North Carolina's Outer Banks - OBX is Paradise in Hurricane Alley

If you're yearning for rest and relaxation during your summer vacation, instead of battling amusement-park crowds and water parks, consider the barrier islands that make up the Outer Banks of North Carolina. There, you'll find 130 miles of white sandy beaches, plenty of come-as-you-are restaurants, bicycling, golfing, boating, history and sightseeing.

If you're driving, OBX (shorthand for Outer Banks) is located about 500 miles south of New York City, 260 miles south of Washington, D.C., and 430 miles northeast of Charleston, S.C. You can also fly into the Norfolk (Va.) International Airport , and drive about two hours southeast to OBX.

The Outer Banks consist of a string of communities that include Corolla, Duck, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head, Roanoke Island, and Hatteras Island. They sit on a slim peninsula bordered on the east by the Atlantic and at least partly on the west by the Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds. So even if you're ot completely surrounded by water, you feel as if you are. Knowing the communities is important when you consider where to rent a house or book a hotel room. The northernmost communities of Corolla and Duck feature huge homes that sit directly on the beach or slightly inland. The activity in these two towns is a bit quieter than in the centrally located communities of Nags Head, Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills, but if you want a quiet vacation with lots of bicycle riding and walking, Corolla or Duck might be your best bet.