Visiting the Outer Banks in the Off Season

As summer is quickly coming to a close I want to share with you a local’s secret here in the Outer Banks.  Something you should not miss is the off season in the Outer Banks.  The weather in the fall is usually in the 60’s and 70’s and the beaches are less crowded.  The locals are friendly, the pace relaxed and there are always great restaurants and stores open in the off season.

In fact, most locals will tell you the off season is the perfect time of the year to visit the Outer Banks.   Imagine having the whole beach to yourself as you take a morning walk.  You have the beauty of the ocean, and peace and quiet all around.  This is my favorite time of year to walk on the beach, it is such a wonderful feeling to stroll without tripping over people everywhere and you will feel like we put the beach there just for you!  

Not only do you have the beach to yourselves, this is the perfect time of year to find seashells.  Locals will tell you they spend the fall and winter exploring the beach and there are lots of treasures to find.  Whelk shells are plentiful as well as helmet conchs, scallops, olive shells, moon snails and countless number of other shells and sea glass. 

After your walk, you can go into town and have a nice lunch, schedule a massage or go shopping.  Yes, some places shutdown for the off season, but never fear there are always wonderful stores and restaurants open.  

 If you don’t feel like rushing out, the beach houses in our area are usually loaded with movies, books, games and even a hot tub to relax the day away.    Want a little romance, light the fire in the fireplace and have a little wine.  There is nothing like snuggling up by the fire with your special someone.

Another plus, the locals are extra friendly, the service quick and the prices are affordable.  When it is off season, we are all relaxed.   Not to say that you don’t have this feeling in the summer but you have a lot less competition in the fall and winter.   

A lot of the child friendly activities are closed unless you love the movies!  You can always find an adventure at Wright Brothers National Memorial, The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum or the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island.  

The off season may not be for you, but if you like to escape from the crowds and have a quiet vacation in a beautiful location.  Then join us with our best kept secret, “off season in the Outer Banks”.  This may be the retreat you’re looking for this fall or winter. 

Explore Southern Shores

Southern Shores, NC is a private residential community that is located between the sound and the sea.  The community is made up of primarily residential homes.  It was established in 1979, and does not offer a public beach access.  

Photo Courtesy of Southern Shores

The beauty of Southern Shores is the community.  Throughout the town there are walking trails and places for visitors and residents to bike.  Southern Shores has beautiful trees that provides a lot of shade on the way to the beach. 

Southern Shores does not have a lot of shops to visit but you can have a blast on the beach!  In Southern Shores there is a private country club that also has swimming and tennis.  

If you are looking for a place to buy great tasting food you must make time for Coastal Provisions.  This place provides a wine bar and cafe as well as a butcher, fresh seafood and even takeout food.   There are a few other restaurants in Southern Shores but if you want to find the grocery store it is just up the road in Kitty Hawk.

Southern Shores is the perfect place to live year round, or have a second home.  You will always enjoy the peace and quiet of Southern Shores, NC which is only steps away from the beach and the sound.

 

Rainy Day Activities in the Outer Banks

Since the weather has been hit or miss this week in the Outer Banks and you can’t hit the beach, I thought it would be a great idea to share some indoor activities around town.

I would say by the looks of the parking lot on Wednesday that the number one activity on a rainy day is heading to the movie theater.   We do have a few movie theatres in town they are:

1.  R/C Kill Devil Hills Movies 10

2.  R/C Corolla Movies 4 – 252-453-2999

3.  Pioneer Theater in Manteo – 252-473-2216

4.  R/C Hatteras Movie 4

A tie for first would be shopping!  We have hundreds of stores from antiques, nautical gifts, North Carolina treasures and souvenirs.  We even have an outlet mall the Tanger Outlets located in Nags Head. 

Another great indoor activity is bowling.  The Nags Head Bowling Center  not only has bowling but an arcade, a cafe and different bowling activities throughout the summer.

I also recommend a couple of games of laser tag.  This is fun for all ages, even adults!  In the Outer Banks we have two laser tag centers.  Gearworks Laser tag and Amusement center in Nags Head and Destination Fun in Kill Devil Hills.  Both locations have arcade games and indoor bounce centers

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The island has several museums as well as aquariums that you can visit.  My favorite place to visit on a rainy day is one of the North Carolina Aquariums.  For a complete listing check out NC Beaches.

 

If you are looking for fun activities for adults you can take a cooking class with the Outer Banks Epicurean or head to one of the islands numerous spas for pampering.  For a complete listing of things to do in the Outer Banks go to:  Outerbanks.org.

What is a Sand Dollar?

Don’t you just love Sand Dollars?  It is such a treat to find a “whole” one while walking on the beach hunting for sea shells.  We all know what the sand dollar looks like, they are usually small, white and round, unless they are broken.   So what exactly is a sand dollar?

Before you find them on the beach, when they are alive they are a dark color covered with short dark spines.  The spines on the sand dollar are movable and the sand dollar uses the spines to move around the sea bottom or to push food into their mouth.  

Photo credit TerryMcT photo stream

Sand dollars belong to a family of marine animals that are known as echinoderms, which inhabit all the world's oceans and can live in both the shallow and deep-ocean floor.  Other marine animals in this family are the (starfish, brittle stars, sea urchins, sea cucumbers and feather stars).  They are invertebrates which mean they do not have a spine.  

According to Starfish.ch “Echinoderms are characterized by radial symmetry, several arms (5 or more, mostly grouped 2 left - 1 middle - 2 right) radiating from a central body (= pentamerous). The body actually consists of five equal segments, each containing a duplicate set of various internal organs. They have no heart, brain, nor eyes, but some brittle stars seem to have light sensitive parts on their arms.”

Sand dollars like to live on smooth sandy or muddy ocean bottoms.  They prefer to live in shallow areas near land.  They like to burrow in the sand in heavy currents and even eat sand grains to increase their weight so they don’t get washed away. 

If you find a sand dollar on the beach and it is white then it is a safe bet that the sand dollar is no longer living.  It is best to take the steps to preserve the sand dollar so it will last you for years to come and you won’t have an odor associated with them.

To Preserve and Harden a Sand Dollar:

1- Soak them in fresh water. The water will turn a brownish color and possibly even smell.  It is best to change the water frequently.   Do not go onto step 2 till the water remains clear. 

2- Next soak them in a solution of bleach and water. Let them soak for about 10 minutes.

3- After you remove them from the bleach water, rinse in fresh water and air dry in the sun.  The sun will help bleach the sand dollar. 

If you soak the sand dollars too long in bleach they can crumble.  Bleach weakens a sand dollar so it is best not to soak them more than twice. 

To Harden a Sand Dollar: Mix together white glue and water in equal portions. Take a sponge brush and completely cover the sand dollars with the glue mixture. Then let dry.  After they are preserved and hardened then you can use your sand dollars for decorations or even craft projects.

Top 5 Activities to do In the Outer Banks

When you visit the Outer Banks sometimes it is hard to decide what activities you should take on besides sunning on the beautiful beaches.  After all most people have a week to see everything unless you buy a house and move here which I would love to help you with!

1.  See the wild horses – Wild horses have roamed in several areas in the Outer Banks for centuries.  According to Spanish ship logs it is estimated that the first horses arrived on the Outer Banks around 1520.  In order to see the horses you need a 4 wheel drive vehicle and if you don’t own one there are several companies that will take you on a wild horse tour in Corolla, share the history of the horses and place you within a friendly distance of the horses.  (it is the law that you cannot be closer than 50 feet from the horse and you are not allowed to feed the wild horses.

2.  Visit Jockey’s Ridge State Park – Jockey’s Ridge Park has the largest natural living sand dune on the east coast.  It is located in Nags Head and a must see landmark.  Take time to fly a kite, hang-glide. Sand slide or even hike one of the trails. 

3.  Go fishing – Here in the Outer Banks you can choose your fishing adventure from renting a charter, surf fishing or fishing from one of our piers.  You are bound to have fun and bring home dinner too!

4.  Spend a day on Roanoke Island – From the beautiful Elizabethan Gardens, to the North Carolina Aquarium, onto an evening with The Lost colony.  You will find an adventure for everyone in your group. 

 

5.  See the Lighthouses – The Outer Banks has several unique lighthouses that you can visit and even climb.  Whether you visit one or all of them you will enjoy the unique beauty of each of the lighthouses on the Outer Banks.  

There is so much to see and do in the Outer Banks – here are some websites that can help you plan your visit.   Have fun and enjoy the Outer Banks!

Visitob.com

Outerbanks.org

Outerbankschamber.com