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Despite the hit they took from Irene, we now know it takes more than a hurricane to keep Atlantic Coast travelers at home during a holiday weekend.

At least that’s the word from the AAA; as one official with the auto club put it, “All of South Carolina’s coastal cities and beaches will be open for business this weekend.” Not to be outdone, a member of North Carolina’s Outer Banks Golf Association said, “We are open for golf this weekend and this fall [and] the courses are now playable.”

That’s great to hear, and I know that hotels are filling up fast; a spokesperson for a large Myrtle Beach resort told me that they were just about “filled to the brim” this weekend, in stark contrast to last weekend when occupancy plummeted to about 35%.

Learn How to Find Cheap Flights to Myrtle Beach

Where Americans are Traveling for Labor Day Weekend

It’s estimated that nearly 1.3 million from North and South Carolina will hit the road this weekend, a slight increase over last year, and we know some of them will be flying. In fact, about 2.5 million Americans will get on a plane for Labor Day travels; that’s just a slight upswing over last year, but as FareCompare CEO Rick Seaney says, “It’s still good news for our economy, that people are willing to get out and about, and spend some money.”

The most popular Labor Day destinations are somewhat surprising in that they are not much different from the most popular destinations year ’round; travelers this weekend will be heading to New York, Chicago and Las Vegas. All three cities make the Orbitz and HotWire top five.

Still a Few Airfare Deals for Labor Day

Those who want to fly will still find a few last minute deals, but when it gets this close, the seats start going very quickly; see the FareCompare Deals Blog for what’s available right now.