Lodging

Webster's dictionary defines a cottage as a small vacation house. I guess small is in the eye of the beholder, because that's not what I found in North Carolina. In fact, the Nags Head cottage I stayed in could sleep 36 people. Yes, that's right, I said 36!! Suffice it to say, that the Outer Banks definition of a cottage is slightly different. It's a vacation house -- omit the word "small".

Regardless of the semantics, the concept is great. You rent a large beach house and share it with your friends and family. It's a great idea for family reunions or weddings or even for joint family vacations. Most of the cottages come with all the comforts of home, (and then some); from pool tables and hot tubs to ocean front decks and swimming pools.

And the great news is, I inspected several wheelchair-accessible rental cottages while I was in North Carolina. I plan to detail them further in an upcoming edition of Emerging Horizons, but here's one of my favorites, appropriately name "Feelin' Good Again."

Feelin' GoodAgain

Located in South Nags Head, this three story ocean front cottage features elevator access to all floors, wide doorways and good pathway access. It has 9 bedrooms and 11 bathrooms. The kids area is located on the first floor, while the second floor has several more bedrooms with private bathrooms. The top floor houses the kitchen, living area and a bedroom with an accessible bathroom.

The accessible bathroom has a low-step shower and a non-accessible soaking tub. There are grab bars attached to the toilet and there is plenty of room to navigate around this spacious bathroom. There is no shower chair, so remember to bring your own. Although this setup won't work for everybody, it's doable for many people.

And if you like to swim, this cottage has a pool with a lift. There is also a spa and a picnic table on the first floor deck. It's a great place to relax and enjoy the sun. And it's easy to see how this cottage was named, because after a week at this place, you really will be "Feelin' Good Again."