Ashley, I'm so jealous, I used to live in Raleigh and went each summer to the outer banks. It's lovely out there and the thing I liked best was it was mostly deserted. Unfortunately, the trend out there last I heard was for richy-rich neighbourhoods were taking over and crowding out the public beaches.
Now that we're in the western part of SC, it's really a hike out there. Not to mention the new additions to the family make a beach trip out of the question this year. My wife and I really miss the outer banks. She really loved the lighthouses. Surprisingly, SC is kinda weak with lighthouses. I think there's only 3-4 and one of them is already in the ocean.