Outpost

Small Family Houses

Hatteras

The major way to vacation on Hatteras since the 1970s has been by renting a house. There are more than 2000 rental houses on the island, most controlled by three agencies : Midgett, Sun, and Vacasa. Midgett and Sun are fine companies with a long history of great customer service. If you're coming for the first time and calling in January, you could just flip a coin. After you've been to the island once or twice and look around, you can decide what activities you want to specialize in, which location you want to stay in, and what type of house you want, then choose the agency that provides that. But remember, each agency controls more than 500 houses of every type in every location, so you can tell them what you want and they can find you something.

We divide houses into Small Family Houses and Large Group Houses, because they really are two different markets. By Small Family Houses we mean houses with a maximum capacity of seven or eight people, and four of those will usually sleep in a room with bunk beds. Large Group Houses are usually rented by extended families, two or more families coming together, family reunions, companies coming for retreats, or student groups. They sleep 15-20 people and have pools, theaters, game rooms, gourmet kitchens, sometimes multiple kitchens, and sometimes tennis courts, basketball courts and fireplaces. This page features Small Family Houses. See the Large Group Houses page for details on those.

Remember thousands of families have been coming to Hatteras every year for decades and stay in the same house the same dates, such as the first two weeks of August. They just keep rolling their reservation over. This means of these two to three thousand houses, hundreds are already booked up for the entire five month season. Therefore, you don't have any time to waste. First, call the phone numbers we give you and request a catalogue. Go through it and pick out some houses you might like. Then call the agency. Call no later than January. You might get lucky at the last minute, but you're relying on cancellations. Call early to get your choice.

We think a once a year beach vacation should be a magnificent experience, and we think the best experience on Hatteras Island is obtained in one of the beach front houses at Road's End. This is the dead end of the Old Lighthouse Road. There is a row of houses sitting between Old Lighthouse Road and the beach, and another 46 units in the new Cottages at the Cape development. Some of these houses cost more but we think budgeting for them all year is worth it.

The house shown at right and below left is On The Rocks, rented by Midgett Realty. It's isolated, the last house at Road's End. From the decks and all windows, you have views of Hatteras Lighthouse, Buxton Beach, Lighthouse Beach, and the shoreline running southward all the way to Cape Hatteras itself. At night you can see the lights on the fishermen's four wheel drive vehicles at the Cape, and you can look out to the horizon and see the Light Tower which warns ships of Diamond Shoals. We think On The Rocks is the greatest Small Family House on the island.

On The Rocks sleeps eight. There's a first floor master bedroom which opens directly onto its own deck. The second floor bedroom contains two bunk beds so sleeps four kids. A third floor bedroom sleeps two more in a queen bed. All rooms allow you to lay in bed and see the ocean, so you can watch the moon rising at night and the sunrise next morning. A private sand trail leads from the house over the dune to the water, but from the decks you can watch the kids playing in the waves. If that's not enough you could sit out on the decks until midnight. Keep the windows open and the sound of surf continually ripples through the house. No matter where you sit in any room, including the kitchen or dining area, you have spectacular views of the water. The beach here is wide, gently sloping, and ideal for kids. The surrounding vegetation is active with a dozen species of birds, plus deer, lizards, crabs, rabbits and raccoon. A flock of Canadian Geese frequents the sand flats just beyond the dead end. The deer graze in the inner dune just below your decks, apparently quite comfortable with humans pointing and taking photos. At $5000 a week, this would be perfect for an extended family or two families vacationing together.

A major cottage to consider is the classic 1950s style "Beach Box." These were the original cottages out here. There are about 50 left on the island. They've all been updated and are the best bargain available, making them ideal for families on a tight budget. As a great example of a Beach Box, we recommend Cape Point Cottage, available through Midgett Realty. It's a 1955 classic beach cottage, nestled down in the dunes only a few feet from Buxton Beach with access off Old Lighthouse Road. Buxton Beach has been consistently voted the finest beach on the East Coast and a hundred yards south is the finest surfing on the East Coast. For only $3300 a week you get three bedrooms, two baths, a combination kitchen/dining/living area, an outdoor shower, fish cleaning table, screened in porch, washer & dryer, AC, WiFi and pet privileges. What you give up are beach views (you can hear the surf but not see it) and hot tub. Some people did consider the interior too dark, but a recent remodelling has brightened it up considerably. On the entire island this is the least expensive beach front lodging, plus you can see how your grandparents spent their vacations. You need to book this well in advance because it stays full all Summer and Fall.

Another classic beach box is the Meyer Cottage on North Tower Circle Drive in Buxton. Offered by Midgett Realty, the Meyer Cottage is three houses back from Buxton Beach. Recently remodelled, it has a screened porch, sundeck, queen master bedroom, queen second bedroom, bunk bed childrens bedroom, two bathrooms, laundry facility, AC, Wifi TV, fish cleaning table and outdoor shower. You can hear the waves crashing on Buxton Beach, rated the #1 beach on the East Coast, and the #1 surfing spot on the East Coast is a short walk south. From the deck you can see the lighthouse. What you don't have is a hot tub or ocean views. But at $3300 a week, this is another real bargain.

A different kind of bargain is available up in Avon. Just as you enter the community driving north, Park Drive turns left and extends to the Sound. These houses face the national park. For five miles south to Buxton there is nothing but beach, dunes, and low vegetation. You can sit on your deck and enjoy both sunrises over the Ocean and sunsets over the Sound, and the lighthouse five miles away. You can watch windsurfers and kiteboarders on the Sound. And, most spectacularly, you can watch the birds. Bring a powerful pair of binoculars and a camera with tripod and telephoto lens, for this is Birdwatchers' Paradise. We know people who come in the Fall and spend whole days on the deck watching and photographing birds. You walk one block and cross Route 12 to the Ocean beach, or walk part of a block the other way to launch your windsurfing rig or kayak on the Sound (that boardwalk in the lower right of the photo is the route down to the Sound). Or you can bike or drive half a mile up Route 12 to the Canadian Hole launching beach. This house, Shoot the Breeze, is typical of this neighborhood. At Peak Season it rents for $2500, dropping to only $1200 in May or September. It's handled by Vacasa. The house has four bedrooms, three bathrooms and a hot tub. By giving up a waterfront spot on either the Ocean or the Sound, you thus gain a tremendous price and have quick access to both plus incredible views. Other houses on Park Drive are similar.