What's your 1st stop upon arriving on the Outer Banks?

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What are your favorite things to do on your Outer banks vacation?

OBX http://ift.tt/2ubtrps For more great Outer Banks posts check out our Facebook page

Helping You Find The Right Beach House For Sale on the Outer Banks

Hi, I'm Mike Bishal an Outer Banks Real Estate Consultant. If you're interested in learning more about buying real estate on the Outer Banks or selling your home for cash quickly, you may want to check out our site where you can search all the available Outer Banks beach houses for sale.

Did you know right now, while you're watching and listening to me, an agent from our firm is standing by ready to help you? 

Just text or call me and we'll get engaged with you, ask you a couple of questions.  Learn more about how we can best help you find a house on the Outer Banks...

Look, we realize a lot of people know what they want. So instead of going through all the searches and all that time to spend to examine the area, resource us, a local pro, and we'll do that work for you.

From there we'll send links, make our suggestions, get you out here to look of some of these homes, and get you to where you want to be. Thanks again for visiting us and realize we are on standby right now.

If you've vacationed on the Outer Banks and are considering becoming a homeowner, you may appreciate my video: Going from Vacationer to Home Owner on the Outer Banks

Some Great Things to Do on the Outer Banks While Touring North Carolina

The TravelWeek Canada blog has a list of; Twelve Things to do in North Carolina and particularly a few things that everyone should consider to do during their Outer Banks vacation.

Tour Coastal Wineries and Vineyards

The vibrant wine scene in North Carolina is perfectly suited to a road trip of several days. The outer banks are home to the Scuppernong River region, home of the scuppernong muscadine grape and the delightfully fruity wines it produces. Wineries with tours, gift shops and restaurants exist up and down the coast.

Have a Blast on the Water

Over 300 miles of warm waters and blue skies make up the North Carolina coastline, making watersports one of the premier activities for vacationers in the state. Scuba divers are attracted by the shipwrecks that litter the coast, “the graveyard of the Atlantic;” stand-up paddleboarding and kayaking are popular ways to explore, and kiteboarding is a great way to catch some air.

Visit Coastal Lighthouses

For a more laid back trip, and a chance to truly soak in the beauty of North Carolina’s shores, a road trip to view the lighthouses of the state offers travellers the chance to see some of the most spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean they will ever see. The Roanoke River Lighthouse is the last of its kind in the world, and “Old Baldy” in the Brunswick Islands served for over 141 years.

OBX Beach Gear Challenge: Pop-Up Tent vs. Canopy

Our last question, what is the best beach umbrella to use of the Outer Banks a Neso Tents or a Sport-Brella, was full of excellent insights from many on the OBX Facebook page.

In our desire to find the best beach gear to use on our Outer Banks vacations, we decided to ask another question. Which is better to use on the beach a pop-up tent or a canopy?

We'd love to hear your opinion on which is better for providing shade/shelter throughout a long summer beach day?

Which option do you think is better and why?

Lightspeed Outdoors Pop Up Sport Shelter Beach Tent 

 vs.

 EasyGo - Beach & Sports Cabana

Looking forward to everyone's thoughts...

Reality Show on the Outer Banks?

Just saw this, a reality show being shot on the Outer Banks.

Yes, an OBX reality show!

There is a new Outer Banks reality show that's being created as a collaboration between, Kenyon Productions and Renee Landry Events.

Below is Episode 1, and some insight from Kenyon Productions:

Episode 1 follows the stars of our show as they plan, prep, and throw a...it's hard to explain...a fashion show where each model walks the runway with an older dog to raise money for the SPCA. 

Did I mention the fashion show was at a bank?

 Episode 2 is coming soon.

(Unique opportunities for sponsorships and tie ins are available)

The New Must Take Tour On the Outer Banks

There's a recent article in the Tennessean, Uncommon experiences in coastal Outer Banks, N.C., that offers some Outer Banks must-see vacation stops, from the wild horses in Carova to hang gliding at Jockeys Ridge.

While most people are familiar with those, the article also provide an excellent background on one of the newer and more important places to make a stop on any Outer Banks vacation, the rum tour at Outer Banks Distilling.

Check out what they had to say:

From OuterBanksDistilling.com

Outer Banks Distilling

Rum lovers are lining up for the “Molasses to Glasses” tour at Outer Banks Distilling, producers of Kill Devil Rum. This craft distillery was opened only last year by four guys who knew the beer brewing industry, but also had a passion for rum, which is enjoying a resurgence.

In the 17th century, rum was known as “Kill Devil,” and with Kill Devil Hills nearby, it seemed natural to open a distillery, playing on local stories about barrels of the spirit that frequently washed ashore after a shipwreck.

The vile liquor once swilled by pirates is now all the rage. Of course, the rum at Outer Banks Distilling is far smoother than the stuff Blackbeard imbibed.

A tour traces the rum-making process from the pre-treatment of molasses, the raw ingredient for rum, through fermentation and distillation. Rum enthusiasts can even see how the liquor is infused with rich pecan and honey flavors, which primes the palate for the post-tour tasting.

Check out the rest of their article, you may find something you didn't know.

Our Announcement for the 1st Bottles of Rum...  The New Must Take Tour On the Outer Banks

Waterpark to Open on the Outer Banks in 2017

From the Virginia-Pilot:
HARBINGER, N.C. (WAVY-TV) — It’s official. The Outer Banks is getting a water park.

Right now, the plans are to construct an 80 acre park just 2 miles north of the Wright Memorial Bridge in lower Currituck County. The nautical theme of the water park will draw inspiration from local icons and history, including lighthouses, famous pirate ships, and the Wright Brothers legacy.

Plans include multiple water slide complexes, a wave pool, adventure lagoon and lazy river, and a FlowRider® surf ride attraction. Over two acres will be dedicated to a state-of-the-art children’s adventure area and there will also be several dozen private, wait-serviced cabanas, food and beverage options, and retail venues within the park

Those who enjoy surfing on the Outer Banks, should also find something to enjoy as well, with the park planning to include a FlowRider® Surf Ride.

 

Best OBX Beach Umbrella: Sport-Brella vs Neso Tents

We're trying to decide what's the best umbrella to use on your Outer Banks Vacation, and we need your help. Let us know which umbrella you think is best for standing up to the winds on the Outer Banks.

Someone recently mentioned that they preferred using a Neso Tents over a Sport-Brella while they were vacationing on the Outer Banks. We have been using a Sport-Brella for the last several years, and have never had a complaint.

We are probably going to have to replace our beach umbrella after the Summer and are now torn, should we give the Neso Tent a try or stick with the Sport-Brella?

Would love to hear from anyone who has used one of the other, which was better?

 Neso Tent

vs.

Sport-Brella

A question on the Vacation OBX Facebook page asked:

Had pretty good success with one of these (Sport-Brella) umbrellas last year...What's your suggestion for a good OBX umbrella?

Most of the comments supported buying a Sport-Brella and some even provided some good tips for how to make sure your umbrella doesn't blow away:

• I have one of these for the beach. Love it! just make sure you anchor it if it's windy. Perfect thing for a day at the beach! We love this umbrella for the beach! 
• Many a nap has been taken under it. We put sand around the bottom to help anchor it down. 
• We anchor ours with tote bags filled with sand. Works great. 
• We switched to these a few years back, works great and doesn't blow away. 
• Love ours. Highly recommended. Just don't store the pointed extension pole inside the main pole. Just a little bit of sand made it virtually impossible to get back out. We keep them separate now and just throw it in the bag with the umbrella. 
• My husband and I have one and we love ours. However, we suggest using the corkscrew stakes (used for dogs) as the stakes. The stakes that come with it are not strong enough for the sand. With 4 of those, it works perfectly. Especially on windy days at the beach. 
•  We have this same one and love it! It will not blow away! 
• We've been using a nice high end Tommy Bahama umbrella, the one that you just pound into the sand with the upper part. It's a nice umbrella, but the clamp started to slip and lose its grip on the bottom pole. I wrote Tommy Bahama and asked if they offered a replacement piece to fix it, since it started going the first summer. They replied that they didn't make it, just had their name put on it. I wrote the manufacturer, no luck there either. So, yeah, I'd say go with that Sport-Brella there.

Will the OBX See A Tropical Storm In Early May?

Alex Sosowski writes..

AccuWeather reports  wind, seas and surf will build in advance of what could eventually become the first tropical system of 2015 along the southeastern Atlantic coast of the United States late this week.

Read the article - http://augustafreepress.com/outer-banks-virginia-beach-plans-this-weekend-watch-possible-tropical-system-brewing-in-atlantic/

Definitely looks like a real possibility!