When I first moved to Virginia I saw OBX stickers everywhere! They were on cars, boats, and keychains dangling from kids’ backpacks!! My students were wearing OBX TShirts so I had to ask??? “What the hec does OBX mean?” They looked at me like I had three heads!!! Coach!! “You don’t know where The Outer Banks is?” Ummm, “No, never heard of it!” To which they replied, “It’s just the best place ever!” So for the next three years I kept telling my husband, “We gotta check out the Outer Banks!” My son told me, there is even a Netflix series about it!!!
This summer we decided to take a quick side trip to the Outer Banks on our way back from Louisiana, actually on our way back from a cross country road trip that started in Virginia. My son Connor, and I had to drive to Topeka Kansas (to move my daughter Hannah into her first apartment) in my Ford Edge that would soon become his!! From there, he would drive his NEW car back to Dallas. Meanwhile I would catch a flight out of Wichita Kansas to Birmingham, Alabama to meet my husband en route to Louisiana to attend my older brother’s funeral. This part of the trip was very unexpected. My brother was a great inspiration in my life and to so many others. He was a joyful person and loved to tell jokes and play jokes on everyone. It was a blow to us all. We are a family of believers though… so to be absent from this body is to be present with The Lord! He is missed still the same.
After spending such a heart felt time with family and friends, some of whom we hadn’t seen in years, it was time to make our way home. Along the way, I kept pondering over all that had gone on in the last several months! This new pandemic we are facing, demonstrations for justice (some peaceful, many not), riots, closing of schools, losing my brother and also facing this new health issue called hyperthyroidism (which I will write about later). I was like….I need a break! We need a break! “Let’s go to The Outer Banks” I asked my husband!! He was definitely up to it as well, so a slight change in directions on our GPS and we were on our way!
I was so ready to see what the fuss was all about!! We arrived around 6pm! Now, understand it is summer and this was a last minute decision! We could not stay at our normal Time Share Exchange Condo or our normal Hilton stay even with my husband’s Hilton Honors Points!! Why??? MUCHO $$$$ at the last minute!! And all time share condos were taken! I didn’t care! I wanted to go to the beach!!! let’s just say, it was not the Hilton! But hey, you do not go to the beach to stay in your hotel or condo!!!
We stayed in King Devils Hill which is just North of Nags Head on The Outer Banks! We did have a beach view room which is always worth the bit extra!! Pay for experiences not things!!! The first day we chilled on the beach! Well…we walked the beach too! Gotta get some exercise!! The next day, we went down to Ocracoke, Island! NOTE: YOU HAVE TO TAKE A FERRY!! Check out the CAR FERRY situation the day before!! WE DID NOT and the line was a 3 HOUR WAIT!!! Easy fix though, we got on the WALK ON ferry. I think the fee was like $7 for the walk on ferry. The ferry ride is about an hour and is actually really smooth for people who get sea sick. When arriving, you will need to rent a golf cart! There will be a shuttle cart that can take you to do this. The island is now yours to explore! (See Pics of Ocracoke lighthouse, forest pic and Jason’s Restaurant). That’s just what we did! We ate lunch at Jason’s. Really good shrimp!! I had them blackened and Jonathan had them fried! Great Iced Tea too!! Then off we went exploring: HIGHLIGHTS: Ocracoke Lighthouse, British Cemetery, Hammock Hills Nature Trail, and the Beach (which is said to be the best for hunting seashells). NOTE: you need a 4wheel drive in order to go to the Beach on Ocracoke Island. Something we did not know!!! ☹️☹️☹️
The next day we got up early and ate breakfast at Bob’s Grill “Eat and get the Hell Out”. Delish!!! 4.5 rating!!! I wanted to hunt for seashells and my husband is such a great man…he is always along for the ride!!!😬😬😬We went south a few miles passed Bodie Island Lighthouse (yes we stopped…see pics), parked on the side of the road and trekked out to the beach!! What a find!! The water was super blue this day and very few people were on these beaches. It pays to get in your vehicle and travel just a ways to get away from the crowd!!! Seashells galore too!! Had the waves not been so rough I would have come home with a conk shell!!! My heart was full however, because I found so many beautiful shells!!! With tanned bodies, and two hours longer than what we planned, we packed up and headed back to our hotel. What a fun day!!! Dinner that night was at “Roosters” Southern Cuisine. I of course had to order Shrimp and Grits (the grits are gluten free but not AIP nor Paleo so I cheated I guess). Jonathan had a rack of ribs!! Both dishes were EXCELLENT!!! We decided to cheat again and go have Ice Cream at The Spot!!! AWESOME!!! There is a Frozen Custard Shop in Kill Devils Hill that is fantastic as well but be prepared for a loonnngggg line!!!
Overall, our quick stop to the Outer Banks was a success!! We will definitely be going back. You really cannot go wrong with any of the restaurants as the seafood is fresh out of the ocean!!! There are miles of beaches to explore and if you want more secluded and less people just drive 5 miles down the road!! There are tons of activities to do!!! This is a great destination for young and old, couples or families!!! 💕
Other great restaurants: Stack’em High Pancakes and So Forth for Breakfast and Captain George’s Seafood!!!
Nutrient Dense For The Heart and Soul 
Love your pictures- I’m really impressed! I’ve never been to the OBX either, when I go to NC It’s always to the mountains. Jealous of those states that have both 🙂
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