There have to be magic within the air down on the Outer Banks. How else are you able to clarify a spot the place wild horses frolic on a seashore and people can study to fly?
That’s what I assumed on my first go to there as a lifelong resident of landlocked states who, fact be advised, hardly ever craved a seashore getaway. They had been by no means as idyllic because the postcards promised – I assume I’d simply by no means gotten one from the Outer Banks. Like so many others, my spouse’s household would make annual pilgrimages, and after they supplied me an introduction, I lastly “obtained it.”
The pure barrier islands shield roughly 200 miles of mainland North Carolina coasts from Atlantic storms regardless of themselves being delicate land formations mere a whole lot of toes vast in some stretches. House to a dozen nationwide wildlife refuges, protected seashores and state parks, the mix of magnificence and energy, immense breadth and serene fragility, make for fairly the draw.
And vacationers have undoubtedly observed. Between 4 and 5 million folks will make the trek to the Outer Banks – or OBX – this yr, practically double the numbers from 15 years in the past, based on the native tourism bureaus and park authorities, which means it pays to plan forward. Regardless of the crush of consideration, the coastal cities and soul-restoring views nonetheless retain that breezy appeal – yet one more instance of the magic of the Outer Banks. Right here’s my prime ideas for benefiting from your journey.
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Step 1: Select the place to base your self
Location is essential in OBX as every city has a definite really feel, but touring between them has its challenges. Site visitors on Hwy 12, the primary artery all through the Outer Banks, can harsh the vibes up north, whereas Ocracoke Island to the south is barely accessible by way of ferry. Beachside parking heaps are additionally smaller and fewer in quantity than you usually see at mainland seashores, so that you’ll must gauge how necessary it’s to be simply walkable to a seashore entry level. Listed below are a few of the highlights, listed from north to south.
Corolla
Vibes: Upscale but unpretentious mixture of posh rental properties, purchasing, and pure magnificence. Whereas geographically the Outer Banks begin in far southern Virginia, usually individuals are referring to the communities of North Carolina when speaking about OBX, and Corolla is as far north as you possibly can drive in OBX while not having a beach-safe 4WD car (Bear in mind: pronounce the city identify as kur-ALL-ah, and don’t get your kah-ROLL-ah caught within the sand).
Do: Getting a glimpse of the wild mustangs, ancestors of Colonial Spanish steeds, on the dunes of Currituck Nationwide Wildlife Refuge is a trip-defining spotlight. The nonprofit Corolla Wild Horse Fund has a useful resource web page on how you are able to do this safely your self if outfitted with a 4WD, but when not, a plethora of native tour operators exist. On the town, climb the steps on the Currituck Seashore Lighthouse earlier than grabbing a seashore learn at Island Bookstore.
Eat: Splurge on a crabcake benedict breakfast at Seanna Tavern earlier than your lighthouse go to. Within the night, cool off with a drink on the laid-back Corolla Beer Backyard.
Keep: Trip dwelling leases are all over the place and for each finances throughout OBX. Go Airbnb in case you are searching for a smaller or extra inexpensive keep, however for big teams I’d suggest one of many native trip rental outfits like Twiddy & Firm, which dominates the northern OBX market and may have extra workers help on-call. The Inn at Corolla boasts sundown views of Currituck Sound.
Duck
Vibes: Quaint and family-friendly, the city of Duck is a charmer with a boardwalk lined by memento retailers and seafood joints. Artwork crawls and free concert events within the park will allow you to faucet right into a coastal city ambiance straight out of Netflix’s Outer Banks (Disclaimer: I’ve by no means seen an episode, however the present is definitely filmed in South Carolina anyway.)
Do: Hire a set of wheels from Ocean Atlantic Leases and zip up the bike path earlier than choosing up a kite on the boardwalk retailers to fly on the seashore. Observe the boardwalk right down to Duck City Park and watch reeds dance within the wind.
Eat: Seize an almost-too-pretty-to-eat donut from the unique Duck Donuts location that spawned the nationwide chain. The Blue Level serves up simple however scrumptious takes on seafood classics like scallops or shrimp and grits, whereas the Paper Canoe’s intimate eating room and artistic shows are excellent for date evening.
Keep: If Twiddy or Airbnb listings in Duck aren’t to your liking, Village Realty has an workplace on the town. There’s additionally a string of inns alongside the narrower stretch of land between Duck and Corolla, of which the luxury Sanderling Resort is probably the most elegant.
Kitty Hawk/Kill Satan Hills/Nags Head
Vibes: This trio of neighboring communities has each extra issues to do and extra folks doing them than elsewhere else in OBX. Look right here to commerce a extra crowded seashore for extra accessible facilities and rental costs.
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Do: It was Kitty Hawk the place the Wright Brothers famously launched their proto aircraft experiments, and the Wright Brothers Nationwide Memorial stands right here to commemorate the precise spot the inventors squared off with gravity. Jockey’s Ridge State Park has the tallest dwelling sand dunes system on the Japanese Seaboard. Need to strive jockeying your self? Ebook a seashore horseback experience.
Eat: Beachside grillshack John’s Drive In has been slinging burgers and candy treats for practically 50 years, whereas Sam and Omie’s consolation meals from the ocean has been a crowd-pleaser for practically 90 years.
Keep: You’ll discover extra motels and nationwide chain inns on this space if that matches your wants higher than a full dwelling rental. If you wish to get away from the crowds, the kid-free Colington Creek Inn on the Roanoke Sound aspect gives a relaxed oasis in Kill Satan Hills.
Roanoke Island
Vibes: The group of Manteo on Roanoke Island within the sound must be your hub if you happen to’re extra of a museum hound and historical past buff than a seashore bum.
Do: Attempt to remedy one of many nation’s oldest chilly circumstances by investigating the infamous Sixteenth-century disappearance of the “Misplaced Colony” at Fort Raleigh Nationwide Historic Website, the place roughly 120 British colonists vanished with out clarification. Stroll among the many flowers on the stately Elizabethan Gardens, a dwelling memorial on the web site.
Eat: The oysters, whether or not broiled or uncooked, at Blue Water Grill for lunch will tide you over until your reservations for a steak dinner on the 1587 Restaurant and Lounge contained in the Tranquil Home Inn.
Keep: The island options numerous cozy inns and conventional mattress and breakfasts. There’s the aforementioned Tranquill Home, however the views and boardwalk entry on the Roanoke Inn are powerful to beat.
Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands
Vibes: On the finish of the road on the far south Outer Banks are Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands, the extra secluded and chilled-out alternate options to the bustle of northern OBX (although lodging nonetheless fill rapidly in peak season).
Do: Simply getting right here will probably be a part of the journey. The drive down Hwy 12 to Hatteras alongside Cape Hatteras Nationwide Seashore will deal with you to views of each the ocean and the sound, whereas Ocracoke is barely accessible by way of ferry. As soon as settled, take pleasure in a less-crowded seashore or stroll the path via Buxton Woods.
Eat: Howard’s Pub is a cool favourite hangout in Ocracoke with first rate burgers, or change it up with Thai curry ramen at Cafe Pamilco.
Keep: House leases in these areas are greatest accommodated via one of many rental places of work that focuses on these communities, like Ocracoke Island Realty or Hatteras Realty.
Step 2: Reserving your lodging
We’ve performed massive dwelling leases for our journeys to OBX, a should for a dozen folks touring collectively, together with youngsters, however researching choices can really feel daunting. Not solely are there a number of rental companies, however prime spots e-book up rapidly, over a yr upfront in some circumstances, and Twiddy warns that its inventory of enormous houses is sort of 80% booked for the summer time by January 1 of a given yr. What’s difficult is that because of variable leasing agreements between owners and rental administration firms, reserving availability can really feel a bit scattershot, with charges for future years listed as topic to vary whilst you’re allowed to position a maintain. If going with a rental dwelling, begin trying now and reserve instantly. Even if you happen to plan to maintain your eyes open for alternate options and must forfeit a small maintain payment for a change, higher to lock in early.
House leases aren’t mandatory for each group, understandably, but when staying in a resort, splurge on that quaint inn if in any respect possible. Many bars aren’t open late and the OBX nightlife is extra chill than thrill, so keep someplace you’ll take pleasure in stress-free within the evenings.
Step 3: Plan your days
I’ve listed a bunch of suggestions above, however everyone knows the explanation you’re going to the Outer Banks: the seashores. Quite a few choices exist for renting seashore gear together with seating and umbrellas, paddleboards and even golf carts to shuttle your crew to totally different seashore entry factors. Advance reservations are a should to get high quality gear. In the event you’re in a pinch and forgot one thing, name round to varied rental companies relatively than simply skimming their websites for a last-minute Hail Mary likelihood at snagging one thing.
The Wright Brothers launched their early flights from right here due to the constant sea winds, and you’ll glide alongside your self with kitesurfing or glider classes from Kitty Hawk Kites. I’m extra grounded (i.e. petrified of heights) so a novelty kite that may fly over our seashore chairs is extra my pace. Keep watch over surf and wind experiences earlier than committing to a plan for the day; poor water circumstances or a robust wind out of the west (which blows in additional mosquitoes and flies from the nonetheless waters of the sound) could also be a cause to skip the seashore that day and take a look at one of many cities as a substitute.
Lastly, examine the launch schedules at NASA’s Wallops Island and Kennedy House Middle services. They’re sporadic and extremely dependent upon the climate circumstances being excellent at launch time, however we had been lucky sufficient to witness one in 2023, and watching a craft actually depart Earth’s ambiance is a robust and humbling expertise. I can solely think about what Orville and Wilbur Wright would suppose.
Step 4: Plan your menu
Countless mid-scale eating choices exist all through OBX, with an emphasis on seafood, naturally, however wherever that takes reservations will seemingly e-book up days to weeks upfront in peak season, so make some bookings earlier than you even depart dwelling.
In the event you’re touring with household or one other massive group, a simple and enjoyable approach to beat the crowds is to have a seafood boil at dwelling. Outer Banks Boil Firm will assemble your most popular combo of shellfish and sides tossed with butter and seasoning, all wrapped to go. You’ll simply want a range to boil it on. It nonetheless pays to order your pot forward of time within the excessive season.
Step 5: Resolve the way you’re getting there
The closest main airport is Norfolk Worldwide, which is a roughly 90 minute drive, with out visitors, to the Wright Memorial Bridge into the Outer Banks, and relying on the place precisely you’re staying, it might be one other hour driving via OBX. Key phrases being “with out visitors”, as excessive season will bump this up significantly, notably at choke factors close to the bridge and on the town facilities. Do every thing attainable to reach and depart midweek, as arriving on a Saturday noon will imply spending most of your first day of trip gazing brake lights.
Whether or not coming from Norfolk or from additional to the north, make a pit cease at Morris Farm Market close to Barco, N.C., which has the biggest collection of items – and cleanest rest room stalls – of the markets that dot the northern route into OBX. The southern route throughout Roanoke Island on Hwy 64 is often much less crowded, and the primary means you’ll go if coming from Raleigh. Ferries to Ocracoke launch from Swanquarter and Cedar Island on the mainland, and as with every thing in excessive season, e-book forward for peace of thoughts if going that route.
Talking of routes, doublecheck that GPS and ensure it’s not inadvertently directing you to a ferry in an ill-advised try and keep away from visitors. Likewise, your GPS might route you thru neighborhood aspect streets as soon as in OBX, regardless of native makes an attempt to have tech firms cease recommending these shortcuts (I’ve even seen locals put up indicators saying “Google Maps lies! Don’t drive this fashion!” to discourage detours). In the event you simply can’t assist your self, a minimum of make sure to drive slowly and respectfully via neighborhoods off the primary drags.
Step 6: Pack your luggage
For us, that is a type of “pack the automobile to the gills” type of journeys, as we deliver meals and provides to inventory the rental property throughout our keep. Other than sunscreen and bug spray, you’ll additionally wish to deliver any toiletries and laundry cleaning soap which may not be supplied by the rental. Higher to deliver from dwelling relatively than waste your time in lengthy traces to pay premium costs after you arrive.
Purchase the nicest, heaviest seashore umbrella or cover you possibly can handle, because the winds will flip an inexpensive one inside out or ship it flying down the seashore, and also you’ll want a respite from the solar. Pack a nicer light-weight button-up or costume if you wish to spruce up for a dinner or two, although you may get by with seashore informal just about wherever.
