over 12,000 today, increasing options and making it more affordable.

At Kill Devil Hills, a three- or four-bedroom oceanfront house can be found for $1,400 to $2,000 a week during peak season, roughly mid-June through mid-August. A two-bedroom, two-bath oceanfront condo there can be rented for $1,000 for the week.

In Duck, north of Kitty Hawk, a four-bedroom oceanfront house can run from $2,500 to $4,500, depending on how new it is and other amenities, such as hot-tubs and private pools. Just 100 to 200 yards off the beach, a four-bedroom house can be rented for $1,200 to $2,000 in peak season. A two- or three-bedroom oceanfront condo will run about $1,200 to $1,400.

There are hotels and resorts available, although not nearly as visible and plentiful as in many other vacation areas. The Hampton Inn and Suites in Corolla averages $239 a night; the Hilton Garden Inn in Kitty Hawk, $277; and the Holiday Inn Express, $152 per night.

Despite recent growth in the area, strict height restrictions on buildings have prevented a problem faced by other East Coast resorts — no sun on the beach in the afternoon.

“We have height limitations, and since most of the Outer Banks is on septic systems and not central sewer, that has helped keep the density in balance,” says McCormick. “Full sun (all day) in the summer on the Atlantic coast is rare, but you can still find it here.”

For more information about visiting the Outer Banks, contact:

The Outer Banks Visitors Bureau
1-877-629-4386, 252-473-2138
www.outerbanks.org

Or The Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce
252-441-8144,
www.outerbankschamber.com