Jockey’s Ridge is an Outer Banks Treasure
Every year, thousands of people visit Jockeys Ridge State Park to experience the largest “living” sand dune on the East Coast. Many visit to take in the sheer beauty of this amazing landscape and the breathtaking views (arguably the best spot on the beach to watch the sunset over the Sound), but there is much more to Jockey’s Ridge than sand and views.
Jockeys Ridge is home to a wide array of wildlife and gorgeous scenery. The park offers a variety of hiking trails with signs designating the wildlife and surrounding nature.
- The Soundside Natural Trail is a self guided tour that is only about a mile long. This trail features a glimpse of several different coastal ecosystems; including, wetlands, grassy dunes and maritime thickets. While hiking on this trail, you will be able to learn about some of the wildlife that call this park home.
- The Tracks in the Sand trail is another popular trail that runs a little longer than the Soundside Natural Trail. This trail runs for a distance of approximately 1.5 miles, and offers a glimpse at the parks different ecosystems with stations that will provide the hiker information.
The park also offers a full calendar of events and programs that are designed to be fun, educational, and hands-on…most of these are free to the public, but some may require prior registration.
Another unique feature of this incredible system of sand dunes is the ability to harness the amazing Outer Banks winds on just about any day of the year. Jockey’s Ridge is a favorite for kite flyers on the OBX, and it is where many hang gliding enthusiasts got their start.
- Kitty Hawk Kites has been teaching hang gliding at Jockey’s Ridge since 1974! They are the largest hand gliding school in the world, teaching hundreds of thousands of students since 1974 (over 300,000)!
- They have taught students aged 4-92, male and female, physically fit and physically challenged. In fact, they can accommodate paraplegics, blind, deaf and other persons physically challenged. All they require is a desire to learn how to fly. They provide beginner, intermediate and advanced instruction.
Park hours:
November-February, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
March and October, 8 a.m.-7 p.m.
April, May, September, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
June-August, 8 a.m.-9 p.m.
Closed Christmas Day
Park office hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily
Closed Christmas Day
The Lost Colony is Great Entertainment…and Educational
The Lost Colony is in full swing, and it is a great way to spend an evening on the Outer Banks.
It is a historical reenactment of the turmoil that First English settlers in America endured.
The show starts at 8 pm. Plan on staying after the show for a backstage tour of Waterside Theater.
For more information, visit their website or call 252-473-2127 for more information
Free Family Fun on the Outer Banks
America’s Beach offers a treasure of free stuff to do!
If you are looking for fun in the sun without burning your bank account, head to the Outer Banks of North Carolina this summer for a treasure of free activities and adventure that will make this year’s vacation one to remember. We’re just a tank of gas or two away from most major cities on the East Coast, and you won’t find a more pet-friendly beach in America, because we know the value of traveling in a pack! www.outerbanks.org.
Most importantly, our beaches are FREE to access with plentiful FREE parking. Spend your quarters on more important things. The Outer Banks are 130 miles long and are home to some of the most wild and natural, undeveloped beaches in the country along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Take your four wheel drive SUV off-road in select areas to access some of the best fishing and scenery on the eastern seaboard. There are literally miles and miles on Hatteras Island you can navigate in the summer that you can’t find anywhere else.
Think your kids would like to play in the largest natural sandbox in the south? Try Jockey’s Ridge State Park in Nags Head, a 426 acre sand dune system that’s about 90 feet tall and mecca for kite flying, sunsets or just rolling down the giant sand hills. Incredible panoramic scenery with a bird’s eye view of the island. Visit Bodie Island Lighthouse, Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse and the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse for free. Want to take a boat ride but think it’s too expensive for your group? Take the FREE ferry to Ocracoke Island, a 40 minute trip where you can walk around the boat, feed the birds or just bask in the sun.
Take your friends and loved ones to Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge and see one of the most popular stops for birds on the Atlantic Flyway. Hundreds of species of birds have been documented here. It’s free to enter, and the kids will love the turtle pond or looking through the free binoculars at the observation platforms overlooking miles of refuge. America got its start at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, where England’s first colony settled here at Roanoke Island from 1584-1587. Their disappearance is one of our history’s most enduring mysteries. So is the price. It’s free.
Want to learn about waves and coastal dynamics? The Army Corps of Engineers Field Research Facility in Duck, NC offers free summer tours. See really neat vehicles, buoys and devices that scientists use to measure waves during storms, etc. and engage your kids with a family field trip. The coast of Cape Hatteras is known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic, because of the 2000 plus shipwrecks that line the Outer Banks. You can visit the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras, NC for free and see what the sea has thrown back! Learn about the lost Civil War submarine Alligator, see a real Enigma machine recovered from a German U-boat, and learn about the ghost ship Carroll A. Deering.
Seaside Vacations Announces Club Seaside
SEASIDE VACATIONS LAUNCHES CLUB SEASIDE
Guests enjoy complimentary golf and tennis clinics, yoga, wine tastings, surf lessons and circuit training
KITTY HAWK, NC (June 2, 2009) — Situated on a 100-mile stretch of barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina, the Outer Banks is so much more than just stunning vacation homes. In an effort to provide guests with “more for less,” Seaside Vacations introduces Club Seaside.
Offered exclusively to all guests of Seaside Vacations, Club Seaside features a full calendar of weekly programs including professional golf and tennis clinics, yoga, wine tastings, surf lessons and circuit training – all at no cost to guests. In addition, all Seaside Vacations’ guests have complimentary access to a state-of-the-art health and racquet club and special guest rates at a world-class golf club. Each day of the week guests can enjoy complimentary activities and experience local culture by participating in one of these Outer Banks activities.
The economy is struggling, and the travel industry is sluggish along with every other segment of the economy. Travel forecasts for 2009 predict a significant decline; The Travel Industry Association (TIA) notes that “consumers are likely to plan and purchase leisure trips differently [this year] with the pursuit of a ‘good value’ as the primary reason why.” Seaside Vacations views these challenges as an opportunity to provide guests with the added value they are looking for.
“As pointed out by the TIA, today’s guest is looking for a value,” says Seaside Vacations’ President, Gordon Jones, and “we believe that Club Seaside will provide vacationers with the added value they seek and help them experience all that the Outer Banks has to offer.”
John Cook, a longtime visitor to the Outer Banks and recent Seaside Vacations’ guest, took advantage of Club Seaside and mentioned that “this is the first time I’ve seen such an offering on the Outer Banks.” Cook went on to say that Club Seaside is a “very impressive extra.”
In addition to economic factors, the vacation rental industry faces unique challenges. The vacation rental industry is rapidly gaining popularity, but a recent PhocusWright study on the industry points out that only 10% of Americans booked a vacation rental in the past two years. Vacation rentals offer great benefits to the traveling public, including private pools, fully-equipped kitchens, and large spaces to gather as a group, however, PhocusWright points out that many travelers are “worried they wouldn’t have access to hotel-like services.” Club Seaside gives guests the hotel-like services they desire.
Seaside Vacations views an Outer Banks vacation as so much more than just a house at the beach. A vacation is time with friends and family, a chance to relax and unwind, and an opportunity to experience the local culture. Seaside Vacations has created a variety of guest programs available to all Seaside Vacations’ guests that will enhance the Outer Banks vacation, introduce great local businesses, and add value to the vacation rental. Seaside Vacations is committed to creating an exceptional vacation experience that includes a gorgeous house, but also access to local events that give guests access to all the Outer Banks has to offer.
For more information on Club Seaside, including schedule and contact information, please visit www.OuterBanksVacations.com/ClubSeaside.htm.
About Seaside Vacations:
Founded in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in 1990, Seaside Vacations is a full-service vacation rental management company representing homes from Corolla to Nags Head.
Seaside Vacations offers a complete selection of Outer Banks vacation rentals. Guests can choose from 1 – 14-bedroom private vacation rental homes, condominiums, townhomes and villas. Explore properties in Duck and Corolla as well as numerous vacation rentals in Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head.
For more information on Seaside Vacations and their wide selection of vacation rentals, visit www.OuterBanksVacations.com or call one a Vacation Specialist at 866.936.4659.
Dogs on the Outer Banks
Dogs are a part of the family, and the four-legged family members love vacation too. The Outer Banks is very dog-friendly, but it’s worth it to plan ahead.
If you plan to bring your dog to the Outer Banks this summer, here are some tips to make your travels easier:
- Do be up to date with your dogs vaccinations
- Make sure your dog is a nonaggressive dog that will get along with people and other dogs
- This one is a no-brainer: Make sure your dog is housebroken!
- No off-limit chewing- If you have a dog that is teething or loves to chew, pack some of your pup’s toys with you
- Never leave your pet unattended
- Pick up after your pooch
- Teach your pup basic commands
By taking these precautionary measures before and during your vacation, it will make your dog-friendly vacation much more enjoyable and stress free.
Plenty of pet-friendly homes still available for your Outer Banks Vacation.
Save Vacation Dollars with Meals at Home
Preparing meals rather than dining out is a great way to save money while vacationing on the Outer Banks, and one of the major benefits of vacation rental homes is the fully equipped kitchens that make home cooking easy.
You might think that slaving over a hot stove while on vacation is the last thing that you would want to do, but the savings is significant and since your friends and family are around, it can be a fun activity. Planning to cook is the key to great savings on your Outer Banks vacation.
It’s a good idea to first determine which nights you will be dining in or out. Then, determine the types of meals you would like to prepare, and try to get all of the groceries for the week in one trip; this may be a lofty goal, but saving trips to the grocery store allows for more time at the beach. Having plenty of milk, cereal, and deli meats are great ways to let your party fend for themselves during breakfast and lunch. One great time saver for grocery shopping is to bring as many non-perishables as you can allow space for in your car.
Seaside Vacations’ top 100 things to do while on vacation!
- Beach it!
- Take a day trip to Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
- Keep going, and take the ferry to Ocracoke
- Visit Wright Brothers Monument and Museum.
- Eat a dolphin boat at Johns Drive In.
- Watch the sunrise from the Nags Head Pier.
- Climb Jockey’s Ridge.
- Buy some chicken necks, string, and a dip net and go crabbing.
- Visit the docks at Oregon Inlet Fishing Center at 4:00 PM and watch the charter boats come in.
- Shop in Duck.
- Visit Coquina beach.
- See all four light houses
- Go to the Lost Colony
- Pack a picnic lunch of pimento and cheese sandwiches and sweet tea.
- Shop in Manteo
- Sit in the surf
- Beach it again
- Enjoy an ice cream cone
- Take the Corolla Wild Horse Tour
- Sleep in
- Go to Mann’s Harbor and see 100,000 roosting Purple Martins
- Ride a boogie board
- Get an air brush tattoo
- Leisurely walk through the Elizabethan Gardens
- Build a sand castle
- Pick crabs
- Take a Dolphin Watch tour
- Take a garbage bag and pick up litter
- Beach it again
- Fly a kite
- Visit the NC Aquarium
- Go outlet shopping
- Steam some shrimp
- Visit some antique shops in Currituck County
- Play a round or two of golf
- Go fishing
- Take a Kayak Eco Tour
- Go to the Outer Banks Music Showcase
- Watch a $5.00 movie at the old Pioneer Theatre in Manteo
- Eat breakfast at the Nags Head Pier.
- Kayak the Roanoke Sound
- Beach it again
- Visit the Chicamacomic Lifesaving Station
- Eat a soft shell crab sandwich
- Visit the Elizabeth II at Festival Park
- Take another long walk on the beach
- Enjoy a free show at one of the summer performances by the NC School of the Arts
- Walk the beach after dark
- Play putt putt
- Visit the Frisco Native American Museum and Natural History Center
- Collect shells and sea glass
- Listen to the tree frogs at night
- Enjoy one of the many excellent restaurants
- Visit the Outer Banks History Center
- Go wreck diving
- Catch a wave and go surfing
- Take an air tour over the Outer Banks
- Enjoy an evening cruise
- Sit at the dock at the top of the bay and do nothing
- Take a friend tandem hang gliding
- See a working fishing village in Wanchese
- Read a book
- Make a piece of pottery at the Front Porch, MP 6
- See classic art at the Seaside Art Gallery
- Play tennis on a local school court
- Look for one of the many pirate ghosts that haunt the Outer Banks
- Go to an Outer Banks Daredevil’s Baseball Game
- Go horseback riding with Back Country Outfitters or Equine Adventures
- Rent a jet ski
- Visit gallery row
- Go bird watching at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge
- Take a cooking class at Outer Banks Epicurean
- Get a weekly flex pass for the Outer Banks YMCA
- Take a hike in Nags Head Woods Preserve
- Rent a bike
- Eat seafood
- Watch the stars
- Take a lot of pictures
- Feed the seagulls
- Fish or site see from one of the fishing piers
- Rent a 4 wheel drive jeep and drive thru Carova to the Virginia line
- Visit one of our many churches
- Shop with the locals at Food Lion on Friday nights at 8:00 PM.
- Spend a rainy day at the movies, jammed in a store, or stuck in traffic…..
- Take a day trip to historic Edenton
- Get a massage, pedicure, manicure, or facial at the Sanderling Resort
- Attend a red wolf “howling”
- Go parasailing
- Cook out on the beach
- Ride your bike down the beach road path
- Keep a journal of your vacation
- Sit on the beach from high tide till low tide
- Make a “steamer bucket” for dinner
- Read the local papers…..Coastland Times and the Sentinel
- Reserve your vacation home for next year
- Eat Carolina barbeque
- Study the life of Blackbeard, Manteo & Wanchese, and Virginia Dare
- Watch a Nights of Rodanthe, which was filmed on the Outer Banks
- Attend a local church fish fry
- Ponder the splendor of one of nature’s great wonders……The Outer Banks
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