1

I am not sure if any of the other posters on these boards feel this way, but there are times when I don't want to tell people my travel secrets for fear of losing a good place to heavy tourism.

....

hmmmm

....

Fine.

In between Myrtle Beach and Wilmington there are several small beaches which are relatively cheap and rarely crowded. My favorite would have to be Holden Beach, Sunset Beach, or Ocean Isle, but I have lots of family in the area and have been visiting them every summer since back when you couldn't give that land away for free. They're very different now.

What exactly are you looking for? Cheap accommodations? Good shopping? To hide from the world in sound of the waves? Small crowds?

Brian

2

Thanks for revealing your secrets! I know exactly what you mean about wanting to keep the quiet places quiet. This is the ultimate tourist dilemma. In answer to your question, I think we'd like to swim and lie on the beach, have small crowds, limit driving, eat reasonably well and have cheap accommodations. In that order.

Thanks again to all posters!

3

Well, Brian is right in that the beaches between Myrtle and Wilmington are quieter and maybe a little cheaper, but they'll be no less crowded in August, particularly on a weekend. On all of those barrier islands, the houses go back 8-15 rows deep, and almost every one of them will be full of people on an august weekend, no matter where in NC (or SC, etc.) you go. It's the middle of summer, before kids go back, it's hot, it's weekend, and there's a beach. Do you REALLY think that there's a quiet place? ;)

Now if you were into camping, you might have better luck.

Cheap accommodations? Like, what do you mean? Anything near the water will be at least 80$/night for some of the cheapest, low-down motels you'd ever seen. A small (3br) house two rows back (can't see the ocean but can walk there in 5 minutes) might be $800 for a week. It won't be nice either. Traffic is necessarily going to be bad anyplace near the beach during a summer weekend.

There are millions of people who live in North Carolina and a ton of people who vacation there in the summer. If you're looking for a quiet, undistubed beach with no traffic, good food, and cheap place to stay...try the Southern Hemisphere ;)

4

You might try looking for a B&B room in Elizabeth City or Duck, where rates look to be under $130 per night. You'd then still need to drive to the coastal beaches.

5

Schools in the South start up in mid August. The closer you go to Labor Day, the smaller the crowds. Last week of AUgust is a decent bet. I agree on the towns named above. I also like Garden City Beach south of Myrtle Beach.