Vacation ... FINALLY!

I really can’t wait for this week to be over – you see, on Saturday, my wife and I, along with some of our closest friends, are heading to the Outer Banks for a week. For those of you not familiar with the Outer Banks, you can click here to find out more: http://www.outerbanks.org/index.asp. I’ve been there a number of times, and have never been disappointed.

As you probably already know, I’ve lived near Philadelphia all my life. The normal beach places for us Philly folks to travel to are in New Jersey, and while they’re, for the most part, quite nice, they are expensive, and overcrowded. The Delaware beaches are nicer, in my opinion, but you still have to deal with annoying people. So, how did we “discover” the Outer Banks?

Actually, my friend Davers’s parents went down to Nags Head many years ago – probably the early 1980’s. Back then, Nags Head, and most of the Outer Banks, was nothing more than a fishing resort. Davers came back from that vacation raving about how great the fishing was. We had made a pact that someday, we’d make it down there.

That day was the summer of 1999. Davers and I, along with another friend, made our trek to the Outer Banks, in search of fish and a good time. We stayed in Nags Head again – and Davers commented on how much more “commercial” Nags Head had become. Now, it is nowhere near as commercial as the Jersey shore, but now there are other things to do besides fish.

The first thing I realized was that renting a house in the Outer Banks is SO MUCH CHEAPER than the Jersey shore. And, the fishing was indeed very good – we could many weakfish, spots, croakers, bluefish, and even Spanish Mackerel on a daily basis. The nightlife was actually pretty good in the Kill Devil Hills – Nags Head area – good bars, and great restaurants.

Keep in mind, the Outer Banks stretches for hours – which means there are family friendly areas like Duck and Corolla. There are areas with good nightlife like Kill Devil Hills, and there are still areas for the guys that just want to fish, like Cape Hatteras. It’s got everything – it really just depends on what you want to do.

Davers and I went down to the Outer Banks one more time in 2000 – and again, had a great time. My wife, Babs, and I started going down there, probably in 2005 – we went twice and had a fantastic time. The place we got two years ago was huge – it had an in-ground pool, a game room with a pool table, and plenty of room to sleep about 8-10 people. This year, we’re heading back to the same place, but this time with more friends. I can’t wait!

I’ll post some pics and stories when I get back. In the meantime, behave yourselves!