Outer Banks family vacation in Corolla

It had increasingly become a matter of personal embarrassment to John that his wife, despite having lived in North Carolina for ten years, had never been to the Outer Banks. (To be clear, he had also never been to the Outer Banks in these ten years, but since he had visited several times as a teenager, he felt that absolved him somehow.) Admittedly, I was also feeling increasingly chagrined, and so when our Michigan plans changed (due to two family pregnancies whoo!), we all jumped at the chance to experience the Outer Banks together.

Here are a few favorite pics, if you’d like to see!

We were accompanied by the East Coast Thomases, including John’s parents and his sister, our brother-in-law, and their daughter, who is a few months older than June. For weeks in advance June talked about how much she was looking forward to sleeping in the same room as Maisie, and I don’t think the experience disappointed – there were many heart-meltingly sweet convos overhead on the monitor! :)

Being a little behind in the planning game because of our late-breaking change in plans, John searched the whole Outer Banks for rental properties. We landed in Corolla, the second most Northern town on the beach (this is the house we stayed in). It ended up being a perfect fit for us – beautiful, quiet, and historic!

Our house was a one-minute walk from the beach and next to some sort of protected area, which made it feel extra serene. We spent plenty of time at the beach – including one full morning – but it was wonderful to be so close so we could pop back and forth throughout the day, which we did frequently. Our favorite time to go was after naps and before dinner, when it was a little cooler and the sun wasn’t so strong! We did bring our pop-up canopy to help shade us on days we were out for a few hours.

As you can see, the beach was basically empty, and the sand was gloriously soft!

As you can also see, Shep’s preferred beach activity was napping – he was not the ocean’s biggest fan :)

Though Corolla was farther up the Outer Banks than some more well-known destinations, there was plenty to do aside from the beach! We played mini golf, visited a farm stand, and made several trips to Whalehead, a historic home and park that includes the Currituck Beach Lighthouse.

Both kiddos hiked up all 220 lighthouse steps with nary a peep of complaint, though the wind at the top was a little much for June!

Though we opted not to do a wild horse tour (we have been spoiled from seeing them on Shackleford Banks and Cumberland Island!), Joe, John, and I snuck away one naptime to the Corolla Adventure Park. No pictures of that, but trust that it was REALLY fun!

I am a well-known scouter of charm wherever I go, and historic Corolla Village did not disappoint. Don’t miss The Shack for coffee in the morning and drinks in the afternoon (photo from Our State above!) and Corolla Village BBQ for dinner!

Other food favorites: bagels at Lighthouse Deli, acai bowls at Island Smoothie, and Italian at La Dolce Vita. We also, of course, got Duck Donuts from the original location – yum!

On our last night, we ordered pizza from Wave and ice cream from the shop next door, then took in the sunset from the Duck boardwalk – the perfect way to cap off an evening!

Of course, as much as we enjoyed finally experiencing the Outer Banks for the first time (together), the best part of the trip was the stuff that could have happened anywhere, but was made more wonderful by the picturesque setting: cousin giggles, leisurely naps spent reading, memories made being chased off the beach by a crazy windstorm (!), a pastel sunrise, plowing through a well-stocked game closet, and cobbled-together meals around the table.

Wishing you some of all of those things wherever your summer adventures take you! And if you have more OBX questions, I’m happy to answer them :)