by Mark Disessa

Created on: May 07, 2008   Last Updated: April 18, 2011

The Outer Banks off the coast of North Carolina are an amazing place. The majority of travel to this location takes place during the summer months, but there are things to do there all year long. I recommend heading there right before Memorial Day weekend when the population of the Islands increases by about 800%. The closer to the busy season you can get without going during is ideal. More restaurants and shops begin to open up, but many hotels still charge off season or sometimes mid-season prices so you save 20-40% on average on lodging cost. This is a beautiful set of islands. It was a lovely drive down the island highway that are there, lots of interesting people and communities in the area. I had an amazing seafood dinner at Coinjock Marina, which was a little bit off the beaten path but of course that is a plus for me. On a hunch when I left I turned on my GPS to see if it knew it was there, and it didn't, which probably made me enjoy the meal that much more! The view of the canal was amazing while eating, and the people there were friendly.

I decided to head towards Kitty Hawk on Bodie Island to see where the Wright brothers made the first successful powered flight. The vibe here was very relaxed, small town beach atmosphere. Everybody is real relaxed just seem happy to be alive overall. I went to an amazing pub called the Outer Banks Brewing Station, which as its name suggest is a brewery. I tried four out of the six or seven beers they had on tap and all were great. One had a bit of creaminess to me that I didn't want to drink all night, but other than that no complaints. My compliments especially go to their Shipwreck Stout beer, very thick almost chewy malty dark beer. Think of a really thick, twice as tasty Guinness and you get a general idea.

The people at the bar were awesome to sit and talk with. The place was so chill, that at least two employees got off shift, and went and sat down right at the bar for some drinks, with another who had the day off who was already having some drinks. If your workplace is so fun, that you don't mind spending non work time there, overall that is a good sign. I originally went into the bar with the intention of having a drink or two then going back to my hotel room ; seven or so hours later I find myself semi-stumbling to the parking lot looking to flag down a cab. While there people made lots of good suggestions of things for me to see while on the islands. I had such a good time that I decided to stay another

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