Hellobee Boards

I'm from NoVa, and my family has always stayed in Corolla in the Outer Banks, which is closer than Emerald Isle. Nags Head and Duck are also nearby, all three are great.

You could also try Virginia Beach, which is much closer. Not the boardwalk area that is super crowded and all hotels, but there are some places with beachfront houses, like Sandbridge.

@HabesBabe: Oh yeah, unfortunately I don't know too much about fishing, so not sure if it's a good area. I know there's a really popular public fishing pier in Sandbridge, but if you're looking for a house with its own pier that might be harder.

There are great options if you head north, like Bethany Beach or Rehoboth, but realistically with the summer traffic you're likely to spend almost as long in the car as you would going to VA Beach. But both VA beach and the Delaware beaches are a shorter drive than OBX at least. I also grew up going to Emerald Isle every summer, it's so lovely and fun there!