Visit The Outer Banks

Rain and Storms Don’t Have to Spoil an OBX Vacation

By Heather Raulerson
Jul. 21, 2022

After investing real money and carving out time for a needed escape or bucket-list trip, the last thing anyone wants is for Mother Nature to upend the plan. Still, when you build the ideal Outer Banks itinerary and a Nor’easter shows up during your visit, as it did when three travel writers and I were there, the best answer is to pivot. If you come to the Outer Banks during the shoulder seasons, stay flexible; a Nor’easter or tropical storms can throw off your schedule. The good news is that the OBX of North Carolina has so much to offer that even when the forecast causes problems, you can shift gears and still enjoy a memorable vacation.

For this Outer Banks trip, our schedule was packed with outdoor plans every day. We came in under blue skies and sunshine, but that didn’t last. Our first outing was Hang Gliding at Jockey’s Ridge State Park. We reached the sand dune before our instructor determined the wind gusts were close to unsafe, so he stopped the morning session. They invited us to return later that same day, and we said yes.

While we waited, we visited the Wright Brother’s National Monument. We spent several hours inside the museum learning about the Wright Brothers’ accomplishments, then went outdoors to follow the route where the Wright Brothers made their actual flights. The whole site is a wonderful stop for families. You can watch children flying kites across the grass, see visitors walking up to the Memorial for selfies, and pose with the 1903 Sculpture.

Photo by Teresa Otto

Once we were done exploring the grounds, we returned to Kitty Hawk Kites for our second attempt at hang gliding. This time, everything worked out and we were able to fly. We were the only people from the morning session who returned, which was unfortunate for the others because flying along the same path as Orville Wright was an incredible experience.

After our flights, the weather shifted again, and our sunset kayaking tour in Duck was canceled. Rather than letting disappointment take over, we followed a recommendation from our hang gliding instructor and went to Sals NY Pizza, where we enjoyed pasta and pizza.

When dinner was over, we still drove up to Duck to see the boardwalk, even though kayaking was off the agenda. We arrived a little too late because darkness had already settled in, but the boardwalk felt quiet, eerie, and a bit spooky, which made the stop even more memorable.

The following day, rain forced the cancellation of our evening Sailing trip. Once more, we needed a new plan. We chose to visit Roanoke Island despite the wet weather. We walked through The Elizabethan Gardens in the rain, stopped at the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, jumped through a few puddles, and made our way to the NC Aquarium. There, we lingered over the playful otters, touched sting rays, and learned about sea turtle rescue work.

We moved our sailing trip to the next evening. That change turned out to be well worth it because sailing across the Albemarle Sound with Sail Outer Banks became an unforgettable adventure, and I still smile when I think about it.

On our final day, a horseback riding experience on Hatteras Island was on the schedule. The morning looked bright and clear, so we expected no trouble. But when we reached Equine Adventures, we learned that the storm from the night before had knocked down many trees along the trails. Our horseback ride was canceled.

So, once again, we adjusted. I’m happy we did because we stopped at Orange Blossom to taste an Apple Ugly and then went to the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, where we learned about a nearby shipwreck. Rain began while we were inside the museum, but we headed to the beach anyway and found the shipwreck. Seeing a real shipwreck visible on the sand was fantastic. We stood there taking photos and videos in the rain, and it didn’t bother us at all.

Some of the best Outer Banks moments happened only because the weather made us change plans. If we had refused to be flexible, we never would have found those experiences. Mother Nature can disrupt an itinerary, but she doesn’t have to ruin the trip. In the Outer Banks, there is always another place to go, another thing to see, and another adventure waiting when you are willing to pivot.

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Author

Heather Raulerson is a freelance writer and photographer based in Detroit. She owns Raulersongirlstravel, a travel site where she shares stories and photography from her trips around the world. She enjoys SLOW travel, connecting with local culture, and exploring with her camera wherever she goes. Her work has been published in several publications.

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