DrumStick

DrumStick is a vacation rental at 41304 Ocean View Dr in Avon, one of the villages strung along NC-12 on Hatteras Island, inside Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Avon sits roughly midway down the island's run of villages, with Rodanthe, Waves, and Salvo to the north across the Marc Basnight Bridge, and Buxton and Hatteras village to the south.

Hatteras Island is narrower and more exposed than the beaches further north, and it comes with a different set of rules to match — 4x4/ORV beach driving is permitted here with an NPS permit, opening up long stretches of shoreline that a standard parking-lot access point doesn't reach. South in Buxton, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse (the tallest brick lighthouse in the country, moved inland in 1999) is worth the drive, though it's currently closed for climbing. Keep NC-12's exposure in mind when you're planning: the road closes during storms with some regularity, and hurricane season (June through November) is a real consideration on this stretch of coast. Shoulder season — April, May, September, and October — tends to be the sweet spot for a quieter visit.