I have talked about a lot of places throughout my blogs, but I have been saving my most favorite place for last. This is a vacation meant for relaxing, being outside and really surrounding yourself with nature’s beauty. There are probably many places that come to mind for your favorite vacation place — possibly California, Disney or Hawaii. But for me, it is an eight hour drive south to the Outer Banks.

Each time we have gone since I was little, we rent a new house in a different section of the island to receive a new perspective with new activities. My family and I are fans of staying on the sound side because it offers a lot more to do. In addition, the beach houses are typically more expensive, so it’s a win win.

In a sound house, you are on the water so you can go crabbing, fishing, swimming, kayaking and much more. Since the Outer Banks is pretty narrow, you can bike or take a short drive to a beach access point to still have some beach time.

Another huge bonus of the sound are the beautiful sunsets. We usually kayak out on the sound to watch the sunset into the water on the horizon. The image above is from this past summer when my boyfriend and I kayaked out on the water to catch the sunset.

I was even able to convince my mom to rent a paddleboard this past summer. It was my first time using a paddleboard and it certainly is a full body workout. My body was so tense because I didn’t want to fall in. Despite my efforts, I did fall a couple times! The image above is from a different evening in front of the sunset with me on the paddleboard.

We have seen all of the lighthouses in the Outer Banks over the several trips down there. Above on the left is the Currituck Beach Lighthouse. Sadly we couldn’t go up it because of COVID, but it was still fun to visit. On the right is the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. This website talks about all the lighthouses you can visit while in the Outer Banks.

Another huge attraction for the Outer Banks is the Wright Brothers National Memorial. I have been here numerous times and I always find something new and interesting. The image above is the actual memorial, but there is also a museum, replicas and markers as to where each flight landed.

Several times on our vacations to the Outer Banks, we have visited the sand dunes at Jockeys Ridge State Park. These large sand dunes can be hot on the feet so make sure you are wearing comfortable footwear. Above is a picture of me at the top of one of the many sand dunes. It certainly is an intense workout going up and down them.

There are many nearby hikes, trails and activities to do in the Outer Banks. On our trip in 2018, we did parasailing. I was a little scared to go to be honest, but once I went for it, it was an amazing time! The picture above is of my sister and I lifting off about to go high into the sky.

There are a lot of outdoor activities to do in the Outer Banks. This is a very relaxing, stress free vacation that I highly recommend to everyone. I would urge everyone to go to the Outer Banks at least once in their lifetime.

The Outer Banks and honestly, all of nature is full of surprises just waiting to be captured. In 2017, my sister and I were playing cards during a rain shower when we heard my dad yelling, “Guys, come quick! Hurry!” We ran to the deck and what we saw was absolutely jaw-dropping.

The image above shows what we saw. Just a hundred yards out, a large water spout developed and was approaching us at a fast rate. It came onto land at the house next door and wind was insane. It caused a little damage, but since it was a water spout, it wasn’t too bad. We ran out front to watch the spout dissipate.

I looked to the right and far out in the distance were four more tornados forming. You can pick them out in the image above.

This is and probably will be the most amazing, crazy and stunning thing I have seen in my life. This just shows that there is always something miraculous to see in nature, you just have to get out there and explore.