7 OBX Places Mom Will Love

By Outer Banks Visitors Bureau on Apr. 04, 2022

Mother’s Day arrives just once each year, but there’s no need to wait for the holiday to plan something thoughtful for mom. Whether you’re celebrating your own mother or the mother of your children, a little island time on The Outer Banks can be just what she needs. And if you’re a mom yourself, consider this your reminder to enjoy a well-deserved getaway. Here are 7 spots worth putting on the list:

1. Spa Time and Relaxation

Every mom deserves a day devoted to rest and renewal. Plan a massage, facial, or another soothing service at one of the area’s many spas. Options stretch from Aqua and Sanderling Resort on the Northern beaches to Koru Village near Cape Hatteras National Seashore, with plenty of choices throughout the towns in between.

2. Shopping Around Duck

The Outer Banks is made up of small villages and resort communities rather than big cities, and the Town of Duck is an especially good place for a leisurely shopping day. Spend the afternoon with mom exploring cheerful gift shops, distinctive jewelry stores, and the scenic surroundings that make Duck such a pleasant place to wander.

3. Elizabethan Gardens

Elizabethan Gardens was established to honor the early American colonists who vanished from Roanoke sometime after 1587. The grounds feature flowers, statues, and trees arranged in the spirit of historic Elizabethan garden design.

4. Lighthouse Exploring

Along The Outer Banks’ long coastline, historic lighthouses continue to stand as coastal sentinels. Bodie Island and Cape Hatteras lighthouses, among some of the oldest and the tallest lighthouses in America, welcome visitors to tour the grounds, though climbing will not resume until next year. For a view from the top of Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, visitors can also look to the newest webcam.

5. See The Lost Colony

Hundreds of years ago, an English settlement of over 100 people was founded on Roanoke, an island on The Outer Banks. A few years later, the entire colony disappeared with no clear explanation. Each summer, The Lost Colony brings that story back to life in performances held near the place where the settlement once existed.

6. Visit the Wright Brothers Memorial

First in flight, the Wright brothers made history more than a century ago when they tested their successful flying machine on the large dunes of Kill Devil Hills. Visit the memorial honoring the two inventors with mom in what is now the Town of Kill Devil Hills. The grounds also offer the chance to ride the first ever public lands site tested self-driving vehicle.

7. Find the House from Nights in Rodanthe

Yes, this is the Richard Gere and Diane Lane film. The village and the house are both real, and the setting is every bit as beautiful as it appears onscreen. If mom enjoys the movie or Nicholas Sparks’ novels, keep an eye out for the house while driving iconic Highway 12. On the way, you’ll also cross the Basnight Bridge over Oregon Inlet, an impressive engineering achievement.