Family Adventures in the Outer Banks: Part 1

three children in sweatshirts watch the tide go out in Duck, North Carolina

Hello from the coast of North Carolina!

As you know, we have found many challenges with virtual school this year, but one unexpected benefit has been our ability to travel more often than ever before. As long as we have Wi-Fi (and there are no COVID-19 travel restrictions in place), we can go anywhere within driving distance.

We have always loved traveling, but lately it has helped us cope with isolation. A simple change of scenery makes everything seem fresh and new.

So when we had the chance to go to the Outer Banks for a week in December, I didn’t hesitate. I packed the school supplies along with everything else and we were off to Duck, North Carolina!

The Outer Banks

The Outer Banks are a group of long, thin islands off the coast of North Carolina (and a bit of southeastern Virginia). If you look at a map or satellite image of the islands, you’ll see that they outline the coast of North Carolina almost completely!

The result is a lot of coastline. If you’re seaside, you’ll have reliable waves and public beach access, plus breathtaking sunrises. Staying soundside, you’ll have calmer waters, a bit more privacy, and spectacular sunsets.

a view of a dock in the Currituck sound through pine trees at sunrise

As I child, I spent a week at the Outer Banks each year. We typically went during Spring Break and spent our time in Nags Head, North Carolina. Frankly, I wasn’t a big fan of our time here. While my parents enjoyed being in a beach house on a remote, sandy island, and gushed about the views, I just wanted warmer weather, a resort with activities, and, in general, more commercialization!

With this in mind, I spent a good amount of time researching our options before we left. I was able to find plenty of activities to fill the hours outside of class!

Off-Season Travel

One important thing to know about visiting the Outer Banks after Labor Day is that many things will be closed. That isn’t just limited to waterparks and ice cream parlors; restaurants, shops, and attractions of all types won’t open again till Memorial Day weekend. It can lead to a bit of disappointment if you read about or pass by a particularly intriguing shop. For our kids, the closure of the local tie-dye shop was a bit disheartening.

If you factor in the cost of visiting in the off-season, the disappointment of closures is easily balanced out! You’ll be able to afford bigger accommodations and still pay less than you’d pay for a smaller space in the summer.

condominiums peek through oak and pine trees below a clear, blue sky

For us, this meant a two bedroom condo with a full kitchen. The countertop bar and kitchen table served as makeshift school spaces. The kitchen enabled us to prepare breakfast and lunch daily, helping us avoid the juggle of school schedules and food pickup. We still explored the restaurants, but we relied on taking our goodies to go.

Duck

We enjoyed staying in Duck, especially our trip to Duck Town Park & Boardwalk.

The boardwalk has several access points. We picked the one in Duck Town Park near the playground because it led through some beautiful wooded areas. We were up for an adventure!

a wooden platform boardwalk enters the woods

Duck Donuts

Many shops are accessible from the boardwalk, though not all of them were open at 7:00AM when we were there! To our delight, Duck Donuts was.

We’re lucky enough to have a Duck Donuts near our home in Virginia, but how can you beat visiting the original?

the exterior of a shingled shop building featuring signage for Duck Donuts and other OBX shops

The employees were so helpful and friendly, happy to answer our endless questions and help us customize some of our donuts.

Yes, these cake donuts are completely customizable! If you don’t want the pressure of creating the perfect donut, you can also choose from their original combos or fan favorites, like maple icing with bacon crumbles, chocolate icing with chopped peanuts, and vanilla icing with coconut.

a large sign features menu at Duck Donuts plus instructions on ordering

Cake donuts aren’t usually my go-to, but there’s just something about Duck Donuts. They are so good. We purchased a Christmas assortment and included in the pack were several chocolate cake donuts. They were even better than the original vanilla cake!