Ocracoke Island offers a very different beach vacation. In fact, you don’t even have to particularly like the beach.

Ocracoke is one of the islands in the Cape Hatteras region off the shore of North Carolina. The sun sets over the water all year long, so you never miss a sunset. It’s not a glitzy sort of place, like beaches in Florida or southern California. You won’t find crowds of sun-worshipers. It’s more of a wild place, with high marsh grasses and great fishing. You can almost always find a deserted stretch of beach to have all to yourself. All the beaches are dog-friendly, as long as you keep your dog on a six-foot leash.
The marsh lands are home to deer, birds, muskrats and rabbits, so there’s plenty of wildlife to watch and photograph. At tide times, it’s highly entertaining to watch the sandpipers run up to the waves to catch fish, then run away from them just as quickly. You can also see the Banker Ponies, a herd of semi-wild ponies descended from some believed to have been left behind by sailors, now free-roaming but looked after by the National Park Service.

Or if that’s not your speed, the village offers shopping and restaurants, and there are some sights to see, such as the Ocracoke Lighthouse and the British Cemetery.

Ocracoke is not an expensive place to stay. Even during the peak season (June 1 to August 20) you can find accommodations for $70/night or even less for weekly rentals. More expensive accommodations such as the Anchorage Inn & Marina max out around $240/night.