Hi there!
My friends and I are going to the OBX for the 1st time in April. None of us have ever been. We have a toddler with us, too. What would you suggest be the "Can't leave without experiencing this!" things be.
Thanks for the help!

What's OBX? I'm stumped, LOL.

I found another post OBX under North Carolina. Outer Banks, LOL. You stumped a California girl who has never been there, but would like to someday.

It means Outer Banks.

You do know it could be cool there, right? And the water will certainly be too cold to swim.

That said, any activity on the beach is fun. Flying kites is popular. I'd be out birding (especially in April when migration is still going on) probably the whole time.

I know people like to climb up Jockey's Ridge. Some people will try hang gliding on it. There are a couple of mini-golf courses. You could go deep sea fishing - but not with a toddler. There is the Wright Musuem. It is not terribly interesting.

There is a bike path near Duck that might be fun. You can rent bikes in Duck.

There are lighthouses in the area to visit.

Hmmm. Maybe I'm not being very helpful. We don't do a lot of the really touristy stuff. When we go down we spend just about the whole time hanging on the beach, or cooking, or going out to restaurants with out friends (and, of course, birding!). It's a very relaxing trip. Enjoy your youngster and take lots of pictures.

You might like the little historic area of Manteo. It's a quaint and scenic little historical area with little shops and restaurants. Is small and very maneuverable with a stroller. There is an old lighthouse that is easily accessible by a little boardwalk area. Manteo is located on Roanoke Island. There is a restaurant located in the Tranquil Inn called 1587 which has some of the best food we have ever eaten. Even the champagne vinigerette dressing on the salad is made from scratch by the chef. DO BRING MONEY. We just came back from taking our daughter/SIL and toddler grandson down for the day and they loved it.

Ahh, my favorite place, outside of the caribbean! We just returned from a 4 day trip to Corolla. I love the restaurants at the north end of the beach, but in Nags Head, Mama Kwan's Tiki Bar is cool. We also like visiting the marinia south of there....Hurricane Mo's is a great hang out and you can see the big boats coming in and going out. The aquarium in Manteo is super for kids of all ages! It really depends on where you are staying...by your title, I assume that you are in the Kitty Hawk/ Nags Head area vs the north or south end..The Wright Museum is nice to see, also. I'll check back to see what area you are visiting.
ps....if you are in Duck, don't miss Fishbones for their conch chowder or fritters....we go once a year just for that!

If you are going to the Outer Banks you are going for the beach. Get into the spirit of it. Sand castles, kite flying, more of the same.

Rainy days you can head inland for the aquarium there.

Make purchasing your kite part of the trip. There are shops in Duck and Nags Head (you didn't say where you were staying...).

Will you have access to a pool (heated)?

As a traveling parent, my experience has been to plan to for the Lowest Common Denominator--your toddler. Who will like messing in the sand.

Enjoy. The pelicans were fun to watch.

Like wliwl, my wife and I enjoy birding in the Outer Banks, although we always seem to find ourselves there during the only couple months when there isn't great birding. In any case, since that is kind of a niche interest, it probably isn't something that your group will choose to do. To stay with the wildlife theme though, Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge is a really interesting area. It is one of the very few (if there are any others) places that have wolves (red wolves), bear, and alligators (by the way, I wouldn't expect to see any of them, but a bear would be your best chance). I'm not sure about April, but they have good wildlife programs during the summer.

I have gone every summer since I was 8. OBX is all about relaxing on the beach. I have always stayed in Avon which is on Hatteras Island, which is past the more commercial areas of Kitty Hawk and Nags Head. Definately check out Jockey's Ridge with the kiddo, they will love it. There are huge sand dunes to run down. Be careful in the ocean, make sure you are aware of rip currents. It is not incredibly dangerous or anything but the waves here can be some of the biggest on the east coast of the US. They are great to play around in. If you are staying anywhere on Hatteras Island and have questions, email me. I don't know too much about Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head or Kitty Hawk but I do have a lot of info on HI. Have fun!!!!

Thanks everyone for the advice. We're staying in Duck if that helps.

Duck is a great spot. We love the OBX and are going for our 4th vacation this August. It's a great place to bike, so rent or bring a bike with a toddler seat, you can fish (surfcast), let your child play in the sand all day, and if you have access to a heated pool, you can of course swim.

You can go for a boat ride or take the car for a drive on the beach if you go up past Corolla.

We always make plans to do more but never have time to do them, biking and playing on the beach seem to take the whole day, then there's cocktail hour and dinner, and you're done!