Avon Vacation Rentals - OuterBanks.com

Where to stay in Avon

Vacation rental homes are the most popular way to stay in the Outer Banks. Rental homes are available in Avon from:

The small town of Avon is easily one of the most popular communities for vacationers on the southern Outer Banks. Located in veritably the center of Hatteras Island, Avon is home to the majority of the island's larger services and amenities, and also has one of the largest concentrations of vacation rentals in the southern OBX region. Despite being slightly larger and more populated than its Hatteras Island neighbors, however, Avon is still a quintessential small beach town, with a quiet environment, an uncrowded shoreline, and a handful of attractions, restaurants, and shops to keep visitors entertained off the beach.

With all the standard features of a good beach destination, in addition to some of the best kiteboarding and windsurfing neighborhoods in the world, visitors who choose a vacation rental in Avon will enjoy the best the Hatteras Island beaches have to offer.

The Avon Beach Scene

Avon, like all towns along Hatteras Island, is bordered on the Eastern side by the Atlantic Ocean, and bordered on the western side by the Pamlico Sound. The expanse in between ranges from several miles to just a few hundred yards, and vacation rentals are located throughout all areas within the town's limits.

The beach regions bordering the town are protected as part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, and as such, they remain undeveloped. This means that visitors who want to explore the various neighboring beach scenes will find plenty of empty beaches to explore for 15 miles to the north of Avon, and for 8 miles to the south of Avon.

That said, an Avon vacationer doesn't have to travel too far to enjoy an uncrowded beach, as virtually all stretches of shoreline that border the town are relatively quiet and spacious, with plenty of room for a beach blanket, even during the prime summer vacation weeks. The beach in Avon is nice and wide, and protected with a solid dune line, which provides protection for the oceanfront vacation rentals in the area, but does produce a little bit of a walk over the dunes to get to the seashore. Not to worry though - the vacation rental communities have a multitude of sandy paths and boardwalks that make a jaunt over the dunes an easy two minute excursion.

Off the sand, Avon has a number of restaurants, stores, and attractions that are generally seasonally open from Easter to Thanksgiving for visitors to enjoy. The restaurants range from small burger shacks and fast food restaurants, (including two of the island's only three chain fast food restaurants), to lightly fancier establishments with unique menus that take full advantages of the fresh seafood that is reeled in on a daily basis.

Avon is also home to the island's main medical center, a shopping plaza with the island's sole chain grocery store, an assortment of watersports stores, surf shops and boutiques, and a variety of different diversions. For fun, visitors can head to the Avon Fishing Pier with neighboring putt-putt course, relax at the local spa and salon, or explore the in-town community of "Kinnakeet Village," a mainly year-round residential community that boasts century old homes and a small working harbor with boat slips and a public boat launch.

Right outside the town's southern borders, visitors can hit two of the Outer Banks' most famous soundside beaches, Kite Point and Canadian Hole. Known worldwide as Hatteras Island's premier watersports gathering locales, both of these beaches serve as fantastic launching points for Pamlico Sound-based sports, and can be just as easily enjoyed by families with young children, visitors who want a break from the rougher ocean waves, and anyone who loves a good soundfront sunset. Canadian Hole also has a wide soundside parking area, as well as public restrooms and seasonally open showers for visitors' convenience.

Essentially, Avon is a perfect representation of what a small beach vacation town should be - an assortment of restaurants, shops and attractions that don't steal the thunder away from the allure of the gorgeous and sparse ocean beaches. Visitors who come to Avon are ideally looking for a relaxed vacation that centers around the shoreline, with a few fun off-the-beach excursions thrown in on family days or evenings out.

Types of Avon Vacation Rentals Available

An estimated 75% of the residences in Avon are vacation rental accommodations, and because the town is focused around small communities with just a scattering of businesses, there are ample accommodations to choose from.

The town has three condo complexes, two located adjacent to the Pamlico Sound and one that's next to the ocean, which are smaller structures that are inviting and peaceful retreats.

The rest of Avon is comprised of vacation rental homes, and these properties are incredibly varied, ranging from oceanfront to soundfront locations, (as well as everything in between), and featuring anywhere from 2 to 12 bedrooms.

Smaller families will find plenty of 2-3 bedroom cottages or one-story "beach boxes" available for rent, especially around the Hatteras Colony area which takes up a large portion of southern Avon. Visitors looking for larger accommodations in the 4-6 bedroom range will find an ample supply of these as well, particularly in the Kinnakeet Shores community, a subdivision that boasts two outdoor pools, tennis courts, ocean and soundside vacation rentals, and a series of soundside walking paths that wind all the way to the Pamlico Sound beaches.

Finally, visitors in search of large luxury homes will not be disappointed, as the region features a number of 6+ bedroom rentals with stunning open water views on the sound or ocean sides, in addition to a fantastic array of resort-quality amenities. These amenities can include private pools, hot tubs, game rooms, theater rooms, expansive great rooms, and multiple master bedrooms, making each home essentially its own luxury boutique hotel.

In essence, despite its quiet and less populated Hatteras Island location, Avon rental homes come in all shapes and sizes, and offer a dizzying array of distinctive features, meaning that all a visitor has to do is define their criteria and narrow down their search to properties that fit their ideal vacation home or condo.

Benefits of Avon Vacation Rentals

One of the biggest benefits to renting a vacation rental in Avon is seclusion, with the option to go out and have fun. Avon is a town where visitors can relax in their beach house with limited traffic, noise and people to interrupt the view, but can also explore the local dining or bar scene after hours to have a great time out on the town. There are a number of ice cream shops, stores, paint-your-own-pottery shops and beading shops, and even a seasonally open movie theater to stay entertained on rainy days, and endless miles of beaches to enjoy on sunny ones.

The other major benefit is sheer variety in both location and size of vacation rentals available. Visitors will find they can stay at a quiet little soundfront or canalfront retreat for exceptional fishing, boating, kayaking, crabbing, and windsurfing or kiteboarding, or can reserve a week or two at one of the towering oceanfront beach houses that feature all the amenities to make a day at the beach house a vacation unto itself. With all sizes and locations, which can accommodate virtually any vacationer's idea of how to spend a week at the shoreline, Avon is hard to beat for variety.

Finally, frequent visitors love the small-town atmosphere that carries over into everyday life on the beach. In Avon, vacationers can hit the local summer Farmer's Market, held weekly on Tuesdays, saddle up for an extensive community fish fry, take a seasonally offered painting or cooking class, enjoy a live band at one of the many restaurants, and essentially enjoy the community feel of life in a small beach town. The dedicated community in Avon is always cooking up something, and all a visitor needs to do is keep a lookout for the roadside marquis and make-shift signs to see what upcoming events they can enjoy while on vacation.

Considerations of Avon Vacation Rentals

The drawbacks of Avon are essentially two-fold, and completely contradictory. Some vacationers tend to avoid Avon and Hatteras Island in general because there is not quite enough activity and attractions to keep them entertained, while others opt for the smaller communities north and south of Avon because the town, to their tastes, is a little too busy.

Essentially, Avon is an ideal locale for visitors who want just enough activity and action to keep them busy after a long beach day or two, but who are equally content to relax on their porch and watch the open water. Visitors who typically frequent the central Outer Banks beaches of Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk and Southern Shores should also be prepared to tack on an extra hour of driving to and from their final destination, as Avon is a good 40 or 50 miles away from the main roads that lead to the Outer Banks. It should be noted, however, that this drive is a phenomenally scenic one, with expansive ocean to sound views over the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge, and a 13 mile drive through the outskirts of the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge.

Visitors who crave a secluded and quiet beach, but still want the option to stroll around and check out the community, will fall in love with Avon. Hopping in the summer months and a quiet little ghost town in the dead of winter, Avon is a fantastic example of what a small beach community can be.

Tips and Tricks for Avon Vacation Rentals

Like many regions of the Outer Banks, the vacation rental rates in Avon tend to drastically reduce throughout the shoulder seasons before they reach their lowest levels in the months of October through March. Visitors who really want to get away from it all, and enjoy endless miles of shoreline all to themselves, should look into a vacation rental during these after-summer months. While water temperatures can fluctuate, and may not be warm enough for swimming, guests will find plenty of local businesses still open, warm sunny days suitable for a beach chair, and all the great amenities that Avon vacation rentals are known for, like game rooms, hot tubs, and even winter fireplaces.
Be sure and book early. Even though Avon has one of the largest numbers of vacation rentals on Hatteras Island, it is also one of the most popular destinations, with visitors returning year after year to the same homes and communities. As such, visitors who are looking for homes in a certain location, (like oceanfront or soundfront), or with specific amenities in mind, should book at least 4-6 months in advance whenever possible. Generally, reservations for the following year are accepted up to a year in advance, so a little long-term planning will go a long way in securing your vacation accommodations.
For couples and small parties, the condos available in Avon are among the most scenic and secluded on the Outer Banks. Generally just 2-4 stories tall, and bordering miles of water, these units are scenic retreats with exceptional views of the Atlantic Ocean or the Pamlico Sound.
Visitors should definitely bring their appetites, but should plan their nights out a little early in Avon. The majority of restaurants close at 9:00 p.m. or 10:00 p.m. at the very latest, yet the town has one of the highest numbers of restaurants on Hatteras Island, ranging from pizza joints to seafood bistros. Come hungry, and if you happen to miss last call, rest assured that the kitchens and wet bars in the local vacation rental homes, (in addition to the chain grocery store located just a couple miles away, which is seasonally open 24 hours a day), will ensure that no one in your family ever goes hungry.
A trip to Avon is an ideal time to pick up a new watersport, specifically kiteboarding or windsurfing. A number of local watersports companies offer rentals from the beaches of Canadian Hole or Kite Point, in addition to the areas off a soundside canalfront or soundfront rental home. Be sure and call in advance for rates and availability, and enjoy a week of picking up a new skill while still relaxing on the open waters.

The vacation rentals in Avon can range for quiet 1-2 bedroom waterfront condos to expansive oceanfront estates clocking in at 10 or more bedrooms. With such variety to choose from, and yet an ample supply of pristine and uncrowded beaches to explore, Avon is in many vacationer's minds a perfect beach town.

Essentially a combination of a quiet small-town lifestyle and a nice selection of visitor-centric activities and attraction, Avon is the perfect retreat for anyone who wants to dive into the natural surroundings of the Outer Banks, but still have a little action off the sand.

For peaceful and scenic surroundings, and plenty of summertime activities to uncover, Avon is surely the heart of Hatteras Island's tourist industry, and the perfect Outer Banks beach community.