A Week to Remember: Sunsets, Seafood & Family Time in the Outer Banks

There are some vacations that are packed from morning until night with places to go, reservations to keep and things to check off a list. And then there are the vacations that remind you how wonderful it can be to slow down.

Our week in the Outer Banks of North Carolina was exactly that kind of trip. No fancy cruises, amusement parks or zillion dollar resorts. Just a gorgeous big ol’ beach house on the Pamlico Sound that we found on Resort Realty website. We’ve rented the same house with them before and it’s a good one so we now consider ourselves regulars.

We spent our days exploring the beaches and little villages around Frisco, Buxton, Avon, Kinnakeet and Hatteras, eating far too much good food, shopping, collecting seashells, fishing off the dock, laughing until our sides hurt and watching the sky change colors every evening.

And when the sun went down, the fun wasn't over. Every night ended with family movie night, making the whole trip feel even more cozy and special. It was one of those weeks that felt wonderfully simple.

And I think that may have been the very best part of all.

Life Moves a Little Slower on Hatteras Island

There is something about being on Hatteras Island that makes you breathe a little deeper. The sea oats move in the breeze. The roads wind past weathered cottages and stretches of sand. Flip-flops become perfectly acceptable footwear for nearly everything. Nobody seems to be in quite as much of a hurry.

After the busyness of everyday life, it felt wonderful.

Our home base in the Frisco area gave us the perfect spot for exploring the southern Outer Banks while still leaving plenty of time to do absolutely nothing at all. Mornings began slowly with coffee on the deck and reading our books and no real plan for the day. We just waited for the kids to wake up and then decided what to do.

Chasing Beaches and Collecting Shells

Of course, we couldn't visit the Outer Banks without spending plenty of time at the beach. We explored beaches all around Frisco, Buxton, Avon and Hatteras, and each one seemed to have its own personality. Our favorite one was probably the one in Frisco since it was like a 2 minute drive from our house, had a lovely boardwalk and showers to get the sand off before getting back into the car. The best part? It was like a private beach! Nothing like the craziness you see down at the Cape or at Hampton Beach around these parts.

Some days were made for long walks along the shoreline, looking down at the sand and searching for little treasures that had washed ashore. We collected shells, compared our finds and inevitably heard someone shout, "Look at this one!" every few minutes. There is something wonderfully nostalgic about shell collecting. It doesn't matter how old you are. Somehow finding a beautiful shell in the sand still feels like discovering treasure.

Other beach days were a little more adventurous. There was lots of boogie boarding, swimming, laughing and getting knocked around by the Atlantic. I totally almost got swept out because I’m vertically challenged and hubby had to grab on to make sure I didn’t get sucked out into the water!

By the end of the day everyone was sandy, salty, sun-tired and happy. Exactly how a beach vacation should be.

Watching the Shoreline Change

One of the most fascinating things we saw during the trip was the shoreline renourishment work happening around Hatteras and the Buxton shoreline. It was so interesting to see such a huge project happening right there along the coast. Watching the equipment, pipes and crews working to move and redistribute sand gave us a completely different perspective on just how much work goes into protecting and maintaining these fragile barrier islands. It was sad to see the damage that occurred during the last hurricane but oh so wonderful to see the plan and implementation that is occurring as they rebuild using such massive amounts of sand from the ocean floor. Genius!

The Outer Banks landscape feels so natural and timeless when you're standing on the beach, yet the shoreline is constantly changing. Seeing the renourishment work up close was a reminder of how powerful the ocean is — and how much effort goes into preserving these beaches and communities. It was surprisingly cool to watch and became one of those unexpected things from the trip that we'll definitely remember.

Fishing Off the Dock

We spent time fishing right off the dock, dropping lines into the water and waiting to see what might happen. And my son seemed to have turned into quite a fisherman because the big ass fish he was reeling in were awesome! Good he brought his surfcaster because a dinky little fishing pole would have snapped with these big boys! And he got the hang of using mullet for his bait instead of other stuff he’s tried in the past, thanks to Frank and Fran’s shop. They sure do give great advice!

The Outer Banks Sunsets

And then there were the sunsets. Every evening seemed to put on a completely different show. Soft pinks. Peach. Lavender. Brilliant orange. Golden yellow reflecting across the water. Some nights we watched the sky slowly fade into pastel colors, and other nights the entire horizon seemed to glow.

I took far too many photographs — and yet somehow it still doesn't feel like enough. Every night after dinner, we’d get our ice cream at one of the local spots and then head home to pour a glass of wine, sit on the deck and watch the show. Just spectacular. Sunsets have a funny way of making everyone stop what they're doing for a minute.

Those sunsets may be one of the things I miss most.

Seafood, Sandwiches and Vacation Treats

We also ate very well. It would hardly be an Outer Banks vacation without seafood, and we definitely embraced that philosophy. One of our favorite vacation experiences was sitting down together for a seafood boil — the kind of meal that isn't supposed to be neat or fancy. You roll up your sleeves, dig in and enjoy it. Seafood, corn, potatoes, plenty of seasoning, plenty of napkins and everyone gathered around the table. My oldest and youngest were the biggest boil fans. I’ve never seem these two eat THAT MUCH at once!

We also enjoyed discovering restaurants and little food stops throughout the week. Ketch 55 Seafood Grill in Avon gave us another taste of the local seafood we had been craving. We stopped at Dirty Dick's Crab House, because really, how can you drive by a place with that name on an Outer Banks vacation and not stop? It was one of our favorites last time too. Great food, nice staff and an overall good experience.

And whenever we needed something quick and delicious, Frisco Sandwich Company was exactly the sort of casual island stop we loved. This was our go to stop before we went to the beach on some days when we didn’t pack our own picnic lunch. Their chicken salad with a side pickle is to die for!

Ice Cream Is Basically a Vacation Requirement

Of course, seafood wasn't the only thing we sampled. We made our way to The Scoop and Reel Swirly, because apparently testing multiple Outer Banks ice cream shops is an important part of vacation research. The Acai bowls were a huge hit with the teens as well as the frozen yogurts. There was something that each of us really enjoyed at both places. And with no lines of people waiting (ahem, Kimball’s), it was exactly the way we like it!

And naturally we couldn't leave the Outer Banks without a visit to Duck Donuts. There is something especially wonderful about eating a warm, freshly made donut when you're on vacation. I couldn’t get over watching the donut person hand dip and fill each donut to order. And I guess they were pretty good because when we got home with the dozen, they were gone in about a second!

Buxton Village Books

One of my favorite stops of the entire trip was Buxton Village Books. Give me a cozy independent bookstore near the beach and I am happy. There is something about wandering through shelves of books while you're on vacation that feels especially luxurious. There's no rush. You can browse, discover something unexpected and imagine yourself spending the rest of the afternoon reading somewhere near the water.

It was exactly the kind of charming little place I hoped it would be! I wanted to visit there the first time around but we never got to it, so this time we made it a point of going there. And it was just the BEST. Totally my favorite part of the trip! I’m sad that the owner/founder, Gee Gee, passed on earlier this year because she sounded like one hell of a wonderful person. But I did get to meet her sister, who has taken over the shop and had a lovely visit with her. And I bought the book that someone wrote about Gee Gee that I plan to read.

Frank & Fran's — A True Hatteras Island Stop

We also loved stopping at Frank & Fran's in Avon. Places like this are part of what makes visiting the Outer Banks so much fun. They're not enormous tourist attractions. They're simply part of the character of the island. And it’s the people that work there that make it so wonderful to shop. Their friendly nature, immense knowledge and advice; a fantastic small business that I wish we had more of around here.

We loved wandering into local businesses, seeing what we might find and getting a little glimpse of everyday life in these Outer Banks communities. Those are always some of my favorite vacation stops. One of the other spots that we really loved was the Lee Robinson General Store on Hatteras, right by the ferry to Ocracoke. Lots of cool and interesting things on their shelves that I’ve never seen before, including some coffees and colas that I’d never seen before!

Our other favorite store was the grocery store: Conner’s Supermarket in Buxton. I just adore it there. Easy, quiet, peaceful shopping where everything is fresh and it’s a pleasure to pick up the staples that we needed for the week. No Market Baskets or big box stores. This was the way to go. I wish is was close to my house now!

Foosball, Laughing and Doing Absolutely Nothing

One of the best parts of staying together for a whole week was all the “off-grid” stuff we did at our beach house. There were plenty of foosball games, and naturally they became increasingly competitive. There was trash talking. There were questionable rulings. There were rematches. And there was a lot of laughing.

Really, there were lots and lots of laughs all week long. Some of them came from something funny that happened during the day. Some came around the dinner table. Some came during foosball. And some were the kind of random family jokes that probably wouldn't make sense to anyone else.

Family Movie Night — Every Single Night

One of my favorite traditions from the week happened after the beach bags were put away and everyone had showered off the sand, had dinner and met back up in the huge living room. Every night we had family movie night. We'd settle in together, find something to watch and end the day curled up at the house.

After spending so much time outdoors in the sun and water, there was something especially cozy about slowing down at night and watching a movie together. No one needed to rush anywhere! Every night it was a different person’s choice. We watched Batman, The Birdcage, Shawshank Redemption, Oceans 11, some little league baseball games, Bonanza, Tom and Jerry and all sorts of other shows.

The Beauty of Frisco, Buxton, Avon & Hatteras

The entire area around Frisco, Buxton, Avon and Hatteras is beautiful in such an understated way. It's not polished or overly manicured. And that's exactly what makes it special.

Weathered cottages. Fishing docks. Sound-side sunsets. Ocean beaches. Sea grass bending in the wind. Little shops. Surfboards leaning against buildings. Boats. Signs faded by years of salty air.

There was inspiration everywhere I looked.

The artist in me wanted to remember all of it — the colors of the sunsets, the shapes of the shells, the blues and greens of the water, the old buildings, the signs, the grasses and all those wonderful little details that give Hatteras Island its personality. I have a feeling some of those memories may eventually find their way into my journals and paintings. I did take a zillion photos and had some time during the trip to paint a few things but I really just wanted to enjoy the moment. I’ll paint the photos at a later date!

Being Together

When I think back on this trip, though, what I’m going to remember is the fun we had together as a family before the school year starts, the oldest heads to college and all the hustle and bustle is back upon us. I love that we spent so much quality time together, without all the scheduling, crazy activities and being go, go, go.

We were together. Our family of five had nowhere particularly important to be.

There were no school schedules. No appointments. No rushing from one thing to the next.

We ate dinner together. We sat on the dock. We fished. We walked along the beach. We hunted for shells. We watched the kids boogie board. We shopped. We ate ice cream. We laughed over seafood boils. We battled it out at the foosball table. We watched movies together every night. We watched sunset after sunset. And sometimes we just sat.

That kind of time together becomes more precious as kids get older and life becomes increasingly busy. Maybe that's why this vacation felt especially meaningful.

Until Next Time, Outer Banks

Eventually, of course, the suitcases had to be packed and the sandy towels had to be shaken out.

The shells had to be carefully tucked away and the shopping bags had to somehow fit into the car.

And we had to point the car north toward home.

But we're bringing a little bit of the Outer Banks back with us. Shells in our bags. Hundreds of sunset photos on our phones.

A few — okay, maybe more than a few — souvenirs.

Inside jokes.

Movie-night memories.

Foosball bragging rights.

Probably some sand hiding somewhere in the car.

And most importantly, a whole collection of memories from a beautiful week spent together.

Frisco, Buxton, Avon and Hatteras Island — thank you for the sunsets, the seafood, the salty air, the shopping, the quiet mornings, the beautiful beaches, the unexpected things we learned along the shoreline and the reminder that sometimes the very best thing a family can do together is simply slow down.

Until next time, OBX.

We'll miss you. 🌊🐚☀️