While the drive from Pea Island to Frisco can take a couple of hours during summer, you're only gonna go as far as the waves take you, and there's a good spot to grub at every stop. First up is Mac Midgett's Island Convenience located right on Highway 12 next to Rodanthe Surf Shop. If you're not grubbing at Mac's between sessions, then you're not a surfer. This is where everybody who's anybody sits down, catches a meal and talks story with other surfers -- local and alien. Stay away from the pizza slices and onion rings, but feel free to go crazy on the homemade sandwiches. For a real restaurant in the Rodanthe vicinity, the Froggy Dog (252-995-4106) is farther south in Avon. Lisa's Pizza should be check out too. They've got good food and almost everyone from the owner to the busboy surfs. A Hatteras Glass board hangs above the service counter and surf videos play continuously on the TV. Cruise by the Red Drum on Buxton's main drag for a day's worth of supplies, and for Frisco, there is only one choice: Bubba's Barbecue (252-995-5421).

To guarantee a fun and cheap vacay, you're better off staying in town to enjoy the full range of flat-spell party options, especially since lodging down south is almost entirely restricted to big-bucks beach rentals, tiny motels or a tent. For those who don't want the advice, call Dare County Tourist Bureau (252-473-2138) for camping info throughout the year. Here's a quick rundown of camping options moving north to south: before you even cross the bridge, there's Oregon Inlet Campground (800-365-CAMP), followed by the North Beach Campground (252-987-2378) near Rodanthe and the Cape Hatteras KOA Campground (252-987-2307) in Waves. There's a campground next to the Lighthouse (www.americanparks.com/parklist/nccape.htm) for the more sentimental, as well as several Frisco options. Call Cape Point Campground at Frisco (800-365-CAMP) or Frisco Woods Campground (252-995-5208), but Cape Woods Campground is the place (252-995-5850).

For a cheaper room, try Buxton's Surf Motel (252-995-5785), which is run by the ESA, or one of several others in the area, including the Avon Motel (252-995-5774), the Village at the Hatteras Marlin Hotel (252-986-2141) and the Seaside Inn at Hatteras (252-986-2700). Other options are available at www.hatteras-nc.com. Or, if your daddy makes bank and you want a nice house for the week, call Cove Realty at 800-635-7007.

Rodanthe Watersports and Campground is a nice sound side spot and next door to Lisa's Pizza.

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Perhaps the only person happier than a Hatteras surfer is a Hatteras fisherman. The Gulf Stream lies only 12 miles away, and this area is known as the "Gamefish Junction of the East," where northern and southern species of fish meet, including bass, bluefish, king mackerel, blue marlin, tuna and dolphin. Oregon Inlet is the principal passage to the Pamlico Sound, and the Fishing Center's (www.oregon-inlet.com) many charters offer some of the best Gulf Stream sport fishing in the East. If you have a handful of folks, you can enjoy a day of epic adventure for about $100 each. Also, if you make it to Frisco, do not leave without stopping by the Frisco Native American Museum (http://hatteras-nc.com/NAM, 252-995-4440), where you can learn a lot about the history of Hatteras Island while viewing strikingly interesting native artifacts from pre-colonial North Carolina. Admission is free, but be a sport and drop a donation in the box by the door. Check out www.hatteras-nc.comfor more options.

Waiting for you the second you leave Pea Island, Rodanthe Surf Shop (252-987-2412) is owned by hardcore locals Randy Hall and Debbie Bell and is the longstanding north post, while Scott Busbey's Natural Art Surf Shop (252-9955682) remains Buxton's second biggest landmark. In between there's other options like Ocean Roots (252-995-3369) and Hatteras Wind and Surf (252-995-6275), both in Avon, and Fox Watersports (252-995-4372) in Buxton.