Outer Banks

We worked in a short trip to North Carolina’s Outer Banks for our 2025 Spring Break. The trip started off pretty rough. Our plane was delayed in Denver for some seemingly foreseeable maintenance. The weather in Norfolk slowed us down on approach. When we got to the gate, there was no ground crew to guide the plane in to park. To top it off, the line at Avis winded out into the terminal. It was about 2am when we finally made it to our rental house in Kitty Hawk, which was our base for this trip.

Day 1: Currituck

With such a late (er, early) arrival, we had a pretty slow first morning. Around 10:00, we started making our way north toward Corolla just to explore along the way. It was a wet, gray day. Thick clouds covered the banks all day, alternating between light sprinkles and drenching downpours. Our first stop was the Currituck Lighthouse. Unfortunately, we learned that the lighthouse, and all of the lighthouses in the area, were closed to tourists until the start of the spring tourist season – which starts the day we leave the Outer Banks!

Discouraged, we explored around the area, stopping at the Maritime and Wildlife Education museums. These are both free and relatively simple exhibits, but provided some interesting background on the area. In between the rain, we walked around the grounds and were lucky to spot a Great Blue Heron strutting along the boat slip. There were several birds seemingly enjoying a slow day around the dock, so we took our opportunity to work on some bird photography.

Next we drove to the Maritime Forrest Trail, a short walk through some woodlands where we were hoping to see some wild horses. No horses appeared, but we enjoyed walking through the moss-covered gnarly trees. All in all, we walked for about a mile and a half before the clouds truly let loose. We ran for the car and made our way home to dry out and warm up.

Day 2: Hatteras

The storm passed during the night, but it left behind some pretty strong wind and ferocious surf. I woke up for sunrise and walked across the road to the beach. Once I crossed the dunes, I was blasted by sand. It was also only 40 degrees, which combined with the wind and seaside humidity was bone chilling. I only made it a few minutes before heading back to the house.

We explored to the south, with our first stop at the Oregon Inlet Life Saving Station. There are several of these stations around the Banks. They were the early predecessors of Coast Guard Stations. The architecture and their locations near the beaches make them scenic spots. We walked around the house, but again got chased back to the car by the wind.

We carried on toward Hatteras, with the primary goal to see the iconic Hatteras Lighthouse. We had our “Vacation” moment when we pulled into the parking lot and saw the Lighthouse surrounded by scaffolding. The structure is under renovation for the next couple of years. We were still able to walk around the grounds, the visitor center, and the museum, but it was disappointing to not be able to see the classic twisting stripes.

After the lighthouse, we went to the museum that focuses on the reason the lighthouse exists – The Graveyard of the Atlantic. This is a small but well-designed exhibit explaining why the shoals of the Outer Banks are so treacherous. The Labrador and Gulfstream currents collide at Hatteras, creating dynamic conditions that have contributed to more than 2000 shipwrecks in the area. The docent at the museum told us about a couple of locations nearby where you can see the remnants of the ships from the shore. We went to the first location on a local beach in Hatteras. While Lara and I checked out the wreck, Alex pulled out his metal detector and hunted for treasure along the beach.

On the way home, we stopped near the Pea Island Wildlife Refuge to look for the wreck of the Oriental. We found the smokestack sticking out of the rough waves a few hundred yards off the beach. Then we drove up to one of the gems of the area, the Bodie Island Light Station. This lighthouse is one of the most photographed scenes in the area. We were there too early for sunset, and the clear skies didn’t provide much drama for pictures, but we still enjoyed walking around the site. That was enough for the day. We headed back to the house for a late dinner and some rest.

Day 3: Kitty Hawk

You may have noticed that Evan hasn’t been in too many of the stories in our first couple of days. He hasn’t been feeling well, and often sits in the car when we’re checking out some of the lesser sites. We reached the point Wednesday morning where we had to get him some help. We brought him by the Urgent Care to get checked out. Luckily it was just a temporary thing that was easily treated, and Evan was back to his usual self later on Wednesday.

We spent the rest of Wednesday morning touring the Wright Brothers monument in Kitty Hawk. It’s a relatively small park, but very well done. There is a monument at the top of “Big Kill Devil Hill”, where the brothers practiced flying with gliders for 3 years before attempting their powered flight. There is also a museum chronicling the brothers’ history, and a replica of the Wright Flyer. The icing for me was the monuments showing the lift off point of the first flights, and the 4 markers where the flights landed. It was really something to walk along the path that started the aviation industry that built the foundation of my career.

In the afternoon, we visited several of the local beaches. I used the time to scout out the fishing piers for some possible sunrise photos, and we let Alex cut loose with his metal detector to hunt for treasure. He only found a few odds and ends, like old nails and wire clippings, but it kept him engaged for a couple of hours!

Day 4: Ocracoke Island

On Thursday I woke up before the family again for some sunrise photography at the Kitty Hawk Pier. It was a beautiful morning. The wind finally settled down, and the temperature was reasonable. The clouds cooperated too, giving a nice glowing horizon for about 30 minutes while several of us buzzed around the pier looking for photos.

After breakfast, we drove back down to Hatteras to hop on the Ocracoke Ferry. The ferry is now roughly a 75 minute ride that had to be routed around the shifting shoals of Pamlico Sound. It’s also first come, first served, and even though we arrived 15 minutes before the hourly departure, we were second from the last to get on board the ferry!

Ocracoke is an interesting place. Clearly it is a tourist mecca, but in March it is nearly deserted. We could only find two open restaurants on the island, and one of them had just been swamped by the tourist bus that boarded the ferry ahead of us. After lunch, we toured around the Ocracoke The first stop was the Ocracoke Light Station. This was our fourth lighthouse on this trip. It was also the first time we were allowed inside. Unfortunately, this lighthouse is also under renovation, so all we could do was poke our heads inside and talk to the park ranger.

Next we walked through the Springer’s Point Nature Preserve on a trail that winds through the maritime forest to the water of Teach’s Hole. This is the location where Blackbeard was killed in 1718. It was a nice, easy walk, but other than the loose link to history, there wasn’t much notable about it.

Then it was back to the ferry for the ride back to Hatteras. We stopped at a few spots as we made our way up back up the coast, mostly checking out the life saving stations hoping for another idyllic scene. By the time we reached Oregon Inlet, we decided to stop there one more time in case the sunset lit up and to scope possibilities for a sunrise scene. The sunset never materialized. A storm was coming in overnight, and thick clouds blocked the western horizon. Still, we managed to get in a couple of shots before heading back to a late dinner at the house.

Day 5: Roanoke

I drove back down to the Oregon Inlet life saving station for sunrise. Unfortunately the storm that came through overnight was now blocking the eastern horizon, and once again the colors never materialized. I wandered around for a while taking what photos I could. Then it was back to the house for breakfast with the family and to start our last day in the Outer Banks.

We first went to Fort Raleigh on Roanoke Island. This was the site of the first English settlement in the new world, as well as the setting for one of the oldest mysteries in North America – the story of the lost colony. The museum in Fort Raleigh provides the background. Sir Walter Raleigh organizes an expedition to North America to establish a colony in what will be named Virginia. The leader of the colony returns to England to rally support and supplies, but by the time he returns, the colony has vanished. The park has reconstructed the earthen fort that was built near the colony, but that’s all that survives.

After lunch in old town Manteo (or, “MAN-ee-yo”, as the locals pronounce it), we drove back over to Bodie Island and Jockey’s Ridge State Park. This park is home to the largest dunes on the eastern seaboard. It’s also a persistently windy location, and we just happened to have a kite – thanks to Lara’s preparation. Evan and Lara took turns flying the kite among the dunes. Then we walked down to the water’s edge before heading back to the trail head.

We joined some old work friends for dinner in Kitty Hawk that evening, and then headed back to the house to get ready for our early morning flight out of Norfolk. We enjoyed our week in the Outer Banks. There is clearly much more to do during the touristy summer months, but this trip gave us a good feel for the area. Now it’s back home and time to start planning the next trip.