TravelBlog: Do this before you die…
On the North Carolina Outer Banks the sand, driven by hurricanes and nor'easters will take its toll.
It stupefies me how many Carolinians have never been to the North Carolina Outer Banks. Why locals drive all the way to Florida do sit on an overcrowded beach is a mystery. If you’re 18, I get it. If you have a family or just want to leave the rat race behind, OBX is a MUST!
The beaches south of Nags Head are sparsely populated and gorgeous...
The OBX (Outer Banks) is that long, skinny strip of sand sitting in the ocean stretching from the Virginia border all that way down to Cape Lookout. The Atlantic Ocean sits to its east and the Pamlico and Roanoke Sounds to its west. You can throw in the island just west of Cape Lookout, Shackleford Banks, as well. Shackleford is where one of the two herds of wild coastal horses lives. The other is at the top on the OBX near the Virginia border… they’re called the Corolla herd.
I realize from some locations in the western parts of South and North Carolina it’s a haul. From Charlotte it’s about a six-hour drive. Yet people pile in the family truckster and head for Florida beaches, which are just as far or farther.
I’ve heard a number of people say they drive to Florida because of Disney World. I like Disney World. It’s magical. Every family should go there
The dunes at Avon, NC OBX
once or twice. It’s easy to keep the kids busy and distracted until everyone collapses from exhaustion back at the hotel. I get the value in that. But I would bet you (and probably win) that when you come back from that kind of vacation, mom and dad are not relaxed and rejuvenated. It’s been fun… but there wasn’t time to unravel the stress in your life. There wasn’t time to unwind.
And so I ask you to do this one thing before you die… peel that layer of dookie from your brain by spending a week on the North Carolina Outer Banks.
It’s a different kind of vacation. The distractions are as few as you like. It may take a day or two to get used to the silence… only the sound of waves crashing. Sit out on your deck at night and see more stars than you ever new existed. See how many constellations your kids can spot. You’ll be forced to talk with your children and they’ll be forced to connect with you. Teach your son how to cast a line into the ocean and try to catch some dinner. Take a tandem sea kayak out and spend a couple hours with your daughter looking for dolphins. Learn to surf. Try hang gliding on the soft sands of Jockey’s Ridge.
Currituck Light is the only OBX lighthouse left unpainted.
Hike to the top of the most famous and beautiful lighthouses in the world… Cape Hatteras or
The base of the world famous Hatteras Lighthouse is worth the visit all by itself... and then there's the majestic brick tower rising above...
Currituck Light, and look out over the rarest of landscapes you’ll find. Read pirate stories at night and go hunting for beached shipwrecks by day. There are plenty. Take the family on a horseback ride on the beach! Or just sprawl out on the warm sand and snooze… read… or build sandcastles… then watch the tide come wash it away.
It’s a long day to get to Ocracoke and back but well worth the trip. You can drive your car onto a ferry at Hatteras… Bring a cooler because in the center of town on the lagoon is Ocracoke Seafood Company where the local fishermen bring their daily catch.
The OBX is a different kind of vacation. Hotels are few and far between. Most people rent houses for a week at a time. Sometimes people bring their neighbors or their brother or sister and their families along to reconnect with dear friends.
Remember, there is no roller coaster on the OBX. What there is plenty of… is opportunity. Opportunity to reconnect with your own family… and maybe your own you.
Links and more info…
Where I eat:
On Ocracoke Island it feels like you've walked back in time...
On Ocracoke Island it feels like you've walked back in time...
Windmill Point Restaurant
On the Roanoke Sound side at milepost 16.5 HWY 158 Bypass, Nags Head, NC
(252) 441-0535 or 1535
http://www.windmillpointrestaurant.com/
Pier House Restaurant (Casual breakfast & lunch hanging over the ocean, enjoy the sunrise!)
Nags Head Pier, Nags Head, NC 27959
252-441-5141
http://www.nagsheadpier.com/food.htm
The Breakwater at Oden’s Dock in Hatteras Village (excellent food in nice setting overlooking Pamlico Sound)
The dock at Ocracoke Seafood Company...
252-986-2733
Bouy’s Restaurant in Buxton (stick with the fresh local seafood part of the menu)
252-995-6575
47355 HWY 12 Buxton, NC
Where I stay:
I like to stay south of Nags Head closer to Buxton… Avon is my favorite area.
Hatteras Realty (these are the folks I work with)
800-428-8372
Whalehead Club near Currituck Light...
Rentals on the Ocean (another good company with a great reputation, pets welcome)
252-441-5005
http://www.rentalsontheocean.com
What I do:
Horseback Ride on the beach with Equine Adventures
Call Sylvia Mattingly 252-305-1617 or 252-995-4897
http://www.equineadventures.com
Visit Currituck Lighthouse
The Red Brick Lighthouse at the junction of Highway 158 and Route 12
Take Route 12 heading north towards Duck and Corolla.
Horseback riding on the empty beaches of the OBX...
The lighthouse entrance is 20 miles from the junction, on the left, just beyond the Whalehead Club sign.
http://www.outerbanks.com/historiccorolla/
Visit Hatteras Lighthouse
Which is NOT in Hatteras the town. It’s in Buxton. You can’t miss it no matter what direction you’re going!
http://www.nps.gov/archive/caha/capelight.htm http://www.hatteras-nc.com/light/
Take Ferry to Ocracoke Island http://www.ncdot.org/transit/ferry/routes/schedule/route003.html http://www.ocracokeisland.com/
Hang Gliding Lessons at Jockey’s Ridge State Park
http://www.kittyhawk.com/hanggliding/introduction.cfm
Plenty of camping:
The Ferry to and from Ocracoke Island...
The Ferry to and from Ocracoke Island...
www.outer-banks.nc.us/tgod/camping/obcamp.htm
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- On the North Carolina Outer Banks the sand, driven by hurricanes and nor’easters will take its toll.
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- The dunes at Avon, NC OBX
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- Currituck Light is the only OBX lighthouse left unpainted.
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- The base of the world famous Hatteras Lighthouse is worth the visit all by itself… and then there’s the majestic brick tower rising above…
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- On Ocracoke Island it feels like you’ve walked back in time…
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- The dock at Ocracoke Seafood Company…
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- Whalehead Club near Currituck Light…
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- Horseback riding on the empty beaches of the OBX…
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- The beaches south of Nags Head are sparsely populated and gorgeous…
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- The Ferry to and from Ocracoke Island…
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- Bodie Island Lighthouse, halfway between Currituck and Hatteras…
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- Hatteras at sunset…
Mike,
Thank you so much for this blog! We are very grateful!
Now I have something to dream about and save for in addition to Disney World ;)
I completed agree with your story about OBX. My family prefers Emerald Isle best because of it’s peaceful environment and a close grocery store. Our children have never wanted to enjoy the trappings of MB attractions. Vacations are meant to be spent with family in a relaxed state of mind (insert Buffet music) and not where to we go next?. Thanks for continuing your wonderful stories. It makes my day! God bless you on this new venture.
We tried to tent camp on Ocracoke once…It was like sleeping in a kite!! OBX is my happy place…my feet in the sand and a hook in the water is the best therapy ever. If I catch fish….that is a bonus! Thanks for the therapy!
This is one of the best places on the eastern seaboard. (not that my opinion matters) No other place like it up or down the coast. Several years ago I went from Long Beach NC to Duck, stopping along the way. It was a wonderful trip. Not many places where a person can watch sea foam roll across the highway in front of you as you drive.
I haven’t been to the Outer Banks yet, but it’s definitely on my list! You’ve definitely made me want to move it up my list!
-Mel
P.s. every time I read the title of this post I hear scary movie music and an announcer type voice saying “do this before you DIE..!” I think I’ve been reading this blog too long…. :)
Myrtle Beach was the place to go when I was growing up, but after the first time I visited the North Carolina coast (Emerald Isle, Morehead City, etc.) I have only been back to that other place for conventions when I didn’t have any choice. I haven’t made it to the Outer Banks yet, but I will “do this before I die”! Thanks for another great travel blog and beautiful pictures.
“Uncle” Mike…I stumbled across your website through your dear niece Heather’s facebook page, and I feel compelled to comment on this particular posting in your writings, because Rodanthe, NC is probably one of the most magical places I have ever visited. The year my 2nd husband died unexpectedly at the age of 36, I promised my children we would follow through on his birthday promise to me to see the ocean before my 30th birthday. So we contacted Midget Realty, found a beach house two lots back for less than $400 for the week, packed up the SUV, and headed south. The trip healed us, all of us. It brought us back together as a family unit, and made us remember that in our loss how strong our love still was for each other. And as I sat on the beach, I could feel Christopher right there next to me. It was a beautiful experience, visiting the lighthouse, standing atop the Hatteras Lighthouse…very exhilirating, and liberating. I feel as though I know you. I remember when Hey made the long drive to Missouri to live with you. I think I spent most of her drive on the phone with her on her way. Ciao and thanks for bring back a fantastic memory!