The beach
I am not talking today about Hawaii, Florida, the keys, San Diego or any of the TripAdvisor top beaches in the USA. Let’s talk about my tiny experience of the few Virginian and North Carolina beaches I have been to. Focus please.
Let's dig a bit
The beach design
The beaches in Virginia and North Carolina are huge. Basically it starts at Virginia Beach and it stops… in Florida ? Depending on where you go, the beach will be more or less flat and large, the water more or less dark and warm and there will be more or less currents and sharks. There will be some nice wooden piers and lighthouse on the way.
In some part of the beach, it is so huge you can go with the cars and there are wild horses.
For me, basic European used to the beach in South West of France and Spain, the beach area basic combo is : a packed beach, a packed walk and bike lane, an area with surveillance to avoid drowning, a beach umbrella zone to rent umbrella and deck chairs, a lot of shops and restaurant front sea with some selling nice things, some people selling stuff on the beach and a packed parking area.
Here it is slightly different story. So far I found 2 options :
The ‘urban beach’ like Virginia Beach or Myrtle Beach : not covered in that post. Go there once and make your own opinion.
The ‘suburban beach’ like the Outter Banks or similar : empty or not that packed never ending beaches and wood houses behind the little dune. Simple, basic, environmental friendly somehow.
Make it comfortable
My typical beach bag : bikini, beach wrap, sunscreen, water bottle, a few toys for the kid and my phone. I fit all that in my little beach bag and done. Day 1 we go to the beach like that. It does not take long to find out there that there will not be any beach umbrella or chairs to rent, no drinks to buy, no restaurant to go to, no beach vendor.
How do people survive ?
Easy : just move your house to the beach ! What do people bring to the beach : giant coolers, beach chairs, giant umbrella, giant toys, music…
One detail : how do they bring that to the beach ? Answer : use a beach cart ! Do you know the cart that people use to go to the market ? This one but 4 times bigger. Easy and practical.
The corn-hole game
Part of the heavy equipment people bring to the beach with the beach cart : the corn-hole game. It consists in 2 big boards with a small slope and a hole and each player gets a few bags filled with corn.
Easy concept : you have to throw the bags in the holes and you count points. Simple, fun : I like the game ! Just not sure if I want to carry the boards...
So based on that
I am not ready for the beach cart. I still go to the beach with my little bag : watching all that is so much entertainment and the beaches are so long that walking is wonderful. The water itself ? Well, they say there are sharks...