This past week Cecil and I escaped to the northern Outer Banks with our rescue pup, Percy. We visited here in November 2020 and knew we would be back one day. This was Percy’s first visit to the beach (we adopted him in 2021) and he loved it!

Hitting the road with my two favorite guys! Percy loves to sit in the back window so he can keep an eye on things.

Our 5+ hour drive to the Outer Banks was our longest trip so far with Percy so we decided to plan a couple stops where he could stretch his legs, but more than just a strip of grass at a gas station. Both going and coming we stopped at the William B. Umstead State Park. The Rocky Creek entrance is right off Interstate 40 in Cary, so it was a very easy on and off. There is a large parking lot and public restrooms, plus plenty of space to walk Percy. Our second stop was at the Moratoc Park on the banks of the Roanoke River in Williamston.

Roanoke River at the Moratoc Park

The See Sea Motel in Kill Devil Hills (KDH) was home base again. This time we stayed in a two-bedroom suite with a kitchenette because it was one of the pet-friendly rooms. They have a permanent deal where if you check in on a Sunday your fifth night is free! That works perfectly for us because we have a couple days on either end without worrying about work.

We had an issue getting in the room when we first arrived, but maintenance came to fix it within a few minutes. The See Sea is one of multiple hotels managed by a parent company so there isn’t an office on site, but we never had an issue with that. Housekeeping only comes every other day but we liked that because we prefer to be left alone when we’re on vacation. And you can’t beat being almost across the street from a public beach access.

Once we unloaded the car, we ordered a Greek pizza from the Dare Devil’s Pizzeria and picked up a few items from the grocery store. After a walk on the beach and catching up on the NFL football games, we settled in for the night.

Monday

We decided to do the tourist thing on our first day, so we drove over to Manteo on Roanoke Island to visit the Elizabethan Gardens, managed by the Garden Club of North Carolina, and the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site. There’s an admission fee for the garden, including $3 for dogs, but it was worth it. It’s a beautiful place. We were the only people in the gardens besides staff, so we were able to fully enjoy it.

Hanging out with Queen Elizabeth I at the Elizabethan Gardens

Fort Raleigh was the site of the first English settlement, established in 1587, in what is now the United States. The Roanoke Colony eventually became the “Lost Colony,” as the settlers disappeared before re-supply ships arrived in 1590. Virginia Dare was born in the colony on August 18, 1587, making her the first English person born in North America.

The island was also home to the Roanoke Island Freedmen’s Colony during the Civil War. The Union Army occupied the island in 1862. As soon as the battle was over, escaped enslaved people began arriving on the island. In 1863 the Army established the Freedmen’s Colony headed by Chaplain Horace James. According to the Fort Raleigh NHS, he “laid out one-acre lots and recruited missionaries as teachers. By 1865 almost 3,500 people lived in 560 log dwellings they had built, along with a hospital, church, schools, and a sawmill. The Army decommissioned the colony in 1867.” The monument pictured below honors the former residents of the Freedmen’s Colony. You can read more about the colony here: https://www.nps.gov/articles/the-freedmen-s-colony-on-roanoke-island.htm.

Roanoke Island Freedmen’s Colony memorial at the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site

We managed to travel to the beach during the last week of the hottest summer heat, so after our walk through the garden we decided to head back to the hotel. We settled Percy in the room and then drove to John’s Drive-In to grab lunch to go. I enjoyed the popcorn shrimp and Cecil had chicken tenders. Everything was fresh and delicious!

Local restaurants are always the best experience

By this point we were tired from the heat and full bellies, so we settled in for a nap with Percy. A couple hours later we were rested and ready for part two of the day. We picked up afternoon caffeine from the Morning View Coffee House in Nags Head and wandered through a couple antique stores – Vintage Vibe OBX and New 2 U.

Before we left on our trip, we had decided we wanted to bring enough food for breakfast and at least a couple lunches and dinners. One dinner option we brought was the ingredients for a charcuterie board – crackers, cheese, and a variety of sliced salami. We enjoyed that for our Monday dinner and ended the day watching Monday Night Football.

Tuesday

After taking Percy for a quick walk, we headed south to the Orange Blossom Bakery & Cafe in Buxton. It’s about a 50-minute drive from KDH but the views are gorgeous as you drive through the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge and the Hatteras National Seashore. We arrived around 9am and the cafe was already busy because of one reason – apple uglies. They serve breakfast sandwiches and other baked goods, but they are famous for these fritters that are way more than fritters. I never managed to take a picture because we were too busy eating them. They are about the size of your head, deep fried, and filled with cinnamon and apples. You can also order one with chocolate drizzle, which is what I enjoyed. They are worth the drive!

We took our apple uglies to go and ate them in the parking lot at the Cape Hatteras National Seashore just down the street. Neither of us were able to finish them so we saved half and took Percy for a short walk on the beach.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore

We managed to get caught by a wave so we took off our soggy shoes and headed back to the hotel. We settled in for a nap and the first game of a Red Sox double-header baseball game. Eventually I felt like getting out, so I went back to the Morning View Coffee Shop for another frappe and wandered the Class and Trash store. We shopped here on our last trip to the OBX and loved it. I walked out with some fun, vintage Halloween postcards and a locally made candle.

After a slow and easy day, we decided to have our “fancy dinner” – meaning Cecil wears a button-up shirt and I put on lipstick. Haha. We enjoyed an incredible meal at the Red Drum Grill & Taphouse in Nags Head. Cecil ordered a Blackened Gamefish Reuben (that day’s catch was tuna) and I loved the Mac-n-Cheese – bowtie pasta with shrimp and a housemade cheese sauce.

Mac-N-Cheese with shrimp, diced tomatoes, chopped country ham, and green onions.

All in all, a wonderful first two days. Stay tuned for the second half of the trip!