biking: all that's required for a joy ride down a trademark
east coast boardwalk is warm layers and a beach cruiser.
mikes
bikes (410-289-5404) will equip you in ocean city, maryland,
while
12th street bicycles (609-399-2814) can outfit you in
ocean city, new jersey.
note: in summer, you're kicked off
the boardwalks by 10 a.m., but in winter you can ride anytime you
please. - k.m.
when to go: december afternoons on north carolina's outer
banks can easily reach into the mid-50s, and nights rarely drop
below freezing. as you move north, those figures change.
where to stay: hotels that require summer bookings two years
in advance have plenty of rooms in the winter - usually at a
substantial discount. in duck, north carolina, try the posh
sanderling inn resort (800-701-4111; $159-$400). for simpler
but comfortable accommodations, there's
the cypress house bed
and breakfast (800-554-2764; $75) in kill devil hills. in ocean
city, new jersey, the
serendipity bed & breakfast
(800-842-8544; $79-$119) is warm and homey.
where to eat: plenty of restaurants close down in the
winter, but the really good ones - the ones patronized by the
locals - are still open. in duck, you'll find great seafood at the
roadside bar and grill (252-261-5729) and steaming chowder
at the
channel bass (252-986-2250) in hatteras. other tasty
treats include the wood-smoked pizza at
mancini's brick oven
pizzeria (302-537-4224) in fenwick island, delaware; high
spirits and good chowder at
the ugly mug bar (609-884-3450)
in cape may, new jersey; and hungry-man portions at the
crab
trap (609-927-7377) in somers point, new jersey. - k.m.
top winter spots
almost any u.s. beach in winter is a fine place to be, but here are
a few especially special stretches of sand.