I just got back from down at the Outter Banks last night. It was a BLAST

I have some pics/video of the driving on the beach and some of the other cool places down there. Wound up being ~4hrs down from southern Raleigh and of course not many folks on the road

There are some fairly inexpensive places to get a room in the off season but just about everything there was closed down. I think April-May would be ideal for getting a trip together. Most of the light houses are opening back up then, the Wright Bros. place will be a little warmer to walk around/climb. Also its still off season then, so cheaper prices.
The area at the northern end of US 12, above Corolla has about 20 or so miles of shore line to drive up for free/no permits. There are several communities in that area that you can explore if you want....I have found that some have some fairly big water puddles to cross (but thats fun too

) and then farther south on US12 there are some other places to get out on the beach for free/no permits. Other areas require permits/fees from the individual towns.
If anyone wants to head down there, I would suggest that Nags Head be the "base of operations" since its fairly centrally located. Carova beach (norther end) is about 20-30mins north while Hatteras is about an hour south. Also, Nags Head has the most hotels of the area.
I'll post pics and links to vid clips after I get them edited down and usable.
Let me know who's interested in getting a trip together and I'll check into things.