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Helen
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| Posted: March 23 2009 at 7:56am | IP Logged
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Would you share your experiences and tips for a succesful family vacation? Are there some towns which you would avoid? Anything you wished you knew in advance?
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Ave Maria!
Mom to 5 girls and 3 boys
Mary Vitamin & Castle of the Immaculate
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guitarnan
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| Posted: March 23 2009 at 9:28am | IP Logged
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We love the Outer Banks.
Bring kites. They're popular down there - you can buy them there, of course, but you may have some at home...
There's lots to do there (mini golf, etc.) but my top two recommendations are the Wright Brothers Memorial (where the first airplane flew) and the nearby sand dunes at Jockey's Ridge State Park (you will need to walk through deep sand, plan ahead).
Also, plan a few rainy day activities - it definitely rains there during the summer. Board games, read-alouds, etc. are good to have along, just in case. Some rental cottage owners keep things like that in the house.
Groceries are more expensive there. We usually stop in Chesapeake, VA (we drive from the north) and buy most items there. Then all you need to buy is milk, etc. and yummy fresh fish - expensive but so worth it!
We always stay at one particular place in Kill Devil Hills on the sound side (there's ocean side and sound side). We drive a few blocks to the beach on the ocean side - it works fine.
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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Kath
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| Posted: March 23 2009 at 9:48am | IP Logged
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If you are planning on staying in an oceanfront house, be sure to ask the rental agent how far the house is from the actual beach, and if there is a dune to walk over, etc. Oceanfront houses are especially nice with small children because you can easily get back to the house for bathroom breaks, snacks, etc, but there can still be a walk depending on what the beach is like where you are staying.
We've stayed in Duck, which we really enjoyed because the beach is private (so less crowded and touristy) and also very level without many dunes.
Corolla is also supposed to be very nice, but a bit more expensive.
The two best vacation rental websites I have found are www.carolinadesigns.com and www.resortrealty.com. Carolina Designs does tend to have pricier homes overall.
Have fun! It's so beautiful there.
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Wendy
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We stay in Salvo, which is about 30 minutes south of Nags Head. That area suits us better -- less crowded, less commercial (although all of it has grown so much in the last 20-30 years  ).
Some of our favorite things to do:
- take the ferry to Ocracoke. We usually take a picnic lunch, although this year I want to eat at Howard's. We always stop to see the ponies while we're there. And Teach's Hole has a pretty good Blackbeard (the pirate) mini-museum.
- go to the NC Aquarium in Manteo. Lots of fun!
- Fort Raleigh is neat, and free. The Lost Colony Drama is *not* free, but worth seeing if you can. And the Elizabethan Gardens are beautiful, but not necessarily that interesting to little boys. 
- the Roanoke Island Festival Park. We've only been there once, the first year it was open, I think, but the museum was well done -- lots of interactive exhibits the kids liked. The Settlement Site was very cool.  We're planning to go there again this year.
- the Wright Brothers Memorial. We liked the new pavilion, too.
- Pea Island Wildlife Refuge is a great place for bird lovers/nature study enthusiasts.
And to echo what Nancy and Kath said:
- Be prepared for at least one rainy day. We always bring some puzzles, Uno, a regular deck of cards, books, a few videos, etc.
- Groceries are more expensive down there, so whatever you can bring with you helps moneywise.
- If you're oceanfront with little ones, be sure to check on how many dunes are between your house and the water, if there's a boardwalk, etc. Some people don't mind, some would rather not scale mounds of hot sand 10 times a day with a toddler in tow.
Also, depending on which island you're on, the sand may not be the soft, smooth variety. And if you have to walk through dunes with any vegetation, there will probably be sandspurs. So if any of your children are tenderfeet (one of ours refused to walk on the sand when he was 2-3 years old) make sure they have flip-flops or water shoes.
Have a great time! 
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God bless,
Wendy
Wife to Chris
Momma to Grace, Sam, Ben, Maggie, Mary Cate, and Jamie
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KerryK
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We love the outer banks and go every year. We have stayed in Nag's Head, which is kind of busy, and Corolla, which we love. We have rented from Village Realty, and they have been wonderful for us. I agree with everything listed above - you have lots of great info here! Being homeschoolers, we always go in May, before the rates go up. Yes, it is cooler at that time of year, but it is also empty, which we love!
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Mary (6)
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Helen
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| Posted: March 23 2009 at 3:16pm | IP Logged
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Thanks Nancy, Kath, Wendy, and Kerry!
You certainly gave me a lot to work with.
Are there any town that you might avoid because they aren't as family-friendly as some others?
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Ave Maria!
Mom to 5 girls and 3 boys
Mary Vitamin & Castle of the Immaculate
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OHmomof2
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We go pretty much every year as well. We always stay further south in Salvo, Waves or Avon. It's much more laid back and less "touristy" the farther south you go. Here's some of our favorite places/things to do there:
Jockey's Ridge State Park
http://www.jockeysridgestatepark.com/
Wright's Brothers Museum
http://www.nps.gov/wrbr
Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum
http://www.graveyardoftheatlantic.com/
North Carolina Aquarium at Roanoke Island
http://www.ncaquariums.com/roanoke-island
The Elizabethan Gardens
http://www.elizabethangardens.org/
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
http://www.nps.gov/caha/planyourvisit/climbing-the-cape-hatt eras-lighthouse.htm
Our Lady of the Seas Catholic Church
http://ourladyoftheseas.org/
Have fun!
Blessings,
Pam
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chrisv664
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My family is trying to plan a reunion sometime this year and the Outer Banks is one of the locations that is on the short list. It seems to be centrally located for people coming from Florida and the NY/PA area. We were thinking of Thanksgiving... does anyone know what this area is like at that time of year? Does everything shut down? I suppose ocean swimming is out? What is the weather like in November? Thanks for any help!
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Rebecca, Thomas and Hannah
Burning The Candle At Both Ends
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Wendy
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| Posted: March 25 2009 at 8:36am | IP Logged
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Helen: All the towns in the Outer Banks are family-friendly. The main differences among the towns are that the more-developed towns to the north (Corolla, Duck, Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills) are more crowded, touristy, and have more obvious activities (mini-golf, shopping, etc.). The less-developed towns (Waves, Salvo, Rodanthe, Buxton, Cape Hatteras) are not as crowded and touristy. So it's more a matter of personal preference than family-friendliness.
Chris: Late November will be much cooler -- obviously -- and some things will be shut down, but not everything. Some of the restaurants close, and most of the mini-golf, kite stand-type places shut down as well. There are locals who live there year-round, though, so grocery stores, gas stations, and the like are open. Ocean swimming would probably be out, but many of the larger beach houses have heated pools and hot tubs, so that's always an option. Plus, rental rates drop waaaaay down that time of year, so you might be able to afford something then that would be out of reach during summer months. And you don't have to deal with the crowds.
My dh thinks I'm crazy, but I really like that time of year down there. 
HTH!
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God bless,
Wendy
Wife to Chris
Momma to Grace, Sam, Ben, Maggie, Mary Cate, and Jamie
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Jen L.
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November is pretty at the beach but definitely not warm (maybe once in a blue moon). This winter they even had a little snow!! As far as Thanksgiving, there is a bump in the rental rates during this week, but obviously still cheaper than July and August!
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"...the best state in which to glorify God is our actual state; the best grace is that of the moment..." St. Peter Eymard
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Topic: outerbanks nc ?
