[89911]

I've been to every beach along the East Coast and each has its rewards. Without sounding like a travel agent I'll give you a quick rundown of what I think:

Outer Bank, upper portion: What was once isolated and quiet has become very commercial. It is no different then any other beach town.

Lower Outer Banks. More and more isolated and quiet as you get to Hatteras and Okcracoke(sp?0) Little to do other then beach and dining out. Peak weather for both would be late May until July.

Myrtle Beach. Fantastic beaches and tons of things for young teenagers. I, personally don't like the over commercialized parts of the Grand Strand, but there are places North and South that are quieter. Peak weather May to July.

Bald Head Island. Stayed here for a week a few years ago.

Pluses: Serenity, no cars, very quiet. If your ideal thing to do is play cards with your family at night, this is the place.

Minuses: Very expensive. You must take a boat to the island (No cars). This means that when you arrive, you must unload you vacation filled car on to a boat, take the boat over, unload the boat onto a shuttle and then unload it again at you rental. All in the 85degree humidity. If you property is stuck with golf cart that is slow, you will have people jogging faster then you. Not a bad place, just not my ideal spot. On top of it all, the beach had severe erosion problems last time there.

Charleston: I've been here 4 times over the last 6 years. It has everything to offer, shopping, isolation, great beaches, good restaurants, Civil and American revolution history, great architecture, and great weather. The best time is from May to July. This is my favorite to date.

The best weather for most of these points is May to July. Any earlier and you may hit a cold spell. If swimming isn't in your plans, it might not matter. Going late into July and August is also fine, but you will be dealing with some oppresive humidity and the real threat of hurricane eviction.