Family Friendly Travel Guide

JUNE 2011
HOMESCHOOL.COM!
Homeschool.com’s
Outer Banks
Edition:
Welcome to OBX, North Carolina!
Packing Tips
1. If you are planning to do
any tours, whether it’s the
wild horse tour, kayak
tour, or history tour,
remember to bring good
walking shoes. If you
take sandals and flip-flops
for the whole trip, you will
regret it.
2. Plan on bringing summer
clothes, as well as sweaters!
It’s warm, but it can get
chilly quickly.
The Outer Banks spans 130 miles
of coastline that sees millions of
visitors every year. Along the barrier
islands of the Outer Banks are six
towns, Duck, Southern Shores, Kitty
Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head and
Manteo. Visitors usually refer to the
entire area as Nags Head, while locals
tend to call it just “the beach.”
However you describe it, you’re in for
a treat when you visit. There’s a lot to
do with the area’s beautiful beaches,
great restaurants, cultural attractions
and outdoor recreation. You may just
find that you have to visit more than
once to accomplish all of the
wonderful things to do in OBX!
FAMILY FRIENDLY VACATIONING
Homeschool.com’s staff set off to
OBX to put together this Family-Friendly
Travel Guide, just for YOU. We’ve played,
tasted and learned our way through the
Outer Banks of North Carolina, just so
that we can recommend the best places to
take your kids. These places are
educational, family-friendly, and just plain
fun.
!
3. Don’t forget your beach
towels, hats, sunscreen and
sunglasses either!
Planning a fun family vacation can be
tiring, so Homeschool.com has done all
the work for you! Take this travel guide
and plan a wonderfully adventurous trip
for the whole family.
Where should we go next? Let us
know by Emailing us!
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JUNE 2011
HOMESCHOOL.COM!
SITES TO SEE & THINGS TO DO:
Bodie Island Lighthouse
Jeanette’s Pier
- 10005 S. Old Oregon Inlet Road (252) 441-5711
Jockey’s Ridge State Park
- 592 Carolista Drive and The ByPass, MP 12 (252)
441-7132
USS Huron Shipwreck
- 7223 S. Virginia Dare Trail, The BEach Road,
MP 16.5, Nags Head. (252)441-6421
Kayaking
- Kitty Hawk Kites - Many different locations!
Corolla Horse Tour
- Bladen Street Beach Access, The Beach Road, MP
11.5
Wright Brother’s National Memorial
- Corolla, NC
The Beach
- All along the Outer Banks.
- 800 Colington Rd and The Bypass, MP 8 (252)
441-7430
Nags Head Woods Preserve
- 701 W. Ocean Acres Drive, Nags Head (252)441-2525
COROLLA WILD HORSES
See the Wild Corolla Spanish
Mustang Horses and discover
some of the the most unique sights
the Outer Banks has to offer. For
centuries, wild horses freely
roamed many areas of the Outer
Banks. Detailed information from
16th Century Spanish ship logs
and journals indicates that the first
horses arrived on the Outer Banks
via Spanish explorers' vessels as
early as 1520. The history and
beauty make this one of our
favorite parts of our trip to the
OBX. Visitors in 4WD vehicles are
able to view the horses by driving
along the beach and on the sandy
back roads of Corolla.
!
A highlight of our trip, the children
geniunely enjoyed finding
the horses on the beach and
side roads, snapping
pictures, and learning about
the history of how the
horses arrived on the beach
and why they are protected.
We don’t want to spoil it for
you, so go check it our
yourself. It truly is a oncein-a-lifetime experience and
the kids will have a blast!
Note: Dress warmly...and bring
extra sweatshirts!
Kitty Hawk Kites
www.KittyHawkKites.com
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HOMESCHOOL.COM!
KAYAK TOUR
Things To Know:
Book in advance, as their tours book up quickly
during their busy season. We went on the Alligator
River Adventure Tour, but there are many tours for
younger children as well.
Kitty Hawk Kites has been a leader in outdoor
recreation on the Outer Banks for more than thirty
years. We chose to use them because they came
highly recommended and had numberous locations
throughout The Outer Banks. With a variety of
destinations that extend from Corolla to Ocracoke,
they offer a variety of tours to meet all interests
such as Ecology and Natural History Tours, Pirate
Tours, and Specialized Skills Instruction.
Your guide will give you plenty of information
about the history of the area, the plant and wilflife in
the area, and more. Our guide was amazing! He had
an answer to everything we threw at him. Even some
of the quirky questions the kids asked! Plus, he
seemed genuinely happy to be working with us. It
made the whole day splendid!
Bring bug repellant, and leave time to find the
tour guide. You will be meeting him/her at the
destination, and sometimes it can be tricky to find,
even with GPS.
Kitty Hawk Kites
www.KittyHawkKites.com
ROANOKE ISLAND FESTIVAL PARK
Located in the town of Manteo, Roanoke Island Festival Park
is an interactive family attraction that celebrates the first
English settlement in America. Visitors board and explore
the park’s centerpiece, a representational ship, Elizabeth II.
Climb aboard and help costumed 16th century sailors. Try
traditional woodworking, play Elizabethan games, and
watch the blacksmith at the Settlement Site. Discover 400
years of Outer Banks history in the interactive Roanoke
Adventure Museum.
See The Legend of Two-Path, a mini-movie about the
American Indians, Manteo and Wanchese. Experience the
new American Indian Town exhibit that includes a wide
variety of true-to-scale structures, role-play environments,
and places to explore, plant, dance, build and play. The
Museum Store offers historically themed gift merchandise
and much more. Enjoy the on-site Art Gallery, the Fossil Pit
full of treasures, and the marsh-side Boardwalks that
surround the site.
http://roanokeisland.com/
!
Things To Know:
They are open from 9am to 5m daily,
February thru December 31st.
Leave time to explore Downtown Manteo
after you visit the park. The town is filled with
quaint shops and restaurants.
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OBX BEACHES
Some of the most beautiful and fun beaches the kids have been
to! Be careful though...! It’s easy to spend ALL DAY at the beach
and not see anything else the OBX has to offer!
The first two days of our trip were spent entirely on the beach.
Building sand castles, playing in the water, digging for crabs, and
finding beautiful seashells. The dads even took the kids fishing
off the pier, catching a few fish.
The sunrises are stunning, and are a must-do for parents. Take a
few moments in the wee hours of the morning to reconnect before the kids wake up. It’s breathtaking,
romantic, and very relaxing. You’ll wish you could do this every morning!
Travel Tips
1. Make sure to download
a Homeschool.com
Student-Id so that you
can receive student
discounts when entering
museums or other
attractions. It will save a
lot on the trip.
2. Plan on bringing a small
digital camera that you
can easily fit into your
pocket. You want to
make sure you capture
those precious moments
of your trip.
3. Bringing a portable GPS
system will help you greatly
in navigating your way
through the Outer Banks.
It is an expansive area and
you will definitely be
driving.
!
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WHERE TO STAY
1.Seaside Vacation Homes
- 4820 N. Croatan Hwy. Kitty Hawk,
NC 27949
- (866) 884-0267
SEASIDE VACATIONS
The best decision we made when planning our vacation
was to use Seaside Vacations. The staff was so friendly
and helped us find the perfect home. They also helped
us to plan excursions for the kids, recommended
companies to use for kayaking, and even gave us
information about what grocery store to use.
Plus, every guest who stays with Seaside Vacations
enjoys guest access to Kilmarlic Health & Racquet
Club, special guest rates at Kilmarlic Golf Club as well
as the benefits of Club Seaside - an exclusive program
designed just for Seaside guests.
Things To Know:
There is a keypad to get into the home--so you never
have to worry about losing your keys.
The Seaside office is close by if you ever need
anything.
Bring your own paper goods - such as paper towels
and toilet paper.
Seaside has tons of homes available, from small to
large. There is something for everyone!
Explore the Outer Banks and find a rare blend of
picturesque beaches, lively attractions and rich history.
From bountiful shopping, fine Outer Banks dining, and
fabulous offshore fishing to our famed wild horses,
majestic lighthouses and natural wonderland ...the
Outer Banks is a favorite destination for families. Come
experience the beauty for yourself.
!
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CLUB SEASIDE
When renting a home from Seaside Vacations,
you get access to Club Seaside, which has many
events and activities for the kids. From beading
classes, to tennis clinics, fishing classes,
paddleboard clinics, a portrait party, Wild Horse
Tours, wine tasting (for adults only!), and even
yoga classes!
To learn more about Club Seaside, click on any
of the items below!
•
Circuit Training
•
Art in Action
•
Beading Class
•
Charming Party
•
Cooking Class
•
Fishing Class
•
Golf Clinic
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Paddleboarding
Pet Party
Family Portraits
Tennis Clinic
Whalehead Club Tour
Wild Horse Tour
Wine Tasting
Yoga Classes
TIPS FOR TRAVEL
Speak like a local:
The locals call Croatan Highway aka U.S. Highway 158 - The Bypass, and they refer to Virginia Dare
Trail, aka N.C. Highway 12 - as the Beach Road.
Many outsiders erroneously pronounce Corolla the same as they pronounce the name of the car, the
Toyota Corolla, where the second syllable sounds like roe (Kuh-ROE-Luh, /kəˈroʊlə/). However, residents
pronounce the second syllable like all (Kuh-RAH-Luh, /kəˈrɔːlə/).
We hope that you’ve enjoyed this Homeschool.com Family Friendly Travel Guide. Planning a fun family
vacation can be tiring, so Homeschool.com wants to do all the work for you. Where should we go next? Let us
know by Emailing us!
Written by Katherine Whiting
!
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