Ocracoke-not necessarily a family resort.

We just returned from 4 days in Ocracoke.It had been many years since our previous visit and we remembered it as a pleasant, sleepy little town.It has grown up ,and not necessarily in a good way.

It might have been the fishing tournament that started 2 days into our visit ,but our view was of a rather rowdy ,drunken ,loud ,almost honky-tonk place.We saw obviously inebriated people staggering around at 9 in the morning w/ beer cans in their hands.These men ,mostly in their 20%26#39;s and 30%26#39;s,had huge coolers full of beer and ice in their pick-ups ,which they parked anywhere w/ impunity ,and drank out of for most of the day.Music boomed from trucks ,boats,and other speakers .This on-going street party generally peaked between 4 and 8 pm ,w/groups of men ambling drunkenly about .A few cops w/ a breathalyzer could have produced enough revenue in one night to run the town for a year.This was certainly not a ';scene'; suitable for a family w/ children.

On the more positive side : most of this drunken activity seemed to be concentrated at the end of town near the Ferry ,the Anchorage Marina ,and sMacNelly%26#39;s bar on the docks ,and most of it seemed to be generated by the participants ,followers and hangers-on of the fishing tournament.If you stayed away from these areas (and looked very carefully before crossing the street)I thik you would be fine.

In it%26#39;s favor ,Ocracoke has some good restaurants esp.The Back Porch ,very nice beaches ,Springer%26#39;s Point is a pleasant walk in a maritime forest ,a day trip to Portsmouth Island is fun (watch the mosquitos!),and you can get pretty much get everywhere on foot or bike.

If going there w/ your kids (or even as a couple) ,I would definitely inquire what events are going on at the time of your visit ,and plan accordingly.

Ocracoke-not necessarily a family resort.

I think you can encounter people behaving badly just about anyplace these days. From time to time we have witnessed just that on Ocracoke, however, in all the years of visiting, it really has been the exception.

I agree that the area near the fishing docks and Smacnally%26#39;s tends to draw a rowdier crowd in the afternoons. We just avoid it. Plenty of other quieter places to go. The island has a Key West feel, so people tend to let down their hair.

Glad you had a good time and were able to explore the rest of the island.

FYI-July 4th tends to be pretty lively too, but fun!