Our Trip to the Outer Banks

Having the half marathon in the Outer Banks made for a great excuse to have a little family getaway. We invited my mom, James and Matthew to come, but there was a day before and a few days after the race that were just the three of us. It was a perfect mixture.

pit stop on the way at the most scenic rest stop you have ever seen

We rented a house just a few blocks away from the beach. Jared and I both agreed this would be the perfect house to come back to with a group of friends and their kids. The set up was awesome. The deck was huge. The pool (in warmer months) would be great after a day at the beach. It even had a separate garage with a pool table and wet bar for adults to hang out and be loud after the kiddos go to sleep. Fletcher loved the house because of the layout, it was an open floor plan where he could just do laps. He loved playing on the deck too.

DAY ONE

We got to Kitty Hawk around 12 but couldn't check into the house until 3 so we had lunch at Hurricane Mos, walked on the beach, and picked up my race packet to kill time.

a little unsure about this sand stuff

Once we unloaded all the stuff we brought, we made use of the rather warm day and hopped in the pool. It was freezing. Fletcher was not a fan so he sat on the edge most of the time with me or walked around the pool trying to climb on all the chairs.

you honestly never know what you may need. we packed like we were preparing for the apocalypse.

DAY TWO

We started our morning with a trip to the Wright Brother's National Memorial. It was National Parks Day so we got in for free. Score. We walked around the park and saw where the first flights were taken. Fletcher fell asleep on the way up the large dune to the monument. It was beautiful.

Next up, hot dogs. They don't compare to Trolly Stop but you can't beat eating hot dogs with a salt air smell.

Finally, we were able to make it out to the beach for the afternoon. This was the last weekend you could drive on the beach which made Jared very happy. It reminded us a little bit like Ocracoke, just not as pretty and way more horse flies which were awful.

first time actually playing in the sand. one scoop in the bucket, one scoop in the mouth.

DAY THREE--Race Day!

Well, I woke up early and ran 13.1 miles.

After the race and party we went to get lunch at Awful Arthur's which had delicious seafood. And of course a fun photo op outside of their gift shop area.

The day was kind of yucky so we just hung around the house.

DAY FOUR

It was really overcast outside so we decided to head to the aquarium. Fletcher loved it. First, we walked around outside in their nature section and out on the pier. Then we headed inside where Fletcher was in awe of all the giant fish tanks. His favorite area by far was the large shark tank. He plastered his face against the glass and watched them swim by.

After nap time we headed to Hatteras Lighthouse. We couldn't take Fletcher up to the top because there is no elevator and the rules state you must be able to walk all flights by yourself without being carried. We were able to go into the bottom and admire from afar.

Our last stop of the day was to Outer Banks Brewing Station. We had the lawn to ourselves that evening. They had a large play pirate ship which Fletcher thoroughly enjoyed climbing.

DAY FIVE--Our last morning

We had to pack up the house first which took a little while because I feel like we basically moved in for four days. Then we had the most amazing breakfast at Stack 'em High Pancake House. The place is quite deceiving from the outside.

Our last stop of the trip was to see Jockey's Ridge. Basically a bunch of really large sand dunes. It was beautiful. But, not so fun carrying a toddler around in sand.

We had the most wonderful time on our trip. We explored more than we have on past vacations which was a nice change of pace. I really enjoyed getting to know the town we were staying in. We are still partial to the Southern part of Outer Banks but really had so much fun. Jared is already planning our next beach trip.