Out of Town: Outer Banks (Part 2)

This continues my recap of our wonderful vacation earlier this summer.  Make sure you check out Part 1!

On day 5 of our vacation, we decided to head up north again, this time to visit Roanoke Island.  I had big plans for all the things we would do there, but I seriously underestimated how far of a drive it was.  It took us about 2 1/2 hours to get there, including the ferry ride.  Because we did not want to be away from the dogs too long, we decided that we would spend our time on Roanoke visiting the Elizabethan Gardens.  They were stunning!  We also took some time walking around Festival Park and taking in the sites before heading back to Ocracoke.  If we ever go back to the OBX, I really would consider staying in Roanoke or Manteo.  There is a ton to do and see, and it is not only cute but chock full of history.  We wanted to see the Lost Colony play, but it just was not feasible. (It was so bright that day, and the sky was cloudy, so all my photos look hazy and washed out, stupid white balance.)

Because we had been packing so much into our days, by day 6, we needed a day to just chill. We slept in, and then we walked over to a nature preserve on Ocracoke, called Springer's Point. This is allegedly the area where Blackbeard's treasure might be buried. We did not dig however, we simply enjoyed the view. We went to the beach later that day, and were shocked to find it compl full etely empty. We soon realized why; the winds were whipping sand all around and the water was too rough to venture into. We went out for a little date night for the best meal we had all week, dinner at Howard's Pub. I even got to see a bit of the sunset from their rooftop deck.

  Saturday, day 7, was our last full day of vacation, and we decided to make the most of it. We got up at 4:30 am, and went to the beach to watch the sunrise. Let me tell you, it was totally worth it. It was simply spectacular. We went back home, and Hubby took a nap, while I walked to a part of the island we had not seen, the houses there were so lovely. Then, we spent the rest of the afternoon at the beach. Which was great, until I realized I had a horrendous sunburn. It made it tough to get a good night's sleep.

  The next morning, it was time to say goodbye. We headed out pretty early, and on our way back up through the Outer Banks, we drove through the Alligator River Wildlife Refuge. Sadly, we did not see much wildlife. We spent the car ride home dealing with two car sick puppies, and my terrible sunburn. Still, it was all worth it.

I have spent a lot of time trying to determine what my favorite part of the trip was, and I have come to the conclusion that there was not favorite part.  It was all amazing, every last second of it.  I am so happy that Hubby and I had such an amazing week.  While we are not the kind of people to go to the same place every time, and we like to have variety in the trips we take, I do hope someday we return to the Outer Banks.  We had an amazing time, from the car ride there, to the ocean knocking me down (quite a few times), to eating dinner at our beach house.  I would not change a minute of it, not even the sunburn.

Feel free to check out my photos from the whole trip here. There are many really great pics, but a word of warning, there are over 1000 pictures total!