OUTER BANKS, NC ADVENTURE DRIVE JULY 2021
Summer is here and the weather is WARM! I hadn’t been to the beach since October 2020 and with the world opening back up from COVID and a family trip to Maryland in my future…it only made since to do a coastal drive and hit the beach. I decided I would add a few days to the front-end of my trip and drive from Greenville, SC to Cedar Island, NC (basically the start of the Outer Banks) to start my adventure. From Cedar Island I was able to take the ferry and cross over to Ocracoke Island, NC where I would spend the night. The ferry was only supposed to take an hour, but it ultimately took around 2 hours total between loading, wind, unloading, etc. I booked a spot at the Ocracoke National Park Campground which is just outside of “town” further up the island. This campground was exactly what I was anticipating. When you arrive you are greeted with a pretty view of the infamous dunes and a nice undeveloped camping area. I pulled into my spot and immediately hit the beach to enjoy the sand in my toes and some pretty views before sunset.
While on the island I ate at SMacNally's Bar & Grill, if you come in on the Cedar Island Ferry then it will be the first restaurant on your right sitting on the docks of the marina. Dinner was excellent, as were the beers. I got their fish of the day - blackened mackerel on a sandwich with fries and a few Bell’s Two Hearted beers. Shortly after dinner I headed back to the campground and set up the top tent to relax from a long day of driving & to get some rest. The next morning I woke up around 7 AM and started packing up my camp. The top tent took all of about 15 minutes to break down, from there it was TIME FOR COFFEE. I broke out my jet boil and my freshly ground coffee (from the day before) and got to it. I had purchased the jet boil java press (french press lid) prior to the trip and this was my first time using it — it worked just like any other french press I’ve ever used! After my initial cup of coffee I made my way to the shower house to get prepped for my departure.
It was bittersweet driving out of the campground, I really wish that I had planned for more time in this area. The campground as well as the island offered much more than I was able to take advantage of in my short time there. As I drove down the island towards the Hatteras ferry I was just in awe of the beautiful landscape I was surrounded with and just had the best feeling inside enjoying being in such a remote and undeveloped place. The Hatteras Ferry is complimentary and also first come first serve while running every 30 minutes, with it being 4th of July weekend I felt it best not to take chances and arrive fairly early. Once on Hatteras I found some lunch at the Frisco Sandwich Company — 5 stars here, I got the Crabby Patty, definitely stop in if passing through and look for the Finn sticker hidden somewhere inside!
After lunch it was time to head north and make my way up to Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia Beach. On my way up the island I passed lighthouses, a UFO, and lots of other really amusing sites. As you traverse North you go over some very cool bridges that offer really nice views of the surround landscape. After about 5 hours in the car I arrived at Back Bay. This was my first time here and is what separates Corolla Beach, NC from Virginia Beach, VA. By the beach it is probably a 30 minute drive, roughly 10 miles. Going around this via interstate adds about 1.5 hours, but the area has been closed to pedestrian vehicles (aside from some locals with special permits) for quite some time. The refuge is home to many plants & animals that only exist there and are preserved throughout this stretch. You can enter the park from Virginia Beach and walk the shoreline down to Corolla if you would like, the refuge also offers a series of boardwalks along the bay that are super awesome to check out. Enjoy the photos & video from my trip, if you have questions or would like recommendations about anything I did then please reach out!
