Maryland or North Carolina?

[ThomCat]

JenaLaw, her mom and I are going to be spending a week on vacation over Christmas getting away. The choices are either a place in Maryland near Annapolis, or a place in North Carolina in the Outer Banks.

If there are any DUers nearby, we'd love to get together, so that's a consideration for which location we choose.

Are any of you near Annapolis, Maryland or near Nags Head, North Carolina?

Either place is going to have a hot tub. So bring your bathing suit and a towel. :7

[Gormy Cuss]

1. Sounds like fun either place

and I'm NOT near either one so I get no vote.

Just came back from the frozen North....icicles are as pretty as I remember. Power outages, not so much.

[elshiva]

2. Go to North Carolina, it will be warmer.

I am a Marylander, but I live near Baltimore and it's a long drive to Annapolis. I've been to Annapolis and it's boring. It's also cold this time of year.

Go to North Carolina, honey. :hug:

[LadyoftheRabbits]

3. I *love* NC

My grandparents have lived there all my life, and our trips to the Outer Banks were a blast. Shackleford Banks has wild horses. :D :hi:

[Tommy_Carcetti]

4. What place near Annapolis?

Of course I'm going to say Maryland.

[mwdem]

5. Outer Banks, by far.

What a great place to spend the holiday. Btw, I'm from N.C., spent many a good time around Nag's Head. You'll love it.

[bunnies]

27. +1000. Every time Ive gone I've loved it.

Nags Head...

The Outer Banks RULES.

[mwooldri]

6. If it's DUers you want to meet...

... then Annapolis will be where you want to go because I bet there's more DUers in the Washington DC area than there are in the whole of NC east of I-95, but those living around Norfolk/Virginia Beach are probably an hour or two drive away...

I'm not saying that there aren't any DUers east of I-95 in E-NC but most are going to be in the major urban areas, and Nags Head is about 5 (or more) hours drive away from Raleigh. Plus Annapolis doesn't look that far away from DC.

What do you want to do in either place once you get there? Nags Head is a tourist town, and December most things will be shut down, well Kitty hawk museum will probably be open and there's golf, but most tourist things may be closed for the winter. I don't know how touristy Annapolis is because I've never been there but since it's a more urban area there'd be more "things to do".

In any case, weather wise both Nags Head and Annapolis are looking similar in terms of weather, though Nags Head is looking about 7 Fahrenheit warmer, and at 39 degrees as a high on 12/23 it isn't looking too warm.

Personally I'd love it if you'd paid my adopted home state a visit and spent Christmas... but you did say you wanted to meet DUers...

Mark.

[jberryhill]

7. I'm not far from Annapolis....

But given a choice between the lower Chesapeake and the Outer Banks, I'd take the outer banks.

[Rhiannon12866]

8. I vote for NC too. It's a beautiful state, have been there many times since my grandmother retired

there. And I agree with the point that it'll be warmer. Just beware if it does get get any snow. Even if it's just a dusting, people either hibernate, waiting for it to melt, or they panic and slide all over the roads. But it does sound like a great vacation!:hi:

[Inchworm]

9. NC pwns Maryland

:D

:yoiks:

[harmonicon]

10. oh, you're breaking my heart Thom

I was supposed to be in NC for a Christmas trip with my girlfriend, our dog, and her family, but then when I was about to book tickets, I got my ass dumped. So, I vote that you go to Maryland, to spite them - or, you could go to NC and kidnap my dog back for me. Anyway.... in an alternate universe where I am going to be there, it would be great to hang out.

[taterguy]

11. I spent a week at Duck NC last September

It's on the same island as Nags Head, about half an hour north. It's a lot less developed than Nags Head but it has lots of cool little shops. There's a lovely sound-side park with a boardwalk for watching the sunset. One stretch of its beach is quite isolated since the dunes that surround it were used for target practice in World War II and are filled with unexploded munitions. I highly recommend it.

ps: I honestly thought this thread was about the NCAA Men's Soccer Final.

[mnhtnbb]

21. I vote Duck, too, if affordable. Nags Head is way too developed.

Reminded me of Huntington Beach, CA. When we go to the beach now from Chapel Hill, we go either to Emerald Isle or Wrightsville. Just booked a house this morning on Emerald Isle for next 4th of July.

[KamaAina]

23. Roger that on the soccer

:shrug:

[LostinVA]

12. OBX for sure

The people are nice, the beach is nice, the restaurants ditto, there's lots to see (Kitty Hawk, Roanoke Island, etc.), and it is almost totally flat -- easy access for you. It'll also be quite warm still in NC.

[kwassa]

13. Wrong time of year to visit either place, though accomodations will be cheap.

I would say Annapolis because there are more indoor things to do there, or within a short drive. D.C. is about an hour away, so you have access to all that, too. There is nothing to do on the Outer Banks aside from the beach itself, and most restaurants are probably closed for the season. It will probably seem like a ghost beach resort. I doubt it will be comfortable on the beach, unless you are lucky. Annapolis has the same seafood, and boating culture, and things will be open.

The Outer Banks is also isolated from the rest of North Carolina. The one possible road trip from there would be to go up to Colonial Willamsburg in Virginia and check out all the special Christmas decorations and all.

[LostinVA]

20. Plenty to do on the OBX that time of year

Many of the places are still open, including the touristy places. People go there all year long if you live in NC or VA. It rarely gets really cold, and the water is warmish even in Winter in the south OBX because of teh Gulf Stream. He can get around Roanoke Island quite easily, and most of the Wright Brothers stuff at Kitty Hawk. There are even oddly good outlets to shop at, too.

[ThomCat]

14. Kick for the morning crowd. :)

Thank you all for this information and your opinions. I really appreciate this. :)

[Bertha Venation]

15. Thom, we're an hour away from Annapolis.

I can't guarantee that we'd be able to see you, given scheduling, but we'd damn sure try.

:loveya:

[supernova]

16. OBX = peace and quiet

OBX is the way to go. :-) It's very quiet on the beach this time of year, only the die hard shell hunters and full timers. :-)

But I love the beach in the cold. Any where you go, the food seems extra special because of the warmth: steaming hot coffee or tea. It's soul warming

I used to live in Laurel, MD and would often drive over to Annapolis. Even in the dead of winter it's very crowded. I remember eating lunch on a Saturday by the harbor (forget the name of the place) and the place was crowded, it suddenly felt like the pages of Moby Dick had opened up to me. :D

[JenaLaw]

17. Thanks for the advice

Thanks all!

This advice has been helpful...looks like NC is going to be the place. Final decisions tbd later today.

Jenna

[JenaLaw]

18. Thanks for the advice

Thanks all!

This advice has been helpful...looks like NC is going to be the place. Final decisions tbd later today.

Jenna

[MissMillie]

19. I guess I'd better

make sure your christmas present gets to you before you leave.....

[ThomCat]

22. I'm hosting a New Year's Eve party

Boston is really boring this year. You want to come down to New York. :7

[MissMillie]

24. I'd love to

but I'm not sure I can. I sustained some damage to my car during the ice storm (falling frozen branches) and I'm gonna have to get it repaired. It may be that the only time I have to get the work done is when I'm not working between Christmas and New Years. And of course, I have no idea yet how long the repairs will take.

Can I RSVP at a later date?

[ThomCat]

25. Of course you can.

:hug:

I hope the damage isn't serious. Or at least, I hope it's not expensive.

[LibertyLover]

26. I live in Annapolis

where are they thinking of staying?

[Flaxbee]

28. Outer Banks. I live way, way, way west in the westernmost

part of NC, or I'd come say hi.

I've always wanted to go to the Outer Banks; one day I will. Take pictures for me, and have a wonderful time. :hug: