Outer banks

[jjj444]

Just booked a house there in the summer for a week. Looking for some budget friendly things to do with the kids. Any restuarants you like, things to do for free or cheap?? So excited!! I really am hoping to see the wild horses and some of the lighthouses.

 

[lauti]

Where on the outer banks? Things are pretty spread out. Wild horses are far north in Corolla and beyond.

 

[AlleyOop]

Nags head is my families summer vacation and has been for the last 35 years so I know this area almost as well as my home!

I tried to give you a few of my favorites, but it really is a large area so I'm giving you the south side attractions!

Oh and one huge word of advice... get to the bridge to get over to the OBX before 10:30... trust me, you will thank me!


The Lost Colony Live Action Cinema:

Amazing outdoor cinema in Manteo (BRING BUG SPRAY!)

“Bursting with action and excitement, The Lost Colony is epic story of America's first English colony.”

This costs a bit more but its great to see at least once:
Adults: $30
Seniors 62 and over: $28
Kids aged twelve and under: $10​

Dolphin Tours:

Outer Banks Dolphin Cruises in Wanchese
$15 each on Mondays - coupon on their site
​

Elizabethan Gardens:

Stunning gardens in Manteo!

Adults (18+ years)………….. $9 +tax
Youth (6-17 years)…………… $6 +tax
Children (under five)………. FREE​

Food:

Here is a list of the restaurants I typically hit while in Nags Head.

Awful Arthur’s Oyster Bar - A bit pricy, but I’ve never had a bad meal here.
Big Al's Restaurant and Grill (Manteo) - HUGE portions, great for sharing and a fun place for kids!
Owen’s and Miller’s Waterfront - These two are amazing, very pricey but if you want a night out, they are excellent.​

Lighthouses:

Bodie Island (pronounced Body)
$8- adults
$4 - children under 12​

Wright Brothers National Memorial

A lot to see here and wonderful history lessons!
$4.00 per person
​

Shopping:

Check out the shopping in Duck and Manteo. Duck has some awesome waterfront boardwalks and when you are done shopping in Manteo you can take a walk through Roanoke Island Festival Park. You can pay to get in, or just take a free walk around the grounds.​

Other Free Things to See:

Jockey's Ridge State Park
Walk the Sand Dunes! Their “Sunset on the Ridge” is especially awesome, free and easy for all ages!

Sunset on the Ridge - 8:00pm
Enjoy the splendor of the evening sky from atop the highest sand dune on the Atlantic Coast. Discover how the dunes may have formed, animals that make their home in the dunes, and learn what landmarks you can see. Meets at the top of the dunes (at the park utility vehicle) for this Jockey's Ridge favorite. Program will not be held in the event of rain. Length of program: Approx. 15 minutes. Ages: Any age.​

Jennette’s Pier
Fisherman's Pier that offers a lot of educational information about the pier and the area. Fun for an evening out after getting some ice cream at Fat Boyz across the street! ​

 

[mom2t]

Best money we spent last summer was going on a wild horse tour at Corolla. Well worth the money.

 

[Lucky'sMom]

Best money we spent last summer was going on a wild horse tour at Corolla. Well worth the money.

I'll 2nd this. We stayed in Nags Head and drove up to Corolla for this tour. It was the highlight of our trip.

 

[starann]

We always take the free ferry to Okracoke island and do the little shops there. We stay in Avon, which is on Hatteras Island.

The Aquarium is a nice morning activity....go early though, it gets busy later in the day.

 

[DonnaL]

We haven't gone to OBX since 2007.....but, starting to feel the yearnings again!
It's a 10 hr drive for us and after 6 or 7 years in a row we just didn't want the drive anymore....love the place though. We always stayed in Corolla, except one year in Duck. One of our favorite things to do (and free, also) was to pack up a few coolers with lunch stuff and some beverages in one of the 4 wheel drive vehicles (it was great when someone had a truck) and drive up to the 4 wheel drive area (Carova) on the beach (this is also where the wild horses are) unpack the vehicle and spend a few hours just walking and having lunch on the beach. We found many a piece of driftwood up in this area....don't forget the OBX area is noted for the many shipwrecks off their shores. The original Corolla horses were from one of those shipwrecks a few hundred years ago. The Carova Beach area is only accessible by beach (letting air out of tires at the end of hard surface road and then reinflating after exiting the beach area) and it's such a gorgeous, nature filled area. There are huge homes built behind the dunes and the only access to those homes is over beach and between the dunes. This is the area the Wild Horse tours drive thru...which is awesome because those vehicles not only go on the beach, but, back in the soundfront areas behind the dunes. I would not recommend driving back in those areas on your own since without being familiar with the area it would be extremely easy to get lost on the sand roads which wind thru the dunes and back to the sound....not to mention possibly hitting some marshy ground and getting stuck somewhere.
As far as other activities, our family really just had a relaxing week not doing much of anything. We usually cooked/grilled at the home we were renting...always got a home with a pool/hot tub...so hung out by the pool, reading or just relaxing, I would usually spend a few hours in the morning just sitting on the beach relaxing, sometimes a walk thru the area we were staying (we really liked the Currituck Club in Corolla....stayed there three times) maybe some miniature golf or drive to one of the shopping areas and walk around a bit in the evening.

 

[jjj444]

thanks so much for the info so far. We rented a house in Rodanthe and don't mind driving to any location for things. Sounds like there is so much to do I hope we can narrow it down!! Is it pretty easy to get to all the different areas??

 

[lauti]

thanks so much for the info so far. We rented a house in Rodanthe and don't mind driving to any location for things. Sounds like there is so much to do I hope we can narrow it down!! Is it pretty easy to get to all the different areas??

Easy yes, but it will take a while. Once you get to Duck and need to go north to Corolla it is about 20 miles on a one lane road. Rodanthe is pretty far south.

Nags Head and Manteo attractions will be much closer to you.

 

[3boymthr]

thanks so much for the info so far. We rented a house in Rodanthe and don't mind driving to any location for things. Sounds like there is so much to do I hope we can narrow it down!! Is it pretty easy to get to all the different areas??

We stayed in Rodanthe last year and it's easy to get places from there but it's definitely a hike - to everything - including groceries. If you can stop on your way down and get what you need for the week in Nags Head. It will save you about 1 hour of driving. Otherwise nearest real grocery is in Avon. Same goes for mini-golf, etc.

That said there are some great things to do that we enjoyed that were free and/or cheap.

Buy or bring a kite the winds on the ocean there are strong and the beach is a great place to fly a kite. You can get a simple, easy to fly kite for under $20 at Kitty Hawk Kites - there is a store right in Rodanthe.

The Lighthouses are fairly close and worth the drive. The kids had a blast climbing the different lighthouses.

The Wright Brothers Memorial is really nice. The kids had a good time there.

if your kids like to ride bikes and you have a bike rack - bring them. There is a bike path that runs next to the highway and goes all the way or at least almost all the way to Avon. It's flat and paved so easy for the kids to ride.

The beaches in Rodanthe were very nice but not perfect and be prepared unless you are beach front or almost beach front you will be parking on the street to get to it. I didn't see any public lots for beach parking.