After staying in Hatteras in 2023, this year we moved back north in OBX and stayed in our usual spot in Ocean Sands, Corolla. We also went back for two weeks this year instead of the short one week like we did last year. It goes without saying, but any vacation away from work for two weeks really is a great chance to disconnect and stop thinking about what needs to be done each day. It was also great that my aunt, uncle, and cousins were only a couple doors down and all of the kids got to play together over the two weeks.
Our drive down was uneventful, we left late in the morning around 8am (some years we have left at 4am to beat traffic) however we didn’t hit any real back-ups until after the Wright Bridge and turning north toward Duck. This is always a bad spot on the weekends and I’m sure the locals just stay at home every weekend in the summer to avoid dealing with all the vehicles! We did see some deer while driving through Duck, we all love seeing the wildlife and it was a great way to start off the vacation. We also got Pizzazz Pizza on the first night, always delicious and very quick service even with everyone checking in. We were also surprised to see that the Food Lion in Corolla wasn’t crazy busy and we were able to pick-up groceries Sunday night without too long of lines at checkout or deli counters.
The first week was a lot of beach time with family, ghost crab hunting on the beach, dinner at Cosmos (which has gotten pricey and slower service over the years), and walking around the shops at Timbuck II. We also got ice cream at Big Buck’s which is located in the Timbuck II shopping center. On Wednesday mornings, OBX Running puts on a 5k series all summer at the Whalehead club. I was excited to run again this year, and I had company with my nephews and Kristen! After the 5k we got breakfast and coffee at Northern Lights Bakery. The food and coffee here is always great, I got the spinach croissant which was delicious and the iced coffees aren’t too expensive. There was a pretty long line out the door but they move quick and the wait wasn’t too long. We also went up in the Currituck Beach Lighthouse, admission isn’t bad at $6 per person and the kids were able to climb all the way to the lookout platform at the top. Autumn is scared of heights but she wanted to go and did amazing! It was a little windy and rainy, so the leeward side of the platform was pleasant while the windward side was pretty rough…but still a good time.
Regarding OBX wildlife, one of the reasons we love staying in Ocean Sands is because of the large pond in the middle of the development. We’ve just come to know it as the turtle pond since the kids always love to feed left over veggies/fruit to the local turtles. We ended up making several trips during our two week stay!
We also made our annual trip down to Manteo and the Alligator River Wildlife Refuge. The drive to Manteo takes a little over an hour but we broke it up with a stop at Duck Donuts for breakfast (Oreo is a family favorite but I always go with chocolate glaze with peanuts)!
We turned into Alligator River on Milltail Rd, after a short drive we turned onto Long Curve Rd and saw our first bear. Hope spotted it first as it was moving toward the canal right next to the road. We were able to watch from the car for a few minutes before moving on. Then, as we started driving again we saw another bear crossing the road not too far ahead. After driving further back Long Curve Rd near the pump station, we saw an alligator next to the pond on the right side.
After spending an hour or two driving around we headed into Manteo for some shopping and lunch. Hope picked up some more artwork from one of the local shops and then we all had lunch on the deck at Poor Richards. I got the heart attack wrap which was amazing!
The second week of vacation was a little more adventurous with one day of rope climbing, another 5k, and finally getting a chance to take Hope out on a waverunner! The climbing and ropes courses at Corolla Adventure Park are a ton of fun. They have different levels of difficulty depending on what the kids/adults are looking for and the staff is very helpful. They also have a bar area out front if someone in your group decides to stop climbing early. The 5k at Whalehead was even better the second week. I was able to run the 4 miles from our rental house up to the race venue, and then run the 5k and still place 2nd in my age group!?! I was very happy with this, especially since I’ve just been casually running and not really training for a specific event this year. To end the vacation, we made a quick trip down to Duck on Friday morning for Hope and I to get out on the water. North Duck Watersports was reasonably priced, very friendly, and easy to get to. The Waverunners were a lot of fun but my only complaint is that the sound was completely flat and the area was pretty small. We had a great time going fast and doing figure eights but I feel like a little bit of chop and more space would have been more fun. Hope loved playing on the water and said it was kind of like riding the motorcycle. While we were on the waverunner, Kristen and Linda took Autumn on a wild horse tour into Carova. They had a great time and got to see a bunch of horses and even some dolphins. Our last night of vacation we stayed in for dinner and had a disco party around the pool for the kids.
