What are some nice beaches in the state of North Carolina, and where are they located?|111237

Also, do any of the beaches have stores, shops, and activities to do similar to the beaches in California?

Atlantic Beach/Emerald Isle is nice located near Morehead City, Wrightsville Beach outside of Wilmington, NC is one of the farthest south in NC, Carolina Beach being the other; both are about 1hr-11/2 hrs from Myrtle Beach, SC. The shops are local _Mom _ Pop_ joints and you can go boating and fishing as some of the activities. Check out NC_s tourism for more details

The outer banks (Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills, Corolla) have some quaint shops and fine dining. We went to Corolla over Easter and stayed in a really nice beach house.You can go up to the tip of the island and actually drive on the beach. Thats a lot of fun!! If you like fishing, then I reccommend Morehead City or Atlantic beach. Have fun!!

WELL EVERYBODY FROM NC GOES TO MYRTLE BEECH ONE OF THE NICEST BEECHES IN THE US BUT MYRTLE IS IN SC BUT NC HAS BEECHES TO BUT MOSTLY FOR FISHING AND RETIREMENT ONE IS MOREHEAD BEECH IN NC BUT MYRTLE HAS LOTS OF STORES ON OCEAN BLVD TO IT IS VERY TURISTY ALL KINDS OF AMUSMENT

We vacation every year in Topsail Island NC. It is a very quiet beach, with a small down town area. They have some shops mostly mom and pop. They also have some restaurants and bars. It is a great place to go if you just want to relax and enjoy the sun and surf. It is about 20 minutes from Wilimgton.

First off, not everyone in NC goes to Myrtle Beach. MB receives only 15% of its tourists from NC.

The top beaches in NC for activities you mentioned:

Northern Outer Banks (Nags Head, Kitty Hawk, etc)

Wilmington area beaches (Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach, Kure Beach)

Crystal Coast (Emerald Isle, Atlantic Beach and Swansboro)

Brunswick Beaches (Holden Beach, Oak Island, Ocean Isle Beach, etc)

The first three areas have a lot built into them already... the last (Brunswick) is only 30 minutes from Myrtle Beach, which has everything and more (including traffic -- which is an utter nightmare in the summer). The best thing about the Brunswick Beaches is you can enjoy peaceful time with the family, and still make quick escapes for shopping and other amusements during the day to Myrtle Beach.

Check out NCBeaches.com or VisitNC.com for more information.