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- I tell ya how you know you are truely "Hooked" on OBX
it is when you have been telling your family and friends for
over 20 years that one day you were going to live on the
Outer Banks, after years of searching for your soul mate
that shares your same love for OBX -you end up getting
married to him right on the beach in Kitty Hawk to find your
husband, son and yourself less then 3 years later, packing
up and starting a new life right where you told everybody
you would - it has been a dream come true! The locals are
very nice and have helps in so many ways to get our new live
off to a great start! now that is when you know your
"Hooked"
-- Helen Pannell - Tuesday, March 8, 2005 at 21:42:02
- My first visit to the Outer Banks was in 1969 while
attending Kent State University. It was a biology study
trip, and I got hooked on the Outer Banks. After getting
married in 1971, I suggested that we vacation on the Outer
Banks. My new wife said, "WHERE????" Needless to say, she
got hooked after one trip. We visited there once every
several years at first. Then after my daughter was born in
1982, we got her hooked. Before long, we were vacationing on
the Outer Banks every year. This brings us to 2005. We will
be visiting the outer banks in May, the 3rd. time in a 12
month period. I'd say we are firmly hooked. Time stand still
on the islands. No work, jsut play and relaxation.
-- Dennis Coz - Friday, March 4, 2005 at 14:01:42
- When taking a short break at work during lunch I check
the sight out and get choked up and teary thinking about all
of the wonderful trips to OBX that our family has enjoyed -
Starting when our children were young and we could only
afford the tiniest of houses (A/C not always included, and
we had only enough $ to eat out once, at KFC) and to now
when the kids, their husbands, and now 6 grandchildren get
together in a much larger house. The memories are so
overpowering.........For many years I have carried a few sea
shells from OBX in my car. I can always look at them and get
grounded enough to hold me over until the next trip.
Nancy
-- Nancy Ramsay - Tuesday, March 1, 2005 at 12:59:05
- I love OBX because you can find anything you want to in
like 5 minutes. Also, their are so many different things to
do, mini golf, hand gliding, kyaking, and much more.
-- foxhound 93 - Sunday, February 27, 2005 at 20:13:05
- ..When you eat two Apple Uglies from the Orange Blossom
in Buxton and swear that you will never do it again, only to
repeat the process the next day
...when you check a NC job bank for employment on Ocracoke,
and your intentions are surious.
...Natural Art. Enough said. Scott Busby, your the man.
...When you can remember Buxton being a tiny town with
little to no congestion, even in the summers.
...When in college, you wanted to walk around the parking
lots and rip off those trendy OBX stickers on any SUV in
sight.
...While packing, you laugh at the thought of even bring
socks, because you know that you will be barefoot the whole
time, even in the grocery store.
...when you refuse to buy any BBQ sauce because nothing is
even in the same league as Bubbas.
-- Brian Hetzel - Thursday, February 24, 2005 at
09:51:32
- When U first "heaved" on all fours in the Casino parking
lot in the Sixties on 3.2 beer - and repeated on Johnny
Walker Blue 39 yrs later.(stiil a liteweight).
-- Fresh Fish - Thursday, February 17, 2005 at 09:50:28
- I'm the only person in Wyoming with an OBX decal on his
pickup. Before that, I was the only person in Alaska with a
OBX decal! And you know you're hooked when:
1. You spend your honeymoon surffishing at the Point. And
your new bride outfishes you!
2. You spend all 3 weeks of your annual vacation on the OBX,
EVERY year, no matter how far you have to travel to get
there.
3. You leave 4 surf rods, 2 coolers, chest waders and about
200 pounds of assorted fishing tackle at a friend's house in
Manteo so it'll be there when you return next year.
4. You're recognized as a regular on the Avalon Pier every
year when you come back.
-- Ron Hawk - Friday, February 11, 2005 at 18:05:45
- You know you're hooked when you've only been there once
in your life and it was for a two day honeymoon that was
supposed to have been a week, stupid job interview. You know
you're hooked, when not even over the Wright Memorial
Bridge, you turn to your new husband and say: "Anniversary.
Next year. NO arguments! Actually, all anniversaries." and
he smiles and says that he's already thought of the idea.
You know your hooked when you go home, convince your parents
that OBX is all everyone says it is and THEN some. You know
you're hooked when you and your family (because you did such
a fine job of convincing them) are renting a house in Kitty
Hawk and you personally will eat PB&J just to save the
money. You know you're hooked when you can hear your dad say
"I swore I'd never rent a HOUSE at any beach" and it makes
you smile because you know he's going to be the same way
when he returns home.
-- Natasha Shade - Thursday, February 10, 2005 at
07:56:55
- I was in awe at my first glimpse of the huge sand dunes.
It was like being on the desert with the ocean around you. I
had never seen a coastline like that. I went there to see
the light houses, I took some great pictures ,which I had
framed. I have thought about the outer banks everyday since
I left last summer, it is a long way from my home, but I
plan to go back this May, the same time I went last year. Oh
how I would love to live in the outer banks.
-- Gilda Posey - Wednesday, January 5, 2005 at
00:00:52
- During our last trip to South Nags Head in May 04, I
bought a postcard with a beautiful Outer Banks scene on it
and it had a prayer and the saying "Everything your heart
desires . . . everything your soul requires." That about
says it. I save all year just so I can get my yearly "fix"
of the Banks. We have always gone with my husband's family
and have many precious memories of our trips - in fact, his
father just died and my daughter put a little jar of beach
sand and shells from our last trip in the casket with him.
The trips were always fun and relaxing, but now we all
realize how important that time we all spent together was.
Our next trip is May 05 (we try to stay away from September
since Hurricane Isabel wrecked one trip). I have convinced
my family to go for a week this year, then my husband's
family the following week - so me and my daughter get two
weeks! My family hasn't really wanted to go - they were
raised in the mountains of NC, and say they aren't
water/ocean people, but once they go, I know they'll be
hooked, too. As my daughter says "people who haven't been
there just don't understand."
-- Barb Crocker - Saturday, December 11, 2004 at 10:27:12
- - Learning that the blue crabs have a lot more power
compared to our Kentucky crawfish.
- Laughing at my brother at Cape Point when I hear his line
snap and he has donated another lure to the Atlantic surf.
- Hearing my brother laugh when I just donated another lure
to the surf.
- Cold beer, shrimp, and a baked potato at the beach.
- The morning drive to work and fighting the urge to pass by
exit 113 on 64 east and continue the 750.2 mile drive to the
next summers vacation beach house.
- Knowing you have now lost your job of 32 years but the
annual trip to the Banks is one thing that will not be
sacraficed.
- The friendly folks at Frisco Rod and Gun.
- Finding that last bag of tuna in the freezer when you
thought all had gone on the grill.
- The joy of the fishing charter not based on the size of
the catch.
- Seeing that black Sahara driving up the beach.
- Flying Old Glory in the Atlantic wind.
- Leaving the PVC pole holders on the front of the truck for
weeks.
- But most of all...The peace and enjoyment I see on my
families face when at the Banks.
- Would enjoy hearing from other Bankers rickbro@bellsouth.net
-- Ricky Broderick - Friday, December 3, 2004 at 08:31:16
- I visited and stayed on Okracoke last summer with my
wife and have an option on the place we stayed last summer.
OF COURSE we are going back next summer. We want to go
now!!! We drove all over the outer banks, not just Okracoke
and we are hooked. We left the day before the hurricane and
were thankful to get out on time. We loved the beaches the
stores, Heck everything.
-- Dan and Betty Hanson - Thursday, November 18, 2004 at
16:58:00
- When you go there all the time, even though nobody
around you has heard of it...when you drag your whole family
there...a little hesitantly because you don't want the
"word" to get out about how fantastic it is...when you can
watch your spouse sit on the beach for 6 hours building
sandcastles, ignoring the "real" children around...when you
realize that every time you go you try a different
sunscreen, and always end up with a new burn...when you can
put your feet up with a cup of coffee at sunrise and watch
the dolphins play...
-- christine t - Monday, October 25, 2004 at 01:11:21
- I just read some of the other comments in this section
about why people are hooked on the OBX and I realize now
that there are other people out there like me. There is an
unexpainable magic to the OBX and I am worried about
over-development. I worry about overcrowding in the future
as more people want to do what's "trendy" and go to the OBX.
I worry about developers looking to capitalize on this and
possibly ruin what is such a good thing. I hope that there
is local legislation that will prevent the OBX from turning
too much into a money-making tourist trap, like so many
other beaches. Because then all that we love about the OBX
will no longer exist. There will be too many vacation houses
and not enough undeveloped quietness that we love so much.
There is a fine line between building up the OBX and keeping
it as much as it has been in years past. I know a lot of
development has occured over the past 10 years even. It
worries me to see so many real estate companies every where.
I hope it does not get too much out of hand in the next 10
years and I hope that local legislation helps prevent
overdevelopment
-- Suzanne Pierce - Monday, October 18, 2004 at 01:20:50
- As I am originally from New York, I had never heard of
the Outer Banks prior to moving to Virginia. The first year
after my husband and I got married, he suggested we rent a
house for a week in the Outer Banks. We arrived at our
oceanfront house in Rodanthe in August of 2000 and were
hooked! We've been coming back every summer since. Every
year we think about doing something different (Hawaii,
Florida, etc.) and every year we decide that it is just not
worth it not to go back down to the Outer Banks! I can't
even describe the tranquility and peace that we feel every
time we are there. We wait all year long for this vacation.
Hatteras Island is absolutely beautiful and everyone is so
friendly. One week never seems like enough. This year we
finally booked two weeks this past September and it was well
worth it!! I cry every time we have to leave! My parents and
siblings have also caught the Outer Banks bug and come down
with us each year. This was my daughter's second year (she
was 17 months old this time) and she loves the beach also. I
don't exactly know what it is about the Outer Banks, unlike
any other place, that makes us want to live there. The daily
walks on the beach, the beautiful ocean, the awesome meals
at Tale of the Whale and other restaurants, the great
fishing, the sunsets, the relaxed family time, the
un-stressfulness of each day just makes the yearly wait
worth it. This trip has now become a family tradition that I
would like to keep up until my husband and I are old and
gray (a long time away hopefully as I just turned 30 this
year!). It is great to see that others feel the same way
about this beautiful place. Where we are from, when someone
talks about "The Beach" they are usually talking about
Myrtle Beach which I find is so commercialized and crowded
you can't think straight. People always ask what there
possibly is to do on the Outer Banks. But we know the secret
as to why we all keep coming back year after year. There is
definitely magic on these islands!!
-- Jennifer Spraker - Sunday, October 17, 2004 at 13:26:35
- We went down to the Outer Banks for the first time this
past August, we stayed in Hatteras Island (Rodanthe), I fell
in love with everything the first day, that whole week I
went looking for houses that we could possibly buy as a
rental. The views from the sound and ocean are amazing, I
loved sitting on the deck of the house we rented, drinking
my coffee at 7am without a care in the world. I didnt think
about anything else when I was down there, lots of
relaxation, such a magical place, stress-free! The beaches
are wonderful, everything is great, I love how it isnt
commercialized at all like all of the other beaches we have
been to! After that week we were definitely hooked, so we
went back down 4 weeks later and are closing on a beach
house this weekend! Cant wait to get back down there! My
daughter turns 1 this month, I know she will have many great
beach memories to come! See you soon OBX!!
-- Celina Vargas - Thursday, October 7, 2004 at 12:20:11
- me and my family went to the outer banks in march of 04
it was the first time we ever heard of the outer banks we
did not know what to expect we satyed in corolla and i tell
ya what it was the best week of me and my family's life i
have never ever felt the way i did about the outer banks
than any place in the world it was so beauitful i was at so
much peace in that one week than i ever have been in my life
the experience was breath taking i loved the rental house
the beach was awesome and the light houses were the best the
wild horses were such a feeling of freedom i got so lost in
that place in that one week i felt like i have been there
all my life i would love to live there one day i hope to go
back soon i see alot of people say its home there right its
where home was always supposed to be when you are there the
place just sucks you in and all you can do is look around
and say wow your speechless and free all at the same time it
is a place that will always be in my heart we love you outer
banks we miss you outer banks and we hope to see you again
real soon thank you outer banks for everything
-- Jason Majczyk - Friday, September 24, 2004 at 22:17:14
- I am hooked because I visited the outer banks for the
first time in june 04 and got married on the beach. we went
there because of my husbands love for the outer banks. i now
am in love with it and can not wait to return in October. I
want to live there. miss it so much.
Laura and Jason fait
-- laura fait - Wednesday, September 8, 2004 at
20:16:18
- on the way home from the vacation you never look forward
you keep it in your sites until you can no longer see the
water or smell the salt..
-- Tresa Parsons - Wednesday, September 8, 2004 at 04:49:10
- In a "word", stressfree. With out a doubt when you cross
the Herbert C. Bonner bridge, the worlds cares just seem to
fall into Oregon Inlet. The pace of life, the lack of big
business
involvement. Everything being a mom and pop type deal. It's
totally wonderful. Go to the beach and dont have to fight
for a place to relax. Locals are extremely friendly. The
Outer Banks experience is unparralled anywhere else.
-- larry morris - Wednesday, August 11, 2004 at
12:26:39
- As a child, my parents, siblings and I used to travel to
Hatteras from Pennsylvania. I remember the old amphatheater
and watching movies on the beach while the waves crashed
around us. I remember endless walks along the shoreline to
reach the lighthouse, climbing the 200+ steps to the top
(free of charge back then), countless hours of being
fascinated by the waves; cool breezes and flashlights during
the evening hours, chasing ghost crabs and seeing the
brightest stars ever.
Through the years, my fascination with the OBX has
continued. My home is filled with images of the Hatteras
Light, which I check almost daily on the live cam. I have
since introduced my own children (now teenagers) to the
magic of the OBX, and we have made the journey multiple
times from our current home in Wisconsin. They, too, are
enchanted by the quaintess of The Coffee House (on Ockracoke
Island), the majisty of the Hatteras Light,(which we
witnessed as it was being relocated) and the turbulance of
the Ocean.
I cannot explain the joy that fills my soul when I first
smell the ocean, or see and hear the waves crashing to the
shore. It is where my mind travels when I am overwhelmed by
the day to day stresses of life. It may sound morbid, but my
final resting place??? Hopefully scattered on the shores of
the OBX to be swept away by the breeze and the waves of the
Atlantic.
-- Judy Byrnes - Monday, August 9, 2004 at 19:23:45
- I began reading this website shortly before leaving for
our July 4th OBX vacation. My husband's family has been
coming to the OBX for over 30 years. He says as a little
boy, they would park their camper on the beaches of Nags
Head and wake up in the morning and run into the waves. His
mom, dad & sis would sleep in the camper and he & his
brothers would sleep on the beach. I've been coming with him
since we were married 15 years ago and we've brought our
only child Eric since he was born 10 years ago. This is the
only vacation place Eric wants to come to. Forget Disney
World. He wants to come to the OBX. In fact, when he was in
2nd grade, for MLK day, the students were to write down
their dream. He wrote: My dream is to buy a beach house in
the Outer Banks when I grow up. HE GETS IT!!!!! We began our
vacations in the Nags Head/Kitty Hawk area. We then spent 5
vacations in the northern Corolla/Duck area but for the past
5 years, we've stayed in Rodanthe/Salvo/Waves area and this
year we were in Avon. We love the serenity of the OBX,
especially the southern part where it is less
commercialized. When you're on the beach and feel the wind
blowing against your face, you forget all the pressures and
stress that everyday life gives to you. You forget about
everything that is going on "back home". We only stay for a
week but every year we keep saying "let's stay an extra
couple of days". We finally did it and will NEVER go back to
"only" 7 days in the OBX. We stayed 3 extra days on Ocracoke
this time and have looked at lodging options for next July
4th. With Hurricane Alex "skimming" by the OBX, I had to
come to this website today. He doesn't seem to be as vicious
as Isabel was last year but I'm still concerned for my OBX.
-- Dora Armstrong - Tuesday, August 3, 2004 at 15:03:56
- You are hooked when you spend hours searching for OBX
connections; smiling at every OBX sticker you see, always
purchasing exta stickers in case you get a different vehicle
in between visits. Tears of joy as you cross the Wright,
always going to the beach before you carry in a single piece
of luggage, coffee on the deck at 5 am, sleeping with all
the windows open so you can hear the surf, hot tub in the
dark with the stars, friends laughing, napping; total calm
and peace of mind, Love it,miss it, will be there in six
weeks, God wiling and speaking of God. It is always a
powerful spiritual experience for me. God is so present and
awesome at the beach.
-- Lois Speelman - Tuesday, August 3, 2004 at 12:01:01
- We just came back after our second vacation there. I
remembered a trip from 10 years ago and suggested the
destination to my husband for a family vacation. This is now
our favorite place to vacation with our family. I worry that
too many peole will discover it and ruin it so i play it
down when family and friends ask about our time here. I just
tell them it was relaxing (which is the truth) I grew up on
florida beaches (both coasts) and new jersey beaches and
have seen some in between, but the best beach to be at is on
the outerbanks. The stars at night are incredible. The waves
are great and the wildlife and natural landscaping are like
none other. This is what god intended a beach to be. But i
will never come down without my own groceries because the
lines in the grocery store extend to the very back of the
store. I like that the stores all close early (9 pm) so that
you have to entertain yourselves and play family games or
throw your feet up and twist off a mike's hard lemonade and
look out from your deck at someone else's illegal firework
display.
-- Cheryl Painter - Monday, August 2, 2004 at 13:39:50
- I love it !! I was there in June, I want to go back in
July, Aug. Sept., Oct., Nov., and on and on and on. Every
time I see on OBX sticker on a car, I am jealous.. I want to
be there !!! Shirley in Ohio
-- Shirley Rosser - Sunday, August 1, 2004 at 10:16:53
- Everytime you go to another place on vacation other than
the OBX, you keep thinking to yourself, "I should have gone
to the OBX." I have been going to the OBX since I was a
child. I am now 28, married with children of my own, and I
love to take my family to the OBX. My husband is now hooked
and my children love the beach. We normally stay in Nags
Head, but we have visited the Hatteras Lighthouse.
-- Kelly Osborne - Tuesday, July 27, 2004 at 16:05:28
- ...My best friend and I stumbled upon the OBX at 10:00pm
one cold, dark and windy April night in 1998 during spring
break(we were on our way to Myrtle Beach) knowing we were on
an adventure. We ended up getting a room at OBX Motor Lodge.
For four days we got up each morning and asked if we could
have the room for another day. We found out quickly about
"thistles" as I had to yank one from Sandi's heel. We had to
wear jackets the whole time we were there and didn't care.
...Ben Franklin is the place for sweatshirts.
...Pigman's
...Sandi convinced her parents to rent a house every spring
and fall so they can go.
...Now I drive 14 hours with my husband and son for our
family vacation.
...Everyone asks, "Where is that?" when we take our fall
vacation and I love telling them that you would never find
it and it's the only place on earth that I feel I could stay
there and never do another thing but walk on the beach,
watch the sun rise and set, and watch my son totally
contented as he plays on the beach.
...I've already started buying groceries to take with us.
...I gotta check the pier cam to see if OBX weather is
better than mine. Of course it is!!!! A rainy day at the
beach is better than a sunny day at home anytime.
...In 8 weeks we'll be there again.
-- Lisa R. - Sunday, July 25, 2004 at 23:05:35
- We just got back this past Saturday and are planning on
going back for a weekend before the summer is over. Your
kids got to see the ocean for the first time, and something
about the Outer Banks took their breath away while looking
at their first ocean. The people are so friendly, the ocean
is so pretty, the beaches are so clean and uncrowded, and
sand dune is so much fun to run down! We miss you badly
Outer Banks, and we can't wait to come back on what will
surely be a yearly visit!!!!!!
-- Jay Durst - Tuesday, July 20, 2004 at 15:01:20
- You have a reciept in your wallet from the Fudgery at
Timbuck II simply because it was the last place you made a
purchase on the OBX before you had to leave to go home. And
you have most of the fudge left in your freezer because it
is much to valueable to permitt the kids to see or have. And
you know that since you can't make it next year, there are
685 more days till you go back to the OBX again.
-- Chris Kelly - Tuesday, July 20, 2004 at 14:12:09
- My husband and i first visited the obx in 1999. We were
there between hurricanes but, that in no way diminished the
love we have for the ocean. In fact, we dream of living
there someday soon. So much peace and serenity is there. All
we have to do is close our eyes and imagine we are there and
all stress is gone. The ocean breeze, the smell in the air
and the sand under our feet is what we crave. Can't wait
till September and we will be there again. In our "heaven on
earth" at the outer banks of North Carolina.
-- Loralee Kaneff - Thursday, July 15, 2004 at
08:06:21
- I just got back from my 2nd trip to Nags Head, and i
wish it could be once a year, every year. Just like everyone
on here says,, there is no place like it. And you really
don't know what that means, unless you have been there !!
Went to a really good place to eat this year, a newer
place.. The Outer Banks Brewing Station.. oh, the best food
ever !! Very close to Nags Head. And I made my frist trip,
by ferry, to Oracoke Island, and saw the lighthouse. It is
really a vacation to remember. And oh yea, I started to put
on a pair of shoes that I had worn down there.. and felt sad
when I saw and felt the sand still in them.. makes you
homesick !!!!!!! Shirley in Ohio
-- Shirley Rosser - Thursday, July 1, 2004 at 00:47:53
- It is so beautiful! We are leaving on a day and 1/2.
Saturday June 26th at 2am to make the 12 hour trip from
Alliance Ohio!! Can not wait!!
-- Lisa Furry - Thursday, June 24, 2004 at 12:56:16
- You know you're hooked when you remember rolling down
the sand dunes in the hot sun as a young girl - sandy, tan
and overflowing with joy, and recall that very moment to be
one of the happiest in your life... Taking the boyfriend
camping there next week as a graduation present for him,
though maybe its for me as well, because I have a deep
longing to share with him this place that sparks so many
happy memories. I haven't been there since I was 8, but I
have a feeling that just as they once did, the Outer Banks
will fill me up again with a peacefulness that no other
place ever has. Its funny isnt it, how others can't
understand why we call this place "home" when we don't live
there? It makes perfect sense to us because it is home, in
our spirits and hearts anyway. OBX I can't wait to be
reunited with you! Lisa
p.s. if anyone has suggestions for camping, please do email
-we'd really appreciate it! Somewhere not too crowded, we
were thinking either Ocracoke, Hatteras, Frisco or
Shackleford Banks. We'll be leaving June 22 from Charlotte,
NC and staying 2 nights (wish it were more!). Thanks :-)
-- Lisa Wright - Saturday, June 19, 2004 at 20:37:05
- Well here i am.. after reading the latest hooked stories
i again have to write :) After my mother passed away in Feb.
of this year i got the pleasure of finding some pictures of
her and my grandmother standing in front of the Avalon Pier
with the date of 1983 i had forgotten how long i had been
coming to the Outer Banks and now i truely understand why i
feel so at home their - my family and i have been as far
north and south as u can get with a car and never get tired
of riding the roads and always seem to find soemthing we
have never seen befor - never is one sunrise r sunset the
same and words could never tell anyone what u r seeing and
they r missing - there r so many memories that goes thur
your mind when setting on one of the many beaches that only
have a few people or on - and to be able to enjoy watching
you children run and play and not have to worry about them -
to be able to ride by so many places and say i remember ...
to get that special feeling when crossing the bridge to Pea
Island knowing that for miles there r no house r busines
just wild life and water and the best view!! to be able to
talk to the Islanders and feel like you have known them all
your life :) to be able to know that in the passed 5 1/2
months you have already been to the island 4 times (due to
the fact the your in-laws r working at the Hatteras KOA) and
we just got back and in 3 weeks will be down there for the
week (way to short) vacation - as so many have said the
island is so very special and the way it makes you feel
noone will ever understand - i hope that if your r reading
this sight and never been to the Outer Banks i suggest u at
least go once - i might be wrong but i bet you will just
have that need to go back and keep coming back - to all that
r visiting this year have a great time this summer and get
hooked !!
-- Helen Pannell - Friday, June 18, 2004 at 01:07:27
- How does one sum up their experience or own personal
interpretation of the Outer Banks in a paragraph or two? I'm
going to do my best to try.
My first visit to the Outer Banks was in June 1999. I was
accompied by my sister, her husband and daughter, my son,
and a close friend and her daughter. What an experience. I
had never witnessed anything so breathtaking. We revisited
the following year and then I didn't get to go again until
June 2003...leaving a two year break in between. I felt as
if I was reaquainted w/ the love of my life. My soul, my
inspiration, all of the answers to life's unknowns....I
found all of that and much more while sitting in the sand,
staring off into the horizon w/ the ocean waters dancing
beneath my feet. I remembered feeling intimidated the first
time I looked out across those waters. I almost became
paniced but before I had time to be too swept away, another
wave would come crashing in and refresh my skin, my soul.
Those waves were engaging in beautiful conversation.
Conversation only I could understand at that moment.
This year, none of my family is going. A couple of family
members have just had babies so we're all sitting this
summer out. We're all feeling the loss already. It's so sad.
But, you can be sure that the plans are in the making for
next year.
What an experience we've all had. Siblings, cousins,
husbands, children....
Could it be waking up and sharing coffee on a deck over
looking the ocean? Or could it be the history? The pirate
stories? The relaxed 'southern feel'? Maybe it's the morning
bike ride my cousin and I would share? Or possibly the night
moon bringing out the ghost crabs. Whatever it is, we're
drawn to it, caught up in it, overwhelmed by it and never
letting the tradition go.
-- Erin Lhamon - Wednesday, June 16, 2004 at 15:06:08
- My husband and I honeymooned there 25 years ago. We
returned this past May to celebrate 25 years, it was as
beautiful as ever. The first day on the beach the whales
were in close and we could see them playing in the water. It
was the only place that we went back to (after 25 yrs) that
still had the beauty it did then. The people were friendly.
Of course the light house at Hatteras has moved and the
Wright Brother's Memorial is much bigger and nicer, and
Jockey Ridge has had alot of movement, it was fabulous just
like it was then. I want to move there. It is gorgeous!
-- Donna Dewar - Monday, June 14, 2004 at 18:33:58
- I am hooked on OBX because when we went down this May
04' we stayed in a house named Banana Wind and I had the
best time in my life. My boyfriend and I climbed to the top
of the Cape Hatteraus lighthouse and saw the most beautiful
view imaginable. We had a fire on the beach and ran away
from the crabs. It was the best vacation I ever had, and
cannot wait until next May comes and I can do it over again.
-- ashley harter - Friday, June 11, 2004 at 13:24:56
- -It brings tears to your eyes to go to the same cottage
(Marvin Minton Motel-Nag's Head) where you enjoyed summer
vacations with family members over 30 years ago, some of
which are no longer here.
-You can reminisce about happy times spent on the Outer
Banks so many years ago, but the memories are so vivid that
it only seems like yesterday.
-You realize your passion for the OBX was actually
"inherited" from your grandfather and mother, both of whom
have since passed away. (My children and I are the 3rd and
4th generation!)
-It's the ONLY place you want to go on vacation and deep
inside your heart, you wish to live there someday.
-You feel a "special bond" with others who visit the Outer
Banks because you know they can feel the magical peace &
serenity that you do.
-When a stranger rolls down their window at a stop light and
asks you what the front OBX license plate on your car means
and you tell them "You just have to go to find out.
-Can't wait. My husband and I will be leaving in 9 days. It
takes about 10+ hours but it doesn't seem that long and it's
well worth it all just to hear the waves crashing, sea gulls
overhead and the sand between your toes.
-- Tammy Nelson - Thursday, June 10, 2004 at 16:49:46
- My grandparents moved here to retire in Nags Head after
they sold their home in Maryland. They wanted the condo they
bought right on the ocean to become the place where our big
family would gather, like we did in Maryland for years. Now,
they've both passed away, and the condo has been sold, but
the beach itself pulled first my little sister (11 years
ago), and now me (this past winter) to uproot our lives from
the mountains of New England and come to this island where
anything is possible and where dreams really do come true.
Walking along the beach on a sunshine day makes you feel
healthy and alive. Sitting on the sand, after the sun sets
and feeling the warmth on your toes...watching the waves in
the moonlight...that's just plain spectacular. Things seem
to fall into perspective. You feel peaceful and ready to
handle the "real world" again after a little while just
breathing. I love the Outer Banks, the people all have
"their story" and the restaurants/outdoor bars offer some of
the best meals and robust atmosphere ever experienced, in
just shorts and a bikini top. The storms are wild, scary and
fantastic to be a part of. And they say, it is here where
you will find 'the answers'. Even St. Andrews Episcopal
Church by the Sea is filled to capacity every Sunday...(an
amazing thing this day and age) I'm hooked. I'm staying.
-- Cindi Getek - Tuesday, June 8, 2004 at 21:52:57
- We got hooked on the OBX in 1994 after some friends
encouraged us to rent a "beach cottage" in NC. I had no idea
what we were getting into. So for almost every year since
then we have met our good friends from Michigan there and
shared a beach house. Beginning in January we start to comb
the internet and catalogs for our perfect house as close to
the ocean as possible. Our children have the most wonderful
memories of our week in heaven and look forward to going
each year even now as teenagers. My favorite acitivy is
looking for the perfect shells on the beach in the early
morning up in the dunes. We bring back a huge box every year
and add to our landscape rock so when I look out my window I
can see a little bit of the obx every day. The food, great
little shops, beautiful beaches and charm of the island
leaves me daydreaming often about what the weather is like
on a given day or who is staying in "my" beach cottage. I
can't image a summer without a week or so on the banks.
-- Rose Pomeroy - Friday, June 4, 2004 at 16:50:11
- After watching the film 'Message in a bottle' my dream
is to visit the Outer Banks. I'm sure my future belongs
there, if only in my dreams!!!
-- Nikki Beech - Sunday, May 16, 2004 at 17:53:03
- I have been hooked on the Outer Banks since 1992 when a
friend of mine took us on a trip during Easter. I could not
believe how time seemed to reverse itself and everything
seemed to just slow down a little. Ever since, I bring my
children nearly each and every year "home" as I call it. I
am not a native of this beautiful paradise but if I have my
way, I will spend my remaining days here. I know that it
takes a special person to be able to handle what mother
nature throws at this place and her people, but their
resilience is absolutely amazing and that too is another
reason why I am hooked. You will not find people like this
anywhere, I can assure you.
-- Sharon Hall - Friday, May 14, 2004 at 11:22:41
- When you are the only person in Indiana with a license
plate that reads "Hateras". Our Cabana was destroyed by
Isabelle, so this year we will stay in Avon. Can't wait,
Only three more days!
-- Carol Keeley - Tuesday, May 11, 2004 at 00:05:47
- we have only been home two days and are already talking
about next year's trip. This was our first visit to the
Outer Banks, we arrived in Buxton after dark so did not see
the view until the sun came up the next morning. It was
magical, like all my 47 Christmas mornings had been rolled
into one. The whole week, schedules were forgotten and we
couldn't stop smiling. There's 'something' about this place;
if you come stressed, you won't go home that way. My husband
and I have both remarked how even being home feels better
now. This Outer Banks vacation gave us a whole new attitude!
-- Debbie Allen - Wednesday, May 5, 2004 at 00:17:06
- Starting when I was little, like 5 or something, my
family would take a couple weeks out of every year to go
down to the outerbanks where we would stay, usually in avon,
at the avon motel. we would go almost every year and the
fishing was always great. well, we stopped going in the mid
eighties and then I grew up and moved on. Well, i now live
in nc, about 200 miles from OBX and my wife, kids, and me
have been going to the obx 2x a year since 2001. We usually
stay south of avon and rent a house for a week or 2. I love
the 4x4 access and the fact that i can find a nice quiet
piece of beach in about 20 minutes no matter where I am. we
love ocracoke and venture over to the island just about
every day. we love the seclusion and the lack of
hustle/bustle. we are going again in early june and I am
really getting excited. so far, i've never been stuck or had
any problems on the beach, just make sure my tires are aired
down and i have plenty of gas and also I make sure the truck
is in A1 shape. kis love it, i love it more! :-)
-- Bill Zavetsky - Tuesday, April 27, 2004 at 17:39:37
- I've been hooked since a trip in Aug. 1994. It was there
I found my home away from home. I discovered a more
"primitive", peaceful way of life there that year...even
during the "in season". To my surprise, the images and
feeling followed me home that year and it was something that
stuck with me, has remained in my thougths and my heart
every single day, has become a part of my being. The banks
have left such an impression on my daily life that since
that first trip, I have taken every one of my vacations
there, stayed in many rentals, in various areas of the beach
from Duck and north, always staying oceanfront. I have
returned every year since then, at least one time a year,
introducing the banks to friends and relatives, building
memories, taking along my dogs, but always finding May and
Movember the optimal times for visits. The times that have
become a part of me is catching the sharks and flounder from
the oregon inlet bridge, hanging out there with all the
friendly fishermen and trading secrets, building many great
memories of fishing off the surf by the light of a
breath-taking sunset in four wheel drive country, having
fished the piers through just as great a sunset, having
built the castles on the beach with little children who
joined my efforts as they were just wandering up the beach,
making discoveries along the beaches after storms when the
craziest of things wash up and the speculation and learning
begins. I've dug for clams in the sound, taken the ferry
from Hattaras to Ocracoke with a slue of stow away sea gulls
guiding us every time, have climbed the lighthouses, shopped
lots of the stores - I like the smaller, less-known places
where lots of the true local flavor can be purchased, eaten
some of the best food I've ever had (Dirty Dicks, Awful
Arthur's, Slammin' Sammy's, George's Junction, The Wharf,
this list goes on...and on...and on). I have experienced
watching the waters leave the sound and empty out to sea
just before the winds of a noreastern hits and have spent
many a night, staring into the stars above and waiting for
the next shooting star to wish on. I've taken the four
wheelers into what was once known as the backlands and have
been chased away by a hurricane or two. Each time I have
returned home, I return with another "piece of the beach".
Over these 10 years of visits, I have turned my home in PA
into a beach house, have remodeled the bathroom in the style
of most of the beach cottages, as well as the living room
and have plans for the rest of the house. I have had many
pictures of different sights around the OBX blown up and
framed and they decorate the walls of my house. There are
seashells and nets, naticaul decor from all over the OBX in
my house, my Christmas tree is decorated entirely with
natural findings and store bought items...not a single room
or season has escaped from the OBX. If I could...I would
have already jacked my house up on stilts, parked my jep
under the house, filled my yard with sand, shells, and sea
oats and hung pictures of the beach on the outside of my
windows. The only newspaper I get and read is the coastland
times...delivered right to my door...just so I know what's
happening...home away from home. Yea, the OBX are in my DNA.
Until you go...you'll never know true obsession.
-- Brenda Troup - Sunday, April 25, 2004 at 20:49:13
- I went to the Banks one time, years ago, with friends.
It was magic. It was the only beach I've ever been on where
I really felt like I was having an experience with the
ocean. No crowds. No trash left all over the beach. The
surfers were cool. Sitting on the beach late at night, the
sunrise and wind pushing the remainder of a storm away, the
sand crabs starting to pop out... and the Apple Uglies...
It was a whole different way of life down there.
-- Deb Derbis - Thursday, April 15, 2004 at 10:14:35
- .....all you can do is wait until "vacation day" comes
around !
Spent many vacations in the OBX with my family when I was
small starting in the mid 70's.....then for a time I didn't
go......Back in 1988, though, I started going again.....My
wife (then girlfriend) and I have been going every year
since except 1999, because of the expected birth of our
son.
Beginning with our honeymoon in 1996, we have rented a house
on the North Beach every year in September....its just an
expereince that never gets old!
Both of our boys (now 4.5 and 2) have taken their first
"beach steps" on the OBX....
Have been through 2 major evacuations, the latest which was
September 2003.....we were there for 2 days and we were
ordered to evacuate.....our 4x4 broke down the day before
evacuation, so THAT was a disaster (Thanks Elizabeth Ford
for getting us on the road!)....but even with that fiasco,
we got a taste of the OBX which has left us yearning for
this years trip!
Two words: Vacation insurance -- and if you are in the 4x4
area, make sure you have a cell phone and the number of the
(only) tow truck operator. Trust me, I know.
Just a word to the County folks -- get that Northern Beach
evacuation route opened sooner! It saved us HOURS of driving
last year once it was FINALLY opened!
Stack Em High, Jimmy's Buffet, the Wind Mill Restaurant and
the Ship's Wheel (I love "The Galley" breakfast!) are our
favorite restaurants....
We have seen most of the tourist sites over the years and
these days just hang out at the beach or just enjoy each
other's company.....the way it should be......a piece of
heaven.
Hopefully this year will have beautiful weather and no
vehicle problems!
Once the Outer Banks get in your blood, you are
hooked.....its the ONE time of year that my other obsession,
riding my motorcycle, takes a back seat.
But one year I hope to take my bike with me to the
OBX....that will be sensory overload!
-- Dave Zavetsky (zavetsky@comcast.net) - Monday, March 29,
2004 at 08:36:13
- you know you're hooked when you're 15 years old and have
been going since the first year you are born.. you can't
decide which friend to take with you to share your glorious
trip and you keep a cup af sand from last year beside your
bed so whenever you miss it all u have to do is touch the
sand
-- Brandi McCormack - Thursday, March 25, 2004 at 19:16:23
- You know you're hooked when you begin to dread going
because you know you will have to leave after your 2 weeks
in Heaven; when, as a retired teacher, you'd be willing to
go back to work long enough to pay for plane fare from
Texas; when you carry a flat, smooth piece of broken shell
in your purse and feel warm all over when you see it and
plain emotional when you hold it.
-- Linda Kennington - Thursday, March 25, 2004 at 00:18:28
- I'm hooked on the Outer Banks because I like to go 4
wheeling there and drive speed boats in the ocean. Please
send me some OBX stickers ASAP!
-- Luke Phillips - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 at 21:42:15
- I have been going to the OUter Banks for 26 years. It is
a long 12 hour drive but worth every bit of it. My family
has been tring to talk me into Florida for years but I will
not budge. The Outer Banks is the only place for me. My 7
year old son is just as obsessed as I am. I love the New
York Pizza Pub and my son loves Wings. Without a doubt the
Outer Banks is the best place on earth.
-- Beth Irvin - Tuesday, March 23, 2004 at 15:32:47
- There is a magic, that can't be felt anywhere on earth.
Because the ocean is somehow different there....there is a
feeling, a comfort, a warmth, that I have never felt in any
other vacation spot before or since...and I can't stay away
too long...I have to see it..again and again, at least once
a year, if not more...to see the shorelines, the whitecaps,
the dunes, and even after Isabel wreaked her havoc, to see
the 'Banks' come back...the familiar lighthouses, all there,
all still lighting the night skylines...the sight of a full
moon rising on the Atlantic...and I am sad when I leave, and
reminiscent for weeks after being there....and to quote Mr.
Taylor's song, 'In my mind I'm goin' to Carolina....'
-- Michelle Yamrick - Saturday, March 6, 2004 at
21:37:14
- When we visit one weekend every month with a 6 hour
drive Friday night after work no matter what the weather is
like to spend Saturday walking on the beach so I can search
for shells and driftwood to bring home to the "beach
retreat" I am trying to build in the corner of my living
room, to keep me happy until I can move to the outerbanks
and live for ever in peaceful bliss. Eating at the
Dunes,Stackum High Pancakes and Dirty Dicks, and the kids
love Kill Devils Corn Dogs and Custards. The delightfully
friendly people at Colony IV Motel and Nags Head Inn and
Avon Cottages. Only 11 days till I return to Heaven on earth
and then have to wait another unbearable 3 weeks to go back
again.
-- Sherry Miller - Friday, March 5, 2004 at 11:19:43
- We love each and everyone of our friends, the ones who
are no longer with us and the ones that are still waithing
for every oct. Never have we met such people as the friends
of the outer banks from the outer banks pier to bingo- to
the grocerys stores we have met the best friends on the
fishing unlinited fishing pier from all over the world there
is no one in the world can compare with these people we just
want to say thank you for sharing your part of you world
with us it means more than you will ever know jp cottage's
the best place on the outer banks just like family - thanks
again the fuller's from ohio
-- PATTY FULLER- Thursday, March 4, 2004 at 22:57:32
- ...is there anywhere else to go? We started going there
in 1992 and have went at least once a year since then. It
just seems like home. I can not say that there is anything
about the banks that I don't like. Every year we go to
Jockey's Ribs and they remember us. My nephew has celebrated
his last 4 birthdays there! The best food on the beach! We
also luv the Jolly Roger and the Wharf. I love the sound,
you just seem to be in another world when you are there! My
husband & I will be living there someday! Only 3 months and
we are there!
-- liz lozano - Wednesday, March 3, 2004 at 23:49:12
- I am hooked because from the time we leave....I am
always going on OBX sites, the AvalonPier.com, and have the
days counted down!!! Dunes South in South Nags Head is truly
heaven on Earth and I can not WAIT to get back there!! Only
120 more days!!!
-- Lisa Furry - Saturday, February 28, 2004 at
20:01:48
- - When on Christmas Eve, after reading The Night Before
Christmas to your four year old child, she looks up and says
I want to go to the beach and chase the sea gulls , - and so
do you.
- Why you feel proud when you see the Welcome to the Village
of Waves road sign in your surfer dude college kid s dorm
room.
- When your friends can't understand why you rave about food
from places named Awful Arthur s and Dirty Dick s.
- When you know that the driver in the car ahead of you with
the oval black and white HI sticker isn t just saying
hello.
-- Steven Hunt - Sunday, February 22, 2004 at 14:30:36
- you go back EVERY YEAR because you cant imagine
vacationing ANYWHERE else, you count the days until you are
going back, you love the cake at THE WHARF and going to BIG
AL'S is a tradition, DIRTY DICKS is amazing, you had a great
time even though it rained EVERY day last year, miniature
golfing is also a tradition and walking to FAT BOYZ ICE
CREAM!!! :o) I LOVE OBX!!! 165 days til we go back!!!
-- Melissa Tasy - Monday, February 16, 2004 at 19:34:04
- 1) I know I am hooked on the Outer Banks because one of
the grocery memberships savings cards in my wallet is a Food
Lion card...And the only Food Lion I have ever been to is on
the Banks!
2) I know I am hooked on the Outer Banks when I took my 6
week old daughter there...and stayed for Gustav (2002)!
3) I know my family is hooked because the first time I
walked, the first steps I took were on the beach in Buxton,
NC (many, many years ago!!)
4) I know we are hooked when growing up, my family tried to
coordinate our vacation with my birthday so that we could
celebrate it on the Outer Banks.
It's a sickness, but I love it!
225 days (and counting) until my next visit!
-- Erin Runkle - Thursday, January 29, 2004 at
20:47:27
- You have just booked your week 2 house at the beach-One
week only is purely for novices-and now all you can do is
obsess over the beach catalogs all winter...and you just got
back from a week in November.
-- Debra Pearce - Tuesday, January 27, 2004 at
09:24:40
- We have been going to the Banks since 1983....and even
the poor dog is hooked....you know she is hooked when you
say Awful Arthur's...and she perks up her head from a deep
sleep!! We dearly love the Banks ...all of us..and hope to
be able to return until we are gone from this earth and then
may we return to our beloved Banks home in spirit!
-- Mary Mount - Sunday, January 18, 2004 at 22:13:13
- I'm just sitting here with tears in my eyes reading the
words of those with kindred spirits! You could never
understand unless you have been there. My family and I went
to Va. Beach for a couple of days this month in January and
all they could say about the ocean is : "It smells like
Nag's Head! I want to go to Nag's Head!" THe Outer Banks is
unlike anywhere else on this earth. Troubles seem to fade
there...You rediscover your family there....You make soooo
many memories (all happy) EVERYONE I know that goes there
counts the days when they can return. Why is this? In my
opinion, its God's way of telling us that Heaven is real and
the OBX is a little taste of it. Hope to see you all in
Salvo this June!! Dave Cash
-- David Cash - Friday, January 9, 2004 at 09:22:48
- I spent most of my life only an hour away. I practically
grew up on Jeanettes Pier, in fact I caught my first big
fish (a flounder) there when I was four. My daughter was
born in California (where I now live,) but her first
experience with the ocean was in Nags Head. I will always
call OBX my home.
-- Melanie Orlanda - Saturday, January 3, 2004 at
00:56:59
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