We recently went to the Outer Banks (OBX) with some friends.
We have decided we will take an annual freindcation every June since we seem to
somehow end up together every year anyway. We learned a bunch and were
pleasantly surprised by this little corner of the country. I thought I would
share some tips and things we enjoyed.
First, where on earth is the Outer Banks?
They are the chain of islands that run along the coast of
the Carolinas. Think East Coasters fleeing the cities for the summer meets crawfish
and crab boils and Southern folk lounging on the beach.
There are several
airport options within 1-4hrs to extend your trip to D.C., Richmond or Raleigh
really easily (we went through Norfolk but wished we were smarter about it and
went through D.C. with an extra day on one side). You have to have a car to get
around. Uber is just starting up in the area and is quite pricey.
To Stay
God Bless Air BNB. We rented a little two-bedroom townhouse
for the four of us and it worked out perfectly! There aren’t very many hotels
in the OBX, so rental houses are the way to go! There are tons and tons of
options too!
We stayed around the Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nag’s
Head area. This was more developed than we expected and not really what we
pictured for our beach vacation. Next time, we would head north and stay in the
quainter town of Duck. It is soooo cute and has so many typical New England
beach houses of all colors right on the water.
There is a sound side and an ocean side everywhere in the
Outer Banks. Both are beautiful in their own ways. The sound is quieter and
less crowded. The beach is, well, the beach. Be sure to know what side of the
island you are staying on.
To Eat
The food is quite fried, quite Southern and quite seafoody.
We found this really fun breakfast place called Stake ‘Em High and went there
two morning. We had heard some good things about Grits Grill so tried it the
first morning. We walked away with just about the best mug experience possible.
The last morning we went to Duck Donuts. Anyone who knows us
probably just dropped to the ground. Yes, the O’Connell’s ate a donut and they
liked it. They are made right in front of you and are made however you want.
When they are finished they are so fresh they’re too hot to eat!
On our last night we went waaaaaayyyy south to Hatteras and
had a really yummy dinner at Rusty’s. It is apparently the Red Drum capital and
always has delicious, fresh seafood. The swordfish was also super yummy!
You have to get some oysters while on the East Coast and
there are plenty of raw bars to grab some at! They are a must!!!!
There are ice cream shops EVERYWHERE. We really loved Rita’s
Frozen Custard and Italian Ice and Booty Treats ice Cream. Booty Treats has
this fun shaved ice- Dippin’ Dots combo, delish!
To Do
BEACH
We went to several beaches all throughout the OBX.
Along Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills and Nag’s Head: is very
popular and also the most crowded. One of the days the surf was too high and
there was no swimming here. We went back the next day though and had a great
time (under our umbrella that is).
Corolla and Duck: are more secluded and there aren’t really
any tourists just those in the houses lining the beach. The beach is also wider
here and we thought it was prettier. Just north of Corolla is Corova and you
get to it by the only beach highway in the country. It’s actually a really busy
road, so be careful!
Hatteras Seashore: is a huge protected seashore with some
beach access and camping. It is perfect and not disrupted with pretty much no
one else except for some of the small towns that dot the roadside.
There are a TON of water sports. As you could imagine, Kyle
was all about them. He and Travis surfed and were pretty good for their first
time! There is a tone of kite boarding, kite surfing, boogie boarding,
parasailing and beach cruising as well. You HAVE to do something fun in the
beach at least once while you’re there!
DRIVE
It is about three hours to go from Corolla to Hatteras. We
did it in two separate trips but we were really glad to drive the whole way. Although
it is a lot of time in the car, it is well worth it. There are six lighthouses
along the coast and we went to three of them. It was really neat to hear the
stories and history that surrounds them. It was also a decent little workout to
climb them!
KAYAK
You have to kayak somewhere in the OBX. There are a ton of
options to fit whatever you are looking for be it beach, river or marsh. DO ONE
OF THEM! We went down the Alligator River and had a blast!
On our way there we were driving to the drop sight and a
black bear and her three cubs walked across the road right in front of our
car!!!!! WHAT?!?!? The island we were on has the highest density of black bears
in the world! While we were kayaking we saw some gators, tone of turtles and
several different frogs that hitched a ride in our kayaks. This was seriously
the best idea!
WILDLIFE
We had no idea the Outer Banks were so diverse! There are
bears, foxes, gators, dolphins, tons of reptiles and wild horses.
We hiked up north of Corolla to see the wild horses.
Everyone will tell you that you need a tour company to do this. Not true! You
do need a SUV/truck or be willing to walk 1.5-2mi down the beach to get to
them. The dunes are really fun to play on and seem like a different world.
Drivers also aren’t so friendly to hitch hikers, we tried. Fortunately on the
way back Junior Sisk and Junior Rambler took pitty on us and gave us a lift.
His wife threw a hat out her window at Travis as we left. Little did we know we
were sitting in the presence of greatness. He is one of the top 20 bluegrass
artists. Look him up; he has shows all around the country!
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| In the back of Junior Sisk's Truck!!!! So famous, we could hardly stand it!!! |
The horses were well worth the walk, it was so cool to be
walking then all of a sudden these horses are just standing in front of you!
There are several trails to go hiking and exploring we went
on a few and loved all the different landscapes.
HISTORY
Surprisingly enough, this tiny chain of islands is packed
full of history. The Wright Brothers flew the first airplane in Kitty Hawk. You
can go see where they lived and flew their planes. It was a cheap, quick little
bit of history. We probably wouldn’t do it again if we go back, but first time
visitors should definitely see it!
The Lost Colony on Roanoke Island is quite the mystery. It is one of the original colonies in the region and just disappeared one day. No one knows what happened or where they went. Check it our and see for yourself.
Hope that was a fun little insight into our trip! It was the perfect mix of South and East, beach and forest, fun and sun!!!
