Travel Tuesdays: Outer Banks, NC Edition

I spent this past weekend in the Outer Banks of NC, in the town of Corolla. My parents have a house down there that we rent out for most of the summer, but sometimes it's nice to get away for a weekend in the off-season when the summer crowds haven't taken over, or are headed out. Think relaxation, small town living, enjoying the beach, and being able to hit some of the great local spots around the island without the traffic and craziness. The Outer Banks is a 200 mile stretch of barrier islands down the coast of North Carolina. Corolla is a town in the Northern-most stretch and further South you go through the towns of Duck, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, and Nags Head. Furthest South there is Hatteras Island, then Ocracoke {which you can only reach by ferry}. While Nags Head is more the "built up/touristy" area, the areas further North including Corolla are quiet beach towns with local restaurants and businesses.

The Outer Banks is truly like my second home. I've spent weeks down there since I was a kid. When I was old enough, I also travelled down for a couple weeks each summer with my neighbors to babysit there children {and their family friend's children} to give them an some time to themselves during their family vacation week. My girlfriends from high school and I also spent our beach week in high school at my house instead of the crazy Myrtle Beach where most people from our high school went, and we made it a tradition for years to follow. {Girls, we will be planning a weekend sometime soon!} I have such fond memories of great times down there with best friends, family friends, new friends, and my family. Here are some great memories from some of my trips down to my favorite vacation spot.

At Black Pelican for our big group dinner



Beach Week with the girls

They made me a mermaid

Football on the beach

Late-night venturing to the beach

Dance Parties

Beach Week '06

Celebrating Birthdays with the gang

All the kiddos I babysat with Britt during the summer (10 of them and 2 babysitters-craziness)

Britt and I!

Punkin' and I makin' the Birthday Cake



I wish I had pictures of all my trips there, and all the special people in my life who I've spent time there with, but those are just a few snapshots of my memories off the coast of NC. 

My favorite spots to visit while I'm there:

1. Black Pelican {aka best.seafood.restaurant ever} - I go to this place every time I'm in the Outer Banks, even if it's on the way out of town {like this past trip} I love their wood-fired seafood pizza. My favorite is the Chesapeake Bay Pizza with a creamy white sauce, bacon, corn, and tons of crabmeat loaded on top. Are you drooling? You should be, it's seriously amazing. 

2. For breakfast, I love to run up to Lighthouse Bagels & Deli. It's about 10 minutes from my house and they have delicious big, crusty bagels with homemade cream cheese or breakfast sandwiches. It's also open during off-season and I can always count on a trip there no matter what time of year it is {a lot of the local spots close down during the off-season so it's very quiet down there}

3. Jockey's Ridge State Park is in Nags Head and it's one huge sand dune. People go there to fly kites, have picnics, or just run up and down the dunes. It's a really fun little outing, especially for kids.

4. I love to shop around the little local boutiques in the area, and there is also an outlet mall all the way South near the end of Nags Head. Timbuck II is an area in Corolla with great little boutiques, restaurants, ice cream shops, etc. then there's Scarborough Faire in Duck, and the Waterfront Shops on the sound-side. Great day trip if you happen to have a rainy day at the beach.

5. Currituck Lighthouse in Corolla was built in 1875 to light between Cape Henry to the North and Bodie Island to the South. In 1980 North Carolina started a restoration of the Lighthouse and now it serves as a museum. It was a favorite past time for the kids I babysat to climb the Lighthouse every summer. It was walking distance from the house we stayed in so it was always a fun outing.