Wet 'N Wild

Is your idea of a beach weekend making the trek down to Wilmington, spending a few hours at the public access beach and hitting the parties at UNC-Wilmington? Are you tired of a beach trip ending up as a whole lotta-Duke with a little bit-o'-beach? Well, if you have a few extra hours or so, take a left off of I-40 and take Highway 24 East for something a bit different'Äîthe white beaches and hurricane scarred charm of the southern Outer Banks.

Emerald Isle and Atlantic Beach are a mere three-and-a-half hours away, Cape Hatteras a meandering five or so. Ocacroke, a sparsely developed island preserved as a nature park, on the other hand, is a bit trickier. Not connected to the mainland via any bridge, you must take a ferry. While the over two-hour-long Cedar Island Ferry is closer by land and requires reservations, old salts will tell you to trek up to Hatteras and take the 30-minute no-reservation ferry. Complexities aside, you'll find it worthwhile to visit this remote beach many travel magazines refer to as one of the three best beaches in America (that includes both Hawaii and Florida, kids).

The choice among the three beaches lies in the remoteness you desire. While all three locations have the amenities, the Isles of Emerald and Hatteras are much more built up than the wild charm of Ocacroke.

"But it's too cold this time of year, right?" Au contraire, my friend. Afternoon temperatures often hit above 80 degrees, and the water temperature is peaking in the mid- to upper-70s.

Hotels are boring (and expensive), and unless you have the funds to rent a house through one of the gazillion real-estate agencies, it looks like you'll have to improvise a bit. Know anyone at the Beaufort marine lab? Want to pretend that you do? Unless you can crash with a "buddy," camping is a sure-fire option. Great campsites abound at Cape Hatteras and Ocacroke, and a few sites are available in the Atlantic Beach/Emerald Isle area'Äîjust search on Google.

Unless you're prepared for some quality time with friends or enjoy some good-ol' outdoor activity, you might be at a loss for entertainment. Except for the occasional dank, salty beer lounge and the sketchy "gentlemens' clubs", night-time entertainment is rather sparse. Beach combing and hiking is phenomenal among the dunes and forests of Ocacroke and Hatteras, and the unusual currents create what one would call "good" east coast surfing conditions off Emerald Isle and Hatteras. For those who fish'Äîor think they can'Äîsurf and pier fishing conditions peak in October. Is SCUBA your thing? The "Graveyard of the Atlantic" has some of the world's best wreck diving world with Carribean fish species and enormous barracudas. Three centuries of shipwrecks litter the ocean bottom'Äîincluding two divable German U-boats and dozens of their torpedoed victims. Discovery Diving runs daily charters out of Beaufort. I could go on and on about this'Ä but if it's in the water, you can do it.

Once you're out of the water, local seafood is a delicacy, and while you'll find great eats at all these locations, The Sanitary Fish Market in Morehead City is a North Carolina icon. Gorge on the hushpuppies, and try the she-crab soup and grilled sea-trout. Just remember, it'll all be very good and very fried.

Get away from Duke, get some sun and relax.