Vacation in the Outer Banks

Each summer, we make our annual trip to the northern beaches of the North Carolina Outer Banks.  Even though I bring my laptop and cell phone, it is so relaxing and peaceful there that I am always able to put work aside and have the greatest time with just the family.  We've been going now for four years, and I'm sure we will continue to go back as long as we have a mode of transportation.

We have always stayed in the Corolla area of the Outer Banks.  This area had been completely undeveloped until the last decade or so, without even a road running through it.  Even now, once you drive north of Duck, most everything is residential or a part of a wildlife refuge.  There is enough shopping to get you by, but it lacks the tackiness that many beach areas have.  You will not find any boardwalks, amusement parks, or night clubs.  Also, you won't find any hotels in this area (north of Sanderling).  If you need a place to stay, you will need to rent a house. 

Most of the homes built in the northern beaches are incredible.  Many have hot tubs and pools.  Some even have billiards rooms, theaters, 3 or 4 master suites, elevators, gourmet kitchens (try 4 ovens, 12 burners, multiple dish washers and separate ice machines) and are large enough to sleep 25 people.  They also cost over $15,000 to rent for the week.  For more information on the northern beaches of the Outer Banks, click here.

The homes we rent are generally much more modest.  Since it is just the 4 of us renting, we don't need one of the the mega mansions, but still, the homes we end up with are usually larger than we need.  Five bedrooms for only 4 of us. 

In September 2000, the home we got was right on the water, with huge bay windows and a deck overlooking the beach.  This turned out to give us a great view of major storm.  This was not a hurricane or tropical storm, but a convergence of weather fronts that was on top of us creating very strong winds (50MPH+ sustained) and heavy surf, closing the beaches.  With the beaches closed, we did other things like ride on our rented bikes with the kids in tow (what a life for those kids), or take day trips to places like Nags Head and Duck.  Thankfully, the wind and surf subsided, and the sun broke through after a couple of days of stormy weather.

You can see what the current weather looks like through this Live Web Cam on the Army research pier in Duck.  You can also see what the weather is doing a little south on the Avalon Fishing Pier through their web cam.