Beach Vacations:

Photos of Dr. Beach's Top Ten Picks -  2004 Photos of Dr. Beach's Top Ten Picks -  2004

Please note: this page is for Best Beaches 2004! Please click for Dr. Beach's Best Beaches 2006.

"America's Best Beaches List", pick #3, below:

Top Beaches 2004  - # 3

 

Ocracoke Island, North Carolina

Ocracoke Island is one of the barrier islands of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The Outer Banks -- where pirate Blackbeard once roamed-- is a popular place for family beach vacations.

A free ferry service runs to Ocracoke Island from Hatteras Island: a 40-minute trip. (In summer, waiting lines gets long.)

The village of Ocracoke is on the National Register of Historic Places and has a lighthouse, historic homes, quaint shops. Kids will like to see the "Banker Ponies" grazing, a wild herd now cared for by the National Park Service. Read more about Ocracoke, and Outer Banks NC. 

• Next Dr. Beach pick

• introduction to Dr. Beach and his "Best Beaches" list

*photo courtesy of Florida International University