Getaway From Elon: Beach Trips
We know, we know, we know. It’s April. We aren’t in beach-trip territory yet. But with the weather on the up-and-up, we couldn’t help ourselves from sharing this list.
Here at The Edge, we are big advocates for taking advantage of Elon’s central North Carolina location. While central NC might not seem like a desirable place, it puts us at an equal distance between a weekend in the mountains or a weekend at the beach. With that being said, here are our favorite beach trips to pencil into your fall semester or to wrap up this spring with.
Top Day Trip: Wrightsville Beach, NC
Pictured: Wrightsville Beach by Avery Cocozziello
Not Pictured: hot UNCW students surfing after class
Travel time from Elon: three hours
Wrightsville Beach is the closest beach to campus and has been named one of the south's best by Southern Living Magazine. Our tried and true itinerary includes good weather, good prep and good company. Our advice is to leave at 9 am, arrive at noon and park at Salisbury St. W and walk for five minutes to Wrightsville Beach Access 17. You’ll pay for parking here, but this access point is near public bathrooms/showers/changing rooms/facilities, restaurants, bars and other cute beach shops. After your big day on the beach, we recommend grabbing dinner in this area (Shark Bar and Kitchen is a personal favorite) before heading back to campus.
Top Weekend Trip: Outer Banks, NC
Photo from KOA.com
Travel time from Elon: four hours
OBX is one of those must-hit destinations, especially if you’re living in central NC for four years. Home to 50 miles of sand dunes, beaches and gorgeous driving conditions, we think this is the best overnight option (or fall break destination) for Elon students in need of a beach reset.
Our recommendations? A few slow days at the beach, a half-day exploring either Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk or Duck and driving along the National Shoreline (where you can see waves crashing on both sides of the road).
Accommodations? Okay, hear us out… we think you should stay at the Cape Hatteras/Outer Banks KOA. KOAs, Kampgrounds of America, offer a variety of affordable lodging accommodations ranging from camp-sites to deluxe cabins (a personal favorite) to vacation rentals to glamping set-ups to RV spots. They have it all! Generally speaking, if you are traveling in a small group of college students, KOAs are a great low-cost option, and this location is a four-minute walk from Rodanthe Beach Access point. We recommend it!
Top *farther* Trip: Kiawah, SC
Photos by Kailey Casl
Travel time from Elon: five hours
If you are comfortable entering five-hour road trip territory, we recommend visiting Kiawah Island in South Carolina. Forty-five minutes south of Charleston sits one of the most picturesque, beautiful places we’ve ever visited. We could go on and on about driving onto the island, being under a canopy of tangled trees, running in and out of crashing waves at midnight and being tipsy in good company. There are a plethora of picture perfect moments and memories we could share with you from our travels to Kiawah, but all you really need to know is that it’s worth the drive.
Itinerary? When you aren’t at the beach, we recommend biking or walking around the island, a day trip to Charleston for shopping and brunch and breakfast at Java Java on the way out!
In terms of public beach access points and accommodations, we have heard good things about Kiawah Beachwalker Park, a public beach with picnic areas and public parking, and finding a hotel nearby could be a great option!
Tag @theedgemag the next time you visit one of these beaches!