There, behind the buildup, open, pristine Outer Banks
Taken from the Boston Globe
Sacha Pfeiffer, February 4, 2007

There were no street lights, no pedestrians, no other drivers, no signs of life at all from the shuttered homes and stores along Highway 12 , a two-lane route notorious for its summertime gridlock.

It was dusk in February in Corolla, the northernmost village of North Carolina's Outer Banks and one of the barrier island chain's priciest peak-season destinations. We were headed to the Inn at Corolla Light, a resort overlooking Currituck Sound where rooms from May to September can top $300 nightly. An hour earlier, we had phoned to inquire about availability that evening. Not to worry, we were told; rooms were plentiful. The price? A mere $65 a night.

Like Cape Cod , the Outer Banks is vastly different -- and dramatically less expensive -- in December, January, and February than at the height of tourist season, when their year-round population of 33,000 explodes to more than 300,000. The massive influx of vacationers brings the usual accompaniments : inflated room rates, packed tourist attractions, long waits at restaurants, and ghastly traffic congestion.

But during our four-day visit last winter, when we drove the whole 130-mile coastline from Corolla to Ocracoke Island, we had the place nearly all to ourselves.

Read the entire article. You can find your Carolina vacation rentals at iGOvacation!