Road Trip to the Outer Banks

The first week Mum and Dad were here, Glenn took some time off work and we all headed to the Outer Banks. The good news, the weather held out….the bad news, I had the flu! The glands in my throat were the size of golf balls and it felt like my ears were going to fall off, but I was determined not to be the wet blanket and spoil the fun.

Here is a map of our road trip:



We traveled in a clockwise direction...first heading to the area of Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, Nags Head & Manteo. We spent a few nights in Nags Head at an old Bed & Breakfast called the First Colony Inn. It is really pretty and being so old it had a lot of personality. But I think the best part was having a few beers at night, in the hammocks on the old veranda and listening to the sounds of the ocean.

Mum and Dad on the beach at the First Colony Inn

It was windy...check out Boe's ears flapping around

Only 15 minutes from our B & B was the town of Kitty Hawk and the famous beach where on December 17, 1903 Orville and Wilbur Wright made their historic first flight. There is a small museum with a full size replica of the Wright Flyer and marked spots outside where you can see the 4 flights made by the Wright Brothers.

This boulder marks the spot where the first airplane left the ground.

Before leaving the area we went over to Roanoke Island to the Fort Raleigh National Historic site. This is the location of the first English settlement in North America (1584 – 1590) and the famous “Lost Colony”. Besides a small museum there really isn’t too much to see. In the summer there is an outdoor drama performed at the Waterside Theatre, but we were too late in the year and missed it.



Next we headed down the Outer Banks to Hatteras Island. At the end of the long island is the largest lighthouse on the east coast, Cape Hatteras Light. The lighthouse is still used today, although, it was moved inland 3000 feet in 1999 due to erosion of the shore.



Leaving Hatteras Island is done by one of two ways....you turn around and go back -- or take the free ferry to Ocracoke Island. Obviously we went for the ferry! The island of Ocracoke is small (actually, I should describe it as skinny), can only be accessed by boat or small plane, and consists of a single paved two-land road from one end to the other. The village of Ocracoke is located at the far end of the island and has a population around 700, but can easily double in the summer with tourists. Tourist love it here… it has great beaches and fishing, and is home to the oldest operating lighthouse in NC and the second oldest in the United States. Another great reason to love Ocracoke, there are no chains for franchises! The most popular restaurant on the island is Howard’s Pub…the food was great and their beer list was huge, with over 200 beers to choose from (not bad for a small island with only ferry access).

The next morning was on to another ferry, this time over to Cedar Island. I have to comment this but really my Vancouver Island friends will only understand, but the 2-hour ferry only cost $15 and it included a reservation. You guys are being ripped off! Moving on….Cedar Island isn’t much but from here we were able to take an bridge back over to the main land. For lunch we stopped at Beaufort, known for being the oldest town in NC and home of the famed pirate Blackbeard.

So that was it. After lunch we headed inland and realized we had almost completed the circle... and in only 4 hours were back home in the Sandhills!