The Outer Banks

Explore the Outer Banks of North Carolina

By Anne Jacques-Merle

There's also parasailing, which is quite invigorating. No, not for me, I've never flown. But nothing has ever gotten my heart pumping as fast as seeing my 16-year-old yanked into the sky hooked to a parachute at the back of a speedboat.

History buffs will enjoy the Chicamacomico Life Saving Station and Museum, the Frisco Native American Museum, and soon, the Hatteras Village Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum. Or visit galleries featuring the work of local artists and craftsmen, especially the fine potters. And there are all manner of wonderful little shops in each community, offering gifts, clothing, books, toys, posters, kites, decorating and gourmet items.

Side trips open the door to several more weeks of vacation. We often include taking a car ferry to Ocracoke Island to see wild miniature horses, and the haunt of Blackbeard (this was pirate territory) or driving back north over the bridge for "the play." Outdoor historic drama isn't Broadway, but Roanoke Island isn't Manhattan. The Lost Colony – the mystery of the doomed first settlers from England – is one great story.

Yes, indeed, there is something for everyone on Hatteras Island, but there's also plenty of nothing, too. My recommendation is take off your watches, cover the clocks and don't ever turn on a television. Start the day when the sun and your body tell you to, end it on the same note. Walk the sand and deeply breathe the salt air. Fly a kite. Read a book. Eat good fish. Renew.

Want to see more?

• Bandon-By-The-Sea: A Treasured Nestled in Oregon's Rocky Shore
• Disney in the Off-season: Less Crowds, More Time for Fun
• Watching Over the Waters: Lighthouses of the Outer Banks of North Carolina
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