I sent the below question out earlier, but didn't mention the house we are renting is in Salvo. Does that help narrow the location down? Also I have no idea how to respond to a person when they ask me a qeustion. Any clues on that?

I will be going to the OBX with a group of friends in mid Sept. I would like some suggestions on things to do, in particular horseback riding, places to eat, and things/places to avoid. Any ideas are welcome. Thank you in advance!

There is Kill Devil Hills, and Nags Head, which is north of where you will be. There you can go to the Wright Brothers Memorial and also to the huge sand dune...can't remember the name, but when you climb up the dune, you get a fantastic view. There is a lot to do in this area, but it is also more touristy. There is Hatteras Island, where you will be staying. Hatteras Island is made up of several towns...Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo and Hatteras Village to name some. All of the towns are close together. Near Salvo, you will have the Hatteras lighthouse to visit.
There is also Ocracoke Island...which is only reachable by ferry. Ocracoke is also nice. There are some neat stores and restaurants in Ocracoke. The great thing about Ocracoke and Hatteras Isands is that if you have a 4 wheel drive, you can drive right onto the beach. Be sure to go to Pop's for seafood...it is in Buxton...it is kinda a hole in the wall, but it was the best seafood we had while visiting and the service was great...it's more of a bar atmosphere. Another thing to do is to go to Hatteras Village and go to one of the marinas around 4-5 pm and watch the daily catches being brought in. Also in Hatteras Village, there is a great pizza place. It will be on your left next to the Seaside Inn. The owners are straight from Italy. I don't know about horseback riding. In any of the stores or hotels, you should be able to find a tourist magazine. In Hatteras Village, at the very end, is a small strip mall/store area. You can't miss it, because it is right next to a Holiday Inn and the ferry. There is a kite shop there that you can go in and ask about different tours. We booked a kayak tour through this store. Hope this helps some!

Deb ([email protected])
Thanks so much for the info. We are so excited for this trip and your suggestions are more than welcome. THanks again!!!

http://www.roanokeisland.com/
http://www.outerbanks.com/lostcolony/

These are 2 web sites you can check out for further activities in the area. We spent the night in Manteo before our weeklong stay in Corolla. My family reluctantly went to the museum and ship that next morning as soon as they opened. It turned out that I had to drag them away because they enjoyed it so much. The next time we go, I want to see "The Lost Colony."

Christina,

You are staying in one of the less developed areas of the Outer Banks, which is a good thing.

I don't think you'll find any place to go horseback riding; there was a place on the northern beaches but a few years back the woman's horses were taken on suspicion of abuse. Closer to you there are a few outfitters that offer kayak tours on the sound, Kitty Hawk Kites in Nags Head is one. The dunes are across the street from them; they also offer hang-gliding lessons.

Ocracoke is great for a daytrip.

As Deb mentioned, there's the infamous Hatteras Lighthouse as well as the Bodie Island Lighthouse.

Manteo offers a few things, the Elizabethan Gardens are nice to take a walk through. The Lost Colony is pretty cheesy play, IMHO, but it can be fun to do once, it's a tradition on the outer banks.

My favorite restaurant has to be Tortuga's Lie in Nags Head. Very casual, very popular with the locals.

Have a great trip!

I'm disappointed to hear that "The Lost Colony" is a cheesy play. I've been wanting to see that for several years. The Roanoke Island Festival Park does offer a variety of entertainment throughout the summer in the evenings in conjunction with one of the NC universities. Check it out.

We returned from the OBX a few weeks ago. We rented a house in Corolla, which is north of where you're staying. We were disappointed w/ the OBX. Many people have told us that we just didn't go to the right places. So, I cannot guide you with attractions to see for that reason.

The big sand dune that was mentioned in an earlier post is called Jockey's Ridge. It's a state park and is free. My kids (ages 7 & 9) loved it! I recommend you go on an overcast day. When it's sunny and very hot, the sand is almost too hot on your feet.

As far as restaurants go, we had a couple of favorites. They're north of Corolla. Well worth the short drive from where you're staying.

The first one is called JKs. I believe they have two locations. We loved this place so much we went twice. Food and service were wonderful.

Second place we liked was a little restaurant in the TimBuk2 Shopping Center (and very close to JKs) called Turf's Up. Doesn't look too impressive from the outside, but we were really impressed with the food.

You can spend a day in the Corolla area...eat at one of the two restaurants I just mentioned, then head to the Currituck Beach Lighthouse. It's the only one on the OBX that you can climb. The grounds are beautiful and the giftshop was reasonable. The fee to climb is $6, and we thought it was worth it. The view was amazing, especially on a sunny day.

Have a wonderful trip!

The Outer Banks will be great in September. If you are looking for touristy type things to do you will probably want to go up to Nags Head. The further south you go (Salvo, Buxton, Ocracoke) the quiter it gets. Also, The Lost Colony only runs June through August so you won't be able to catch it in September. Enjoy your trip!

Carole, I'm confused about where these restaurants are located. There is nothing north of Corolla, it's the most northern town on the Outer Banks.

I saw "The Lost Colony" back in the late 30's and loved it. The outdoor setting, the humor, etc. Those were the days when the road went to Manteo and you went down the beachto Hatteras in a truck or flew,

We're just back from the Outer Banks and had a lovely time. We are: my husband and I and our two boys ages 12 and 14. We stayed in Kill Devil Hills in a rented cottage - the cottage was great but I found Kill Devil Hills very commercial and not what I'm used to in a beach town (ie Cape Cod or Chincoteague, VA) especially the four lane highway that goes through the town. Salvo is in a much quieter area on the national sea shore. For activities we mostly swam in the ocean. Our favourite beach was at Cape Hatteras. Also we did most of the things mentioned already and especially enjoyed kayaking on the sound in Manteo, climbing the Curitack lighthouse, gocarting in Waves, Jockeye's Ridge(next time I'll try handgliding). Best place we ate was at Duck's BBQ in Duck - a small restaurant with great BBQ sandwiches. Most people seem to eat at their cottages as there are not a lot of great restaurants. Hope this is helpful.