Why Southern Residents Should Make an OBX Vacation a Priority

By Lesli Peterson
Jul. 28, 2021

Southern life seems to divide travelers into two groups: people who return to the Outer Banks every year and people who have yet to go. After experiencing it once, many find other beach destinations across the country hard to enjoy in quite the same way.

For anyone who has not spent time on the beaches of the Outer Banks, the drive may raise questions. The trip from Atlanta takes about 8 hours, and respectable beaches are available closer to home. But the additional two hours open the door to everything OBX has to offer, creating a dramatically different kind of vacation.

A Different Kind of Ocean

The Gulf of Mexico and the beaches of coastal Georgia offer their own pleasures, but the Outer Banks delivers a distinctly different encounter with the ocean.

The Outer Banks has the largest waves on the East Coast, earning a reputation among surfers worldwide. Cape Hatteras sits in an unusual position at the edge of the continental shelf, where swells arrive from both cold and warm ocean currents. Together, those conditions produce an extraordinary coastline.

Children can play in the breaking surf, while teens and adults can enroll in surf schools to learn how to work with the currents and catch the waves. Families with toddlers—or anyone ready to step away from the white caps—can head to the Pamlico Sound. Its waters are calm and gentle, and the sound is only 150 yards across the island.

History You Can Experience

The first English settlers landed in Outer Banks in 1585, well before Jamestown.

That is only one of the many stories found here. The region’s history can be absorbed through interactive, sensory experiences that families and children remember long after returning home.

At the Wright Brother’s National Memorial, visitors can see where the brothers began putting together their first experimental glider in 1900, then stand at the place where their plane took off and landed in 1903. Their work began with kites in 1900, followed by gliders in later years, before they created the plane responsible for the first flight in 1903 on this very site.

A visit to the Memorial pairs naturally with Jockey’s Ridge State Park, home to the coast’s largest living sand dune. Kitty Hawk Kites offers hang-gliding flights there, giving visitors the chance to feel the wind and sand in a way reminiscent of Wilbur and Orville.

For an even earlier chapter of history, see The Lost Colony, the first and longest-running symphonic outdoor drama in the US, which tells the story of what happened to that first English colony. Younger children may enjoy Roanoke Island Festival Park, where they can board a ship, swab the deck, and experience a glimpse of life in the 1500s.

One Destination, Many Communities

The Outer Banks stretches across a strip of land approximately 100 miles long and roughly 150 yards wide. Within it are 14 towns and villages, each offering its own personality and atmosphere, so travelers can shift their vacation feel from one day to the next.

Although several islands lie off the North Carolina coast, the Outer Banks generally refers to the upper half of the state’s coastline. The area described here covers a chain of three islands extending for many miles, with six towns and eight island villages. The towns are Duck, Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head and Manteo. The villages are Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Avon, Buxton, Frisco and Hatteras Village.

Manteo is a welcoming waterfront town with several bed-and-breakfast options. Its downtown includes distinctive shops, cyclists, people walking with strollers, and beautiful views across the Roanoke Sound, where tall yachts travel toward the ocean. Kill Devil Hills offers a contrasting experience in the middle of the Northern NC beaches, with hotels and rentals, restaurants across a range of prices, public beaches with lifeguards, and plenty of activities away from the beach for children.

Hatteras Village provides another change of pace at the southern-most end of Hatteras Island. Elegant, expansive beach houses line the shore, restaurants serve fresh fine seafood at white-tablecloth settings, and the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum highlights the force of the ocean.

From Duck and Nags Head to Avon, every community offers its own character and possibilities for discovery.

Surprising Ways to Enjoy the Beach

Surfing is only one way to spend time along the Outer Banks. Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Nags Head permit visitors to build and enjoy beach bonfires, provided they follow the rules for the specific beach. In Nags Head, for instance, the fire department must be contacted first so officials can confirm that the winds are safe. S’mores belong in the plan, too.

Frisco offers the opportunity to ride horseback through the Maritime Forest and across its broad beach. Guided outings from Equine Adventures let guests trot or run horses along the sand and help create the ideal photograph with the Atlantic behind them.

Visitors with an off-road vehicle can drive along ocean or sound beaches in three OBX towns during designated times of year. An SUV or Jeep can even be backed up to the water for an especially scenic picnic.

The Outer Banks’ piers provide another excellent perspective on the ocean, even though they technically sit above the beach. They are places to photograph the view, watch people, or fish. In summer, anglers can bring a fishing pole to Nags Head Pier; the Nags Head Pier Restaurant will clean and cook the fish caught there.

A Vacation for Every Generation

Outer Banks works for virtually any family getaway and is particularly well suited to large, multi-generational groups. Kiteboarding, hang-gliding, and horseback riding provide active options, while beachcombing, lighthouse viewing, and birdwatching offer slower ways to spend the day. Every age and preference can find a fitting activity.

Large groups also have plenty of lodging choices, with thousands of rental options throughout the area. Many vacation homes provide multiple master bedrooms, convenient beach access, and the option to bring Fido. Depending on the property, amenities may include bikes, kayaks, beach chairs, washer and dryer, a pool, or hot tub.

About Lesli Peterson

Lesli Peterson is the Owner/Founder of 365 Atlanta Traveler. She came to Atlanta over 20 years ago after living in Germany, Japan and six U.S. states. She enjoys finding obscure, offbeat and unwonted places and talking with anyone willing to reveal a new secret locale.

Following 18 years in software development, Lesli left the corporate world. Outside of travel, she hikes in the mountains and explores Atlanta’s culinary scene, whiskey in hand. She has two children, Cooper and Elliot, as well as two bonus kids living in Athens, and is happily married to her soul mate.