Driving to the beach this summer from Charlotte? Use these tips to make your road trip easy
One of the pluses of living in the Charlotte area is that you’re in close proximity to numerous beach communities along the Carolina coast that offer a variety of unique experiences.
From the Outer Banks all the way down to the Charleston area and everything in between, there are plenty of options for every kind of vacation. But one common hiccup for those making a trip is often the traffic, especially in late spring and summer.
Knowing the best routes, the roads to avoid and the busiest times for travel can go a long way toward alleviating those headaches.
Here are some tips and tricks for making your peak season drives to and from the beach almost as relaxing as the beach itself:
When’s the best time to drive to the beach?
The timing of when you drive to and from the beach may be dictated by the check-in and check-out times at the hotel, motel or house you’re staying at, but if you’ve got some leeway in your schedule, you can try to avoid peak traffic.
On weekends, keep in mind check-in times are usually mid-to-late afternoon and check-out times late morning, so the roads will be full at those times with other vacationers coming into and out of town. This is especially true on Saturdays, aka “turn day.”
Leaving earlier or later in the day, or trying to travel on other days of the week can lessen the congestion you’ll face on the roads.
If you’re traveling on a weekday, keep in mind that people do live in beach towns, so you’ll be contending with commuters trying to get to and from their offices if you’re on the road during morning or evening rush hour.
Getting to the Outer Banks
Most of the more common routes from Charlotte to the Outer Banks will take you in or around Greensboro and Raleigh, so when timing your trips, consider when locals in that region will be clogging up the roads, such as during rush hour.
And anyone who has spent any time in the Outer Banks will tell you that some of the worst traffic you’ll face will likely be on the Wright Memorial Bridge, which is notorious for its backups. Whether you’re traveling to or from the Outer Banks or just around the area, it’s worth looking into alternate routes, especially during peak times.
Consider using a GPS app, such as Waze, that takes into consideration current traffic and other road conditions when giving you a route to get around.
You should also remember that the Outer Banks are barrier islands, meaning the weather can have serious impacts on access, even sometimes shutting down roads and bridges. Make sure to check road conditions before hitting the road, as even small storms can do damage that can linger. The state Department of Transportation’s real-time traffic tracker, which can be found at, drivenc.gov, is a good place to start.
Getting to Wilmington-area beaches
The Wilmington area offers up multiple beach destinations, such as Wrightsville Beach and Carolina Beach, within driving distance of Charlotte.
To get there, you’ll generally be presented with two choices: using Interstate 74 most of the way, or taking Interstates 85 and 40 up toward Raleigh before cutting back down towards the Wilmington area. Option one is technically shorter and typically projected to take less time, but that doesn’t mean some don’t swear that option two is ultimately the easier way to go.
Highway 17 in the Wilmington area was long considered a trap for traffic — and it can still get backed up — but that has been somewhat alleviated since the opening of Interstate 140, a bypass of Wilmington.
Getting to the Grand Strand
If you put a Myrtle Beach, South Carolina-area address in your GPS, the route it’s likely to give you will involve tolls and a lot of relatively rural roads through small towns. While some may like that kind of drive, there’s another way to go that’s much more straightforward.
Simply hop on Interstate 77 toward Columbia, South Carolina, and then get on Interstate 20 toward Florence, South Carolina, on the other side of Columbia. Both routes have high speed limits and relatively little congestion that allow you to put on the cruise control and a good playlist and relax. From there, it’s just a brief moment on Interstate 95 and then you can practically smell the salt air.
A bonus tip: Columbia makes an excellent midway stopping point for gas, snacks and stretching your legs on this route. You can easily use Highway 277 to get on and off 77.
And when you’re heading out of town, you can avoid some of the infamous Highway 501 traffic by instead taking SC-31 to SC-22. You’ll still have to get back on 501 once 22 ends, but you’ll miss the bulk of the traffic.
Getting to Charleston-area beaches
The simplest route for getting to Charleston, South Carolina, is similar to the route for getting to Myrtle Beach, taking I-77 toward Columbia. But instead of getting on I-20 on the other side of Columbia, you’ll want to take Interstate 26 toward Charleston.
If you’re going to Charleston proper, I-26 will take you pretty much right into town.
If you’re trying to get further south, such as to Folly Beach or even Hilton Head, you’ll likely need to get off I-26 eventually to take either I-95 or Highway 17 toward Savannah, Georgia.
This story was originally published June 3, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
