We stayed very central in the Hatteras Island Seashore of Roanoke Island in the town of Manteo. A quiet little cove community, where many retirees and fishing charter boat owners live. In fact, if you time it right you can watch the charters unload their catches between 3 and 5pm at the big fish cleaning stations. Our home also had a fish cleaning station, but we never caught anything large enough to keep right off the pier. Most of the inshore fish we caught were Croaker, Pig fish and Spot...common for that area. The kids had lots of fun fishing, more recreational than for dinner.
Besides fishing, we had plenty of sight-seeing on the agenda. While the OBX is not touristy as in the busyness you find in most beach areas, it did not lack for things to do and see. With only two main highways, navigating was easy up and down the Hatteras Coastline. From end to end it is approximately two hours, making day trips possible, but we chose to spend our efforts around Nags Head, especially with many small children.
Jockey Ridge National Park one of the largest sand dune sights (minus the desert) is a fantastic feat of nature. Seriously, it felt like we were in the desert! The mounds were high, the wind was breezy making it an ideal area for kite flying and hang gliding. In fact, there was a hang gliding school on the premises which I checked into. Had we had more time I definitely would have done it. However, tropical storm Beryl was moving in and they had to limit their classes. Not a good idea to hang glide with whipping winds, ya know. It did make for good kite flying. It really was surreal, because it is considered a park. You would see people hanging out there just like you would a regular park, except with lots of sand. Weird.
Lighthouses were also on the list. Hatteras boasting of many due to the treacherous coastline that took many ships years ago. In fact, down the coast there is a museum dedicated to the many ship wrecks. Rather spooky. The lighthouse we visited was named Bodie...pronounced "body" because legend has it that this is where many of the bodies from these shipwrecks would wash up. Lighthouses have always fascinated me, as they seem a bit mysterious and romantic. Bodie's legend certainly ranks in this category.
We also visited the Elizabethan Gardens on Roanoke Island, where the land mark of the Lost Colony exists. Recreations of the first English settlers who came to that area and settled gave rise to these landmarks that tell of their stories. In fact, Roanoke Island is the home of the first English birthed baby. Lots of history in relation to the development of our country. Here is an excerpt of what the gardens are about: " The Elizabethan Gardens is a glorious living memorial to the men and women of the Roanoke Voyages (1584-1587) who tried to carve out a living in a strange new world. Over 500 different plant species are found in the 10-acre site on the north end of Roanoke Island, adjacent to Waterside Theater. " While very pretty it still doesn't hold a candle to the Biltmore gardens...but of course neither does the price!
We experienced many eventful things during the trip. Even a little tropical storm! "Beryl" visited us bringing with her lots of rain and wind. We chose the aquarium for our indoor day outing and still got soaked! It was a great aquarium though with lots to see. Our favorite exhibit was the sea turtle research room, where you had to put on a lab coat, pick up your own sea turtle, take it to the computer diagnostic center for a check up and follow the instructions on how to make it better. Then after it would "recover" in a special turtle tank, you'd then release it down a shoot back into the water. Really neat. While we did endure flood waters, the kids took advantage and played in the huge puddles as their swimming pools. Then they warmed in the hot tub while the winds whipped around. Crazy.
By the next day, Beryl had blown out as quickly as she had blown in and we awoke to gorgeous skies and hot temperatures making for a perfect beach day. We managed to sneak in a couple of beach days during the stay and enjoyed exciting waves and lots of shelling.
Venturing up to Kill Devils Hill and Kitty Hawk we stopped at the Wright Brothers Museum and air strip, the big attraction for this area. It really was neat to see the evolution of flight and the actual sight where this took place. We walked the steps of the Wright Brothers for that famous twelve seconds of aerodynamics which put air travel on the path it is today. The kids also took advantage of the local park ranger program and earned badges at the end. Right up my homeschooling alley!
OBX, a unique and relaxing area with good eating and shopping to boot. The only negative is the bugs. Biting flies would come out at night and literally chase you down. While walking the pier we would be constantly slapping each other and waving madly at the air. I'm sure we looked crazy. Bug spray is a must!
Ok, enjoy!
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