SMS and I decided to take a day trip to the Outer Banks earlier this month. It was the Saturday after Labor Day so even though we were charged peak tolls, it seemed that we were into the “shoulder season” with far fewer tourists. We had an amazing time!
We drove along the 158E and once we crossed the bridge to the Outer Banks, we took a right to head down towards Kill Devil Hill and Kitty Hawk. Our first stop was for lunch at Pigman’s BBQ for some East Carolina-style pulled pork and ribs. I really like the tangy, vinegar-based sauce. We were pretty hungry and the food hit the spot! We ate outside in the shade. The restaurant also does picnics-to-go, which would be a nice way to have a gourmet beach feast.
After Pigman, we headed to the Wright Brothers National Memorial at Kill Devil Hill. Kill Devil Hill was the dune (now grass-covered hill) that they used to launch their gliders. Slightly north of the hill is the site of the first four flights. There is a launch rail that was used to help guide the plane to take-off that is still present. Four boulders are placed marking the landing site of each of the first flights, which got progressively longer. I didn’t realize how short the first flight was! We walked along the path to the 4th flight boulder, which was the longest distance by far. It was really neat. In addition, there’s a cool juxtaposition of a modern airstrip right next to the monument so right next to the historic field is a modern airport with Cesnas flying in.
We decided to head South and try to find a beach. I saw a marker for Coquina Beach at the Wright Memorial so we headed there. What a find! It’s down Highway 12 about 20 minutes from Kitty Hawk. It’s part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore so it’s completely undeveloped. But at Coquina Beach, there is a large parking lot with plenty of spots when we were there. Best of all, there’s a spotlessly clean bathroom, changing room and outdoor shower area which makes it SO much nicer when it comes time to leave. Rather than sitting in damp suits with sticky sand, we were able to wash off and change. I really liked it and can definitely see myself going back.
After a few hours at the beach, we got back in the car and headed home. We stopped at the Weeping Radish, a microbrewery in Grandy opened by an immigrant from Bavaria in the 1980s. They follow the Bavarian Reinheitsgebot Purity Law of 1516 and both the beer and food are German-inspired. The beer, all from the microbrewery, was really good. I was surprised because sometimes super-small places can be uneven in quality but every beer was pretty great, although there were some I favored over others just based on personal taste. Unfortunately, we weren’t hungry due to the size of our lunch but I bet the food there is pretty awesome. We watch the last set of the Serena-Naomi US Open, which was pretty intense.
Also, I got to feed a goat! There were two goats outside and I went over to admire their cuteness. A woman leaving the brewery told us that they liked branches from the tree and that I should feed them one. So, I took a little twig and fed one of the goats. Super cute!
Then it was time to head back. It was a great day with lots of cool stops- a perfect day trip! For future Outer Banks trips, I would like to go back to Coquina Beach, check out Duck, and travel to Ocracoke for an overnight (or several) based on my cousins’ recommendations.