Over the winter the only travelling we had done was for my work, which although is still fun it is just not the same as a vacation. Once the weather started warming up a little bit we decided to take a long weekend and go to the Outer Banks. We decided on Friday April 20th through Monday April 23rd. Lynn booked an Airbnb in Kill Devil Hills. Other than that we really did not make any specific plans. This would be a long weekend road trip and really did not warrant to much planning ahead.
The drive for us is about 6 hours. We wanted to get there mid afternoon so we hit the road early, about 6:30am.
We stopped for lunch at a Mexican restaurant in Tarboro, NC, which is a little over the halfway point to the outer banks. This later became somewhat of a tradition any time we travel to the outer banks. Lynn went straight for the big margarita...
Once we got checked into the Airbnb we headed out. First stop was The Outer Banks Brewing Station to sample the local brew. Then we went over to The Black Pelican in Kitty Hawk for dinner. The wait for a table was long but we use the bar stool strategy and it usually serves us well. Since this is such a family vacation destination most folks were with larger parties. We had no trouble walking right up to the full service bar and having dinner there.
After dinner we headed back to the Airbnb and took a much needed rest in the hot tub, then called it a night.
The next morning the plan was to go up to Corolla, drive up through Carova Beach and see the wild horses. The wild horses were originally brought here in the 1500s on Spanish ships. The shallow nature of the coast off of Corolla and the unpredictable sandbars have caused the area to be known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic, and caused many a shipwreck. It is believed that the horses survived such occasions to swim to shore, making a new home for themselves, and they’ve been here ever since.
We stopped along the way to try some Duck Donuts at the original location in Duck, NC. Delicious! After that we stopped at the entrance to the 4x4 beach to air down the tires and then headed up the beach in search of scenery and wild horses.
After a few miles we turned away from the beach to get inland a little bit. This is the best chance to see horses as they are rarely on the beach, especially when there is 4x4 traffic. That strategy paid off.
After the horse encounters we selected a spot on the beach to park and relax for a while. Still a bit chilly but the sun was shining and the ocean was blue so we wanted to make the best of it. Lynn was determined to put her feet in the waves and she did a good job pretending it wasn't freezing cold.
After spending the day on the beach we headed back south toward Kill Devil Hills. We stopped at the beach entrance again to air the tires back up, then stopped at Uncle Ike's Sandbar & Grill to get a cold beverage and talk about what would be next.
We then stopped in Duck at the Sunset Grill & Raw Bar. This place is on the sound side and is the perfect place to watch the sun set. The sky was clear so we knew it would be a colorful sunset. We did not stay however, we just checked out the scenery and had a photo opportunity. We had different plans for dinner.
We had seen a place the day before called Art's Place in Kitty Hawk when we were driving to The Black Pelican. The sign out front said "Best Burgers in the Outer Banks". It looked like a local dive bar. Our kind of place, and with the best burgers how could we not give it a try? When we got there the parking lot was pretty full and the place was hopping. Very small with only a few tables so we sat at the bar per our usual practice. Lynn made friends right away with just about everyone there. We also realized we were right about this being a local dive bar. Not a single person we spoke to was a tourist. Everyone in the place other than ourselves lived close by. We love this kind of experience. Oh, and the burgers were off the hook good!
We ended the evening with a nightcap in the hot tub and called it a night. Our plan for the next day was to head south to Cape Hatteras and check out the light house, then maybe do some driving along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. This is part of the national park system and the beach is open to 4x4 driving.
So the next morning we were a bit leisurely in getting going. We stopped in at Sam and Omie's for breakfast on the way out at about 10:30am. This place has a history of serving local fishermen early morning breakfast that goes back to the 1940's. After breakfast we trekked on down towards Hatteras. We stopped a the Bodie Island Visitor Center to pick up an off-road vehicle pass so we could drive on the beach. While there we checked out the Bodie Island Light House.
From there we were on to Hatteras. This light house is the tallest brick structure light house in the USA at 198 feet. Once you get to the top the views are awesome. We climbed the 257 step stairway to the top and visited the museum as well. The original location is about 3000 feet from where it is now. It was moved in 1999 due to erosion and encroaching sea putting it in danger. A lot of history here and a great place to visit.
From there we took the Lighthouse Road to the beach access ramp. We aired down the tires there and hit the beach going south towards the point, where we would spend a couple of hours on the beach.
On the way back we saw a large group of folks para-sail surfing in the sound just off of Kite Point. This particular area on the sound side offers constant wind and since it is not open ocean it is a haven for all types of wind powered water sports. Once we got back to Nags Head we stopped at Sugar Creek Seafood for dinner. This is a water front restaurant on the sound side that offers excellent food and excellent sunset views. We were definitely in the mood for both and the this place delivered. Food and views were awesome.
The next morning we had a few stops we wanted to make before heading home. We made it a point to get up early enough to sea the sunrise over the ocean. After that we headed over to Jockey's Ridge State Park in Nags Head, where we hiked up to the top of the sand dune. We also saw the "castle" partially buried in the sand. This castle is a relic of an old putt putt course that used to be in this spot. Over time the owner could no longer fight the encroaching sand and sold the land to the state in 1988. Since then the natural course of nature has completely hidden the mini golf course with the exception of the castle, which is sometimes visible and at other times hidden, depending on the wind and the movement of the sand.
Due to the nature of natural wind and steep incline on the dunes, Jockey's Ridge is a popular spot for beginner hang gliding lessons. This natural phenomenon is also what contributed to the Wright Brothers choosing Kitty Hawk as their experimental flight location. We did not visit the Wright Brothers historical site on this trip but we will show some of it in later vacations.
At this point it was time to bring our long weekend to a close and head back home. We both had work the next day and needed to get back at a reasonable hour. This long weekend in The Outer Banks is exactly what we needed to recharge our batteries, slow down a bit, and enjoy some of the areas accessible to us by a relatively short drive. We love living in NC mainly because our home base is Lake Norman, which offers fantastic boating activities, restaurants, and a long boating season. We are also only a couple of hours from the Blue Ridge Mountains, and 4 hours to the closest beach. We are lucky to live in such a diverse location.
If you have not visited The Outer Banks of NC I would highly recommend that you make the effort at some point. Rich history, great scenery, and during the summer months excellent beaches. It is family oriented and vacation rental homes are plentiful.
On the way back home we stopped at the Mexican restaurant in Tarboro for lunch. As I mentioned before, this is now a tradition for us when travelling to The Outer Banks. Lynn once again opted for the large margarita...
"TRAVELING - it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller." lbn Batutta
Please feel free to leave a comment in the comment section below. Also, I can be reached at Rocky@Rocklyns.com should you feel the need to reach out.
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