To the nation it's called the Outer Banks of North Carolina. To Virginians it's OBX and to Richmonders the 100-mile strip of barrier islands that make up North Carolina's Outer Banks is referred to quite simply as The Beach.
In fact, the Outer Banks is such a ubiquitous tourist attraction for Richmond residents that most people have their favorite destination whittled down to one of the area's many coastal towns and villages.
Corova, Corolla, Duck, Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head, Manteo, Hatteras and Ocracoke are just a few of Richmond's favorite spots to grab a little beach R&R. But perhaps our favorite feature of the Outer Banks it its proximity. Kitty Hawk, the first stop when driving into the area, is a mere three hours from downtown Richmond (in ideal traffic conditions at a safe speed) making it an ideal One Tank Trip.
But the Outer Banks has so much more to offer than just ocean and sand. Hang gliding, kite-flying, historical attractions, lighthouses, shopping, dining and a whole host of aerial events happening this summer … it's all inside our Outer Banks One Tank Trip.
The Outer Banks
Driving distance: 170-260 miles
Directions: Take I-64 East around Norfolk until you get to VA-168. Continue South into North Carolina until you get to US-158 S. In Point Harbor, N.C. you cross over the big bridge to the Outer Banks. Depending on where you are headed, US-158 or NC-12 (Beach Road) will be your main roads on the Banks and most destinations are dictated by mileposts (MPs).
Population: 33,518
For more information, contact:
The Outer Banks Visitors Bureau at 1-877-629-4386 or check out www.outerbanks.org.
The Outer Banks Sentinel (local newspaper) at www.obsentinel.com. |
Pay homage to the Wright boys
In 1900, Wilbur and Orville Wright left their bicycle shop in Ohio and headed to Kill Devil Hill on the Outer Banks to test out their new glider design. They would return each following year to test new gliders and flying machines with successes and failures all coming to a quick stop on the soft sand at the bottom of the hill.
Then on Dec. 17, 1903, the boys tested their new 40-foot, 605-pound motor-powered flyer after damaging it a few days before. With Orville manning the controls, the craft left the ground and stayed in the air for 120 feet. Excited at their massive achievement of self-propelled flight, the brothers took several more test runs over the day, increasing their flight distance each time. By the end of the day, on their last run, Wilbur kept the machine in the air for almost one minute landing 852 feet from where they started.
More than 100 years later at the National Park Service's Wright Brothers Memorial, (252) 473-2111, a massive monolith erected atop Kill Devil Hill overlooks the test site where the Wilbur took his wild ride and a museum dedicated to the brothers. For a $4 per-person admission, you can check out the monument and the testing grounds, where there are replicas of the Wright's worksheds and historical markers at each of the Dec. 17 test run stopping points on the original 'runway.' Inside the museum, you will find full-scale reproductions of the Wright boy's primitive airplanes as well as various exhibits and educational programs.
Though this venue is technically grounded, the airborne nature of the hallowed grounds is great enough that it should be included in our aerial guide to the Outer Banks. Plus, the big hill where the monument stands is great for sightseeing, photos and flying kites, which brings us to...
Go fly a kite
The Outer Banks' prevailing winds were one of the main reasons the Wright brothers chose it for their grand flying experiments, and modern-day kite enthusiasts flock to the Banks each year for the same reason.
As you are driving south on the main road, at Milepost 12 in the town of Nags Head you will come across Jockey's Ridge State Park, (252) 441-7132. Besides being the tallest natural sand dune system in the Eastern United States, Jockey's Ridge is also one of the best places in the world to fly a kite thanks to hearty, steady winds at the top. Just remember your sandals because the sand can get pretty hot.
What's that? You forgot your lucky kite? Luckily for you, located directly across the main road from the face of Jockey's Ridge, Kitty Hawk Kites, 1-877-FLY-THIS, offers a wide variety of kites for all skill levels and price ranges. From your basic single-line $10 Mary Poppins special to $300 multi-line stunt kites, the colorful company has got you covered for all your kiting needs.
Kitty Hawk Kites also sponsors multiple kiting festivals throughout the year in the Outer Banks. On June 14 and 15, the kite company will once again honor Francis M. Rogallo, an Outer Banks resident, NASA scientist and inventor of the flexible wing, at its 26th Annual Rogallo Kite Festival at Jockey's Ridge. The event features lots of kiting, children's games and stunt and power kiting demonstrations.
There are also kiting events scheduled for July and August but check out Kitty Hawk Kites' website, www.kittyhawk.com, for more details.
Go hang gliding
If kites don't do it for you and you are feeling a bit adventurous, why not take a few hang gliding lessons while vacationing in the birth place of flight?
Besides selling kites, Kitty Hawk Kites also runs a hang gliding school that uses the soft sands of Jockey' Ridge as their practice and training grounds. For about $90, you can sign up for a three-hour "beginner dune" hang gliding lesson. Each class has five or less students per instructor and includes about one hour of ground school including a training video.
After ground school, you and your class climb to the top of the dunes where you begin your solo hang gliding flights, with an instructor's help of course. Depending on how well you catch on, you can travel anywhere from 30 to 100 or so yards at up to five feet above the sand. The standard beginner lesson includes five flights down the dunes.
If that isn't enough excitement, the company also offers $130 tandem hang gliding lessons where the student and instructor are hooked into the glider together and towed by an ultralight airplane to altitude of about 2,000 feet. Then, the glider is released and you and your instructor glide back to the airport.
Once you get the hang of it (rimshot!), you could glide back into the Outer Banks between May 16 and 19 for the 36th annual Hang Gliding Spectacular at Jockey's Ridge, which is also sponsored by Kitty Hawk Kites.
Float on a cloud
If hang gliding is a little too active and flying kites makes you jealous of all the fun your kite is having, you may want to check out parasailing.
It's not exactly what the Wright brothers has in mind when it comes to flight but parasailing can be a good bit of fun and will give you an amazing bird's eye view of the Outer Banks.
Towards the north end of the islands in Duck, Grog's Watersports, (252) 441-8875, offers a wide variety of options and prices when it comes to parasailing the Banks. Prices start at $75 for single 'sailers' and your friends and family can ride along in the boat for $20 each and make fun of you while you are tethered up to 1,200 feet away and just out of earshot.
Or maybe you should just go by yourself.
Have some plane ol' fun
Who are we kidding? When in Rome, do as the Wright brothers did!
Why fly a kite or hang glide when you can honor the Wright brothers by taking an aerial tour of the Outer Banks in modern day aircraft? There are several local businesses that offer air tours of the Outer Banks.
Barrier Island Aviation, (252) 473-4247, flies out of the Dare County Regional Airport in nearby Manteo and offers 30-minute tours of the area for up to three people with flights starting at $125. Longer 60-minute flights are also available.
Down in Frisco near Hatteras Village, Barrus Flying Service, (252) 986-2679, offers three different aerial tours of the Southern Outer Banks. Flying out of Billy Mitchell Airport on Hatteras Island, Barrus' standard flights offer choices of half-hour or 45-minute aerial tours of Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands. Customized flights are available but standard prices range from $35 to $62.50 per person depending on how many people are in the party.
Back in Manteo at the Dare County Regional Airport, Kitty Hawk Aero Tours, (252) 441-TOUR, also offers the usual air tour packages but they also have a special Red Barron package for the daring. For about $200, a party of two can soar the skies of the Outer Banks in a World War II-era WACO biplane. Two passengers, wearing old-style goggles, sit in an open cabin in front of the pilot as the party takes a 20-minute circle around the Banks, including a tribute pass of the Wright Brothers Monument of course. The Outer Banks File
History:
Pirates, hurricanes and the birth of air travel - do I need to say anymore about the historical nature of the Outer Banks? If the Wright Bros. Memorial isn't enough history for you, visit Roanoke Island Festival Park, roanokeisland.com, and check out daily programs aboard the Elizabeth II, a sixteenth century representative sailing ship, or visit the Roanoke Adventure Museum to learn about 400-years of Outer Banks history. Though it may take you out of the "one tank" category, make the long haul down to historical Hatteras Village. After a few more decades of hurricanes it might not exist for much longer.
Lodging:
While most people heading down to the OBX are probably staying in a weekly rental property during their visit, which can run from a few hundred dollars a week to a few thousand depending on the property, there are quite a few hotels and alternate lodging options throughout the islands. For the most complete list of lodging options, click on the "Where to Stay" button on the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau's Web site at www.outerbanks.org.
Dining:
If you plan on eating at any kind of chain restaurant while you are in the Outer Banks, just stay in Richmond. There are simply too many great local eateries to mention only a few here. However, from North heading South, try these: In Duck: Blue Point, (252) 261-8090, on the sound side for gourmet Southern fare. In Kitty Hawk: Black Pelican Seafood Co., (252) 261-3171, at MP 4 on Beach Road for raw oysters or a name-sake wood-fired pizza. In Kill Devil Hills: Thai Room Restaurant, (252) 441-1180, at MP 8.5 on the ocean for a Singha and the most authentic Thai grub. In Nags Head: Sam & Omie's, (252) 441-7366, ts MP 16.5 on Beach Road is a quaint local favorite.
Shopping:
Sometimes it gets rainy, cold and a little miserable in the Outer Banks. Luckily there are plenty of shops and outlets to keep you occupied until the sun returns. For good bargain hunting, hit the Tangier Outlet Center, (252) 441-5634, in Nags Head at MP 16. For a snazzy new bathing suit, try one of Birthday Suits' multiple locations, (252) 441-5338. For a requisite T-shirt from a local establishment, hit up Awful Arthur's Beach Shop, (252) 449-2220, or one of the five Brew Thru locations, (252) 475-3948, throughout the Banks.
Attractions:
It's a little bit history and a little bit drama but The Lost Colony outdoor drama, (252) 473-3414, at the Waterside Theatre in Fort Raleigh National Historic Site on Roanoke Island is a surefire crowd pleaser. It's a popular dramatic reenactment of the English colonists who arrived in North Carolina but vanished without a trace. You also might want to check out the newly established Monument to a Century of Flight, icarusinternational.com, in Kitty Hawk.
Have you traveled here before? Have a favorite restaurant, tourist spot or place to stay? Tell us your favorite spot on the Outer Banks by leaving it in the comments section below.