Outer Banks

The Outer Banks is dripping with history: Here, aviators Orville and Wilbur Wright made their famous first flight (at Kill Devil Hills), pirate Blackbeard fought his final battle (at Ocracoke), and the mysterious Lost Colony vanished (exact location unknown, but it was last seen on Roanoke Island near Manteo). This chain of barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina, known colloquially as OBX, isn't just for history buffs. Fishing, windsurfing, and wildlife viewing are also popular pastimes among the daring. The Outer Banks' roughly 3,000 shipwrecks, which can be explored by snorkeling or scuba diving, have earned it the moniker "the Atlantic's graveyard". Families flock to Roanoke Island's beaches, mini-golf courses, and the North Carolina Aquarium.

Each neighborhood has its own personality: old lighthouses, rugged dunes, and secluded beaches in the south, vacation rentals, water sports, and kitschy beach shops in the north, all combine to create a one-of-a-kind seaside destination. OBX is ideal for those who want to avoid overdeveloped tourist towns in favor of unspoiled beaches. There isn't much in the way of nightlife, but there is plenty of natural beauty. Beaches are more crowded in the summer, but with so many destinations spread out along the barrier islands, you're unlikely to encounter overcrowding at any time of year.