Growing up, Chris and his family used to spend one week in North Carolina's Outer Banks every summer. The Outer Banks (OBX) continues to be a family favorite and we spent the week following the 4th of July in a cedar shingled house on the beach in Kitty Hawk.
The trip began a bit panicked because we were set to arrive on Friday, July 4th and hurricane Arthur was threatening to wreak havoc upon this thin barrier island. Those of you who know us probably aren't that surprised since Chris and I tend to attract hurricanes more than the average traveler. Luckily, Arthur made a quick appearance on Thursday, leaving minimal damage and by the time we arrived on Friday afternoon the sun was shining again. You can see in the picture below that the waves were still massive but the sun was out in full force!
If you live in the mid-atlantic area, the best way to get to OBX is to drive (it's about 5 hours from DC). Most of us were coming from Boston which is a pretty long drive (almost 12 hrs!). Chris and I flew direct to Richmond where we rented a car and drove 3 hours to Kitty Hawk. One can also fly into Norfolk, which is only an hour drive and probably the best option, if you can find affordable tickets and direct flights. Driving from New England is not a bad idea if you can take a little extra time off to stop along the way (Baltimore, Annapolis or DC break up the drive nicely).
1) Get a house rental that starts on a Sunday, or better yet, a Friday. The traffic on Saturdays is horrendous because that is when most rentals turn over.
2) Consider staying in an area that is close to shops. One of us drove to the store daily and we were glad the market was around the corner. Plus we could walk to the drugstore and a yoga studio. Some homes are pretty far outside of town centers and it could take a half hour to get to the store, which means less time on the beach.
3) If you can swing it, rent a beach-front room/apartment/house. The view and breeze makes a huge difference.
4) If you plan to fish, get a fishing license for the week to avoid fines. You can pick one up at Walmart for $10.
OBX is a really laid back destination and the main attraction is, as you probably guessed, the beach. You can rent kayaks and SUP boards, go scuba diving and even hang glide over the dunes! One year we rented a kayak and came face to face with a school of dolphins that stopped to hang out with us for a while.
So what did we do for a week in OBX this year?
We boiled (in a good way).
We went on a wild horse safari (more on this later).