Outer Banks 2026

I don't think I've posted much about my family's annual Outer Banks vacation, so I thought I would share some pictures and tell you about one of our favorite weeks of the year. 

The trip started as a beach vacation with several of my parents' friends and their kids in 2003. My dad's boss had an oceanfront house at Topsail Beach that we rented when I was a junior in high school. Several families went together and all the kids loved it (I'm sure all the parents loved it too, which is why it became tradition). On that first trip, I mostly remember hanging out with my friend Kat and walking all over the town of Topsail, which was a small beach town back then.

The parents then decided to move the trip to Duck the following year. They rented a big house in early September and since most of the "kids" were driving at that point, anyone could come and go throughout the week. We always had a great time and they did this trip each year until 2019, staying in various towns throughout the Outer Banks. In 2020, most of the parents now owned their own beach properties in Myrtle Beach and they discontinued the annual OBX tradition, but my immediate family decided to keep going since we love this vacation. 

Some things we've learned over the years: June, while more expensive, makes the most sense for us now that there are grandkids' school schedules to work around. The town of Nags Head is preferred since it's the closest drive time and is the most commercialized. An oceanfront house is key if you're going back-and-forth to the beach all day with kids. 

A few things we love specific to OBX:

Catching ghost crabs at night. The aquarium. Jockey's Ridge. The lighthouses. The waterpark. 

There's more to do in OBX than some of the smaller beach towns in NC, but it's not as commercialized as Myrtle. I think it's the perfect balance! For small-town vibes, you can bike and walk the neighborhoods and check out local spots, but you can also drive a short distance and go to movie theaters and other attractions. 

Somehow after more than 20 years of going to the Outer Banks, I always find new things to do. This year, we rented a boat charter for shrimping and crabbing, which was so much fun! We also kayaked for the first time with Brooke. We discovered Galaxy Golf, a putt-putt place within walking distance to our house that had old-school, 90's charm. 

I loved the walkability of our house this year. We could walk to the park, putt-putt, ice cream, the grocery store - very convenient! 

I've also discovered they offer great (free!) programs through the national park system, such as "Crabbing with a Ranger," which we've done twice. 

My extended family (aunt, uncle, cousins, and their kids) all came this summer, so there were 17 of us there. We had so much fun spending time together!

On my list for next year is to finally make it down to Hatteras and Ocracoke, since I've never been that far south. 

As a teenager, I loved spending a week with my best friends at the beach, but I equally love getting to experience this trip as a mom. It is the highlight of Cam's year when he gets to play in the ocean all day and catch ghost crabs at night! As a parent, nothing brings you more joy than seeing your kids having fun and the Outer Banks is where Cam lives his best life. :)

My friend, Emily, wrote a Substack article a couple years ago called "50 Dreams" that stuck with me. Basically, she and her husband together brainstormed and wrote down 50 dreams for their life - big and small. After reading it, I wrote in my journal that I also wanted to come up with 50 dreams for my own life. Well, it was surprisingly difficult! I could barely come up with ten, ha! But one thing I did write down:

Continue the Outer Banks tradition for my kids.

I'm glad 2026 was another one for the books.