The Outer Banks consist of a collection of barrier islands along the North Carolina coast ... and in some ways tourism has taken a toll on the small-town charm of the community.

It just might be time for a beach getaway. We've narrowed our list of the best beaches to visit in North Carolina.

The warning at the Outer Banks came from the Cape Lookout National Seashore, where a small tidal sandbar forms at Point of Cape Lookout leading to Shark Island.