Summer Vacation 2021: Outer Banks, North Carolina

 Sunday morning was Father's Day.  I woke up early and walked over to McDonald's since it was next door to our hotel in Virginia to grab Scott some coffee and breakfast sandwiches for everyone.  The boys had each made a card for Scott that listed the top things they love about him (they actually did a really nice job on these cards this year) and we gave him a gift bag with some of his favorite things for him to enjoy at the ocean.  

We packed up the car and started the next leg of our trip on to the Outer Banks.  It was supposed to take about 5 hours to get there and we were a bit nervous since there were weather alerts of a possible tropical storm.  Since I know nothing about tropical storms, I made a post on a OBX Facebook group to get some perspective.  Luckily, most people that commented seemed to agree that it's usually just a thunderstorm over the ocean and nothing to worry about.  So, on we went!

It was raining as we crossed into North Carolina from Maryland, but it was fine once we got into Nags Head.  Our first stop was Brew Thru (a drive-thru beer store)!  We thought it was really cool and we stocked up for our next five days.  We checked into our hotel, moved all our stuff up to our room from the truck, and hit up the beach!

It was getting late and I knew the boys would be hungry, so we went back up to our room and got washed up.  I ordered food from Fish Heads down the road and went to pick it up for Scott's Father's Day dinner.  He got a shrimp basket and Sean tried some.  I enjoyed a local spiked lemonade while I waited for our food, but it was pouring out and I got a little wet standing under the covered bar outside.  It cleared up after we ate and I walked down to the beach to watch the sunset.  

Monday morning we went down to the beach after eating the hotel breakfast.  It was partly cloudy so we got some sun here and there.  We brought and packed a picnic lunch to eat so we could enjoy more time on the water.  We really wanted to enjoy the beach and the good weather as much as we could.  The tropical storm ended up being a whole bunch of nothing (spotted showers), but the weather was going to be hit or miss with some more rain throughout the rest of the week.

It was a great first full day and we even saw a pod of dolphins swimming by!  We took a late afternoon break inside and then walked down to get ice cream at Fat Boyz (so tasty!).  It was really close to our hotel and had something for everyone.  Then, Scott and I went back to sit down at the beach while the kids and dog stayed in the room to get some screen time and to get out of the sun.  It was nice that we are able to do that with the boys now that they're getting older.  They had Scott's phone to call mine if they needed us.  

We ended up ordering pizza for dinner from The Yellow Submarine that was good and we ate in our room.  Then we all went down to the beach for the sunset.  We flew our new kite on the beach and we saw a sand crab and a dead stingray on the beach.  

Tuesday morning was my special morning with Sean.  We set the alarm for 4:30am, packed snacks and flashlights and a bag to collect shells and went to the beach right outside the hotel.  I didn't realize the sand crabs come out at night when it's dark so it freaked me out to see so many running away from our feet or from the flashlights!  I almost called it quits, but kept going for Sean.  For me, it was soooo worth it to see that sunrise.  For Sean, we ended up going to another beach 10 minutes down the road and finding so many great shells.  I think we both ended up with a smile.

We got to also see the Bodie Lighthouse, which was right by the second beach, Coquina, that we stopped to shell at.  And on our way back to the hotel, we stopped at Duck Donuts that opened at 7am and we stood in line probably 10 people deep waiting for it to open.  They make plain donuts and then you pick the frosting and the toppings and they make custom boxes for you.  The donuts are warm and probably the best donuts I've ever had!  Evan and Scott enjoyed their donuts we brought back to them as they were just waking up.

We went down to the beach in the morning while the weather was nice, but they were predicting rain in the afternoon.  So, beach time it was for the morning!

Sean flew our kite as the winds and clouds rolled in and the boys made some sand art with Scott.  We ate another picnic lunch down at the beach.  I bought tickets for me and the boys to go to the NC Aquarium that was only 15 minutes away at 1:30pm for our timed entry as an activity we could do while it rained.  Scott and Luna stayed back at the hotel.  The aquarium is in Manteo and you get to drive over this fun bridge as you cross the soundside of the Outer Banks.  

This aquarium is known for their albino crocodile and their sea turtle rehab center.  The boys loved the sea turtle exhibit as they got to see a few that were currently being rehabilitated.  They were able to ask questions to an employee in the rehab center and then they got toy turtles and go through several stations where the turtle was diagnosed and treated and then they got to release it back into the ocean.  Overall, we felt the aquarium was very crowded and it was difficult to see a lot of the animals behind the glass because of it, but it was a good rainy day thing to do.  

We grabbed some Taco Bell for dinner and had a taco party back in our room and played cards (Monopoly Deal).  It was a relaxing evening in the hotel room.

Wednesday morning the rain had cooled everything off so we decided to find Luna a dog park in Kill Devil Hills and then go to the Wright Brothers Memorial down the main road and have the boys earn their Junior Ranger badges.  I thought the booklet they had to work on was one of the most organized and kid-friendly ones they've done.  We spent about an hour there and it was dog-friendly - bonus!

We stopped at The Outer Banks Brewing Station for lunch on their patio outside and some beer.  It was where you had to order at the counter outside, which wasn't too bad, but the food took forever!  The food ended up being just mediocre, but the kids enjoyed the fact that they had a huge wooden pirate ship for kids to play on, corn hole, and other outdoor games.  We did some souvenir shopping on our way back to the hotel at Wings where the kids got t-shirts and a wooden pirate ship, I got a sweatshirt, and Scott bought a skimboard.  

And then we were off to the beach to enjoy the sunshine!  It was a little chilly because of the wind, but we made it work.  

We kept dinner simple with the food we had in our cooler since we had a big lunch out.  We walked down for more ice cream at Fat Boyz and I think everyone had the same idea.  The line was long, but moved quick!  We walked back just in time to see the sun setting by Jennette's Pier.  It was a beautiful night!

On our last full day we decided to go to Coquina Beach for most of the day.  It was quieter and I think Evan and Scott really enjoyed it.  There was great shelling mid-day when the tide was low.  

Scott found a shark tooth, the boys enjoyed the sand dunes, and we even set up right by a sea turtle nesting site that was being protected.  This beach allows 4x4 vehicles to drive and park on a certain side of it so it was fun to watch the trucks show up and park.  

After the kids had enough of the beach, we went back to the hotel to wash up and head out to the Outer Banks Distillery that makes rum over in Manteo!  Rum, my absolute favorite.  They make a silver, a pecan, and a gold.  We bought two bottles of pecan since it goes well with hot apple cider and we bought some candied pecans that had been soaked in the rum.  The kids enjoyed some tablet time at a picnic table outside with Luna while Scott and I had some drinks.  I had a Long Island Iced Tea and a frozen Rum and Coke.  Yum!

Back in Nags Head we did our last nice dinner out at a place called Mulligans that had 3 floors.  We sat at the very top that was a tiki bar and dog-friendly.  Dinner was good, the drinks were flowing, and Luna behaved herself.  Evan and I even tried a crab pretzel!

We got back to our hotel and the boys and I walked down to Jennette's Pier while Luna and Scott stayed on the beach since it was not dog-friendly.  The pier has a gift shop and a small area to learn about the local marine life.  Then, it's just a big pier with lots of people fishing.  We saw one man show off a fish he had caught that day that was black and white striped.  Impressive!

Coincidentally enough, in my TimeHop that day a picture showed up of the boys in Oregon meeting the Pacific Ocean for the first time.  So, naturally, I had to recreate the picture, but of them walking towards the Atlantic seven years later.  

Friday morning we packed up the truck, grabbed some Duck Donuts, and hit the road!  We were sad to be leaving, as we had a great time in the Outer Banks!  We surprised Evan with a stop at Diggers Dungeon just before we left North Carolina.  It was right on the side of the highway we were driving on, so it couldn't have worked out any better.  The kids got to ride a monster truck, shop at the gift shop where they sold exclusive Grave Digger merchandise, look at farm animals (apparently Dennis Anderson wanted a farm), and look at the garage.

Our goal was to get to just outside of Pittsburgh for the day, but the traffic and construction in Virginia was miserable.  We ended up stopping in Maryland for the night.  The kids enjoyed swimming in the hotel pool and we ordered pizza (again) to be delivered to the hotel.  We watched the Women's Olympic Gymnastics Trials on TV.