Dare County Archives - Joe Lamb Jr. & Associates

Outer Banks Fourth of July Guide

The Outer Banks is a beautiful and vibrant place to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday. With so many activities and events happening throughout the week, it can be overwhelming to decide where to go and what to do. That’s why we’ve put together this guide to help you plan your perfect Outer Banks Fourth of July celebration.

Watch the Fireworks

What’s a Fourth of July celebration without fireworks? The Outer Banks has several fireworks displays to choose from, including the Town of Nags Head Fireworks Spectacular and the Avon Fireworks Display. Both events take place on July 4th and are sure to be a memorable highlight of your vacation. Check out the times and locations here!

Attend a Parade

The Outer Banks is home to several Fourth of July parades that are fun for the whole family. The Manteo Fourth of July Parade and the Corolla Fourth of July Parade are both popular events that feature floats, bands, and local businesses.

Hit the Beach

The Outer Banks is known for its beautiful beaches, and what better way to celebrate the Fourth of July than with a day on the sand? Pack a picnic, bring some sunscreen, and enjoy the sun and surf. Don’t forget to stay safe and follow beach regulations, including no fireworks on the beach.

Check out Local Festivals

The Outer Banks has several festivals and events happening throughout the week of the Fourth of July. The Duck Fourth of July Parade and Community Celebration and the Town of Manteo Independence Day Celebration are both popular events that feature live music, food, and activities for all ages.

Take a Cruise

If you’re looking for a unique way to celebrate the Fourth of July, consider taking a cruise. The Outer Banks is home to several companies that offer sunset cruises and fireworks cruises on the Fourth of July. This is a great way to take in the beautiful views of the Outer Banks while enjoying the holiday festivities.

The Outer Banks is the perfect place to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday. With so many activities and events happening throughout the week, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Whether you’re looking for fireworks, parades, or a day on the beach, the Outer Banks has it all. So come celebrate the Fourth of July with us, and make memories that will last a lifetime. Don’t forget to book your fourth of July getaway today!

Outer Banks Outdoor Guide

The Outer Banks of North Carolina is a beautiful and scenic vacation destination known for its stunning beaches, rolling dunes, and abundant wildlife. If you’re planning a trip to the Outer Banks, be sure to set aside some time to explore the outdoors. This blog will guide you to some of the best places to see scenic sights in the Outer Banks.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore

This 70-mile stretch of protected coastline is home to some of the most beautiful beaches in the Outer Banks. Visitors can hike along the dunes, swim in the ocean, and take in the breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean. The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is also located in this area and is a must-visit for those interested in maritime history.

Jockey’s Ridge State Park

This 426-acre park is home to the tallest natural dune system in the eastern United States. Visitors can climb to the top of the dunes for panoramic views of the surrounding landscape. Jockey’s Ridge is also popular for hang gliding and kite flying.

Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge

This 13-mile stretch of protected coastline is home to diverse wildlife, including sea turtles, shorebirds, and seals. Visitors can take a leisurely walk along the nature trails, go bird watching, or simply relax on the beach and take in the the great outdoors.

Roanoke Island

This historical island is home to several scenic spots, including the Elizabethan Gardens and the Roanoke Island Marshes Lighthouse. Visitors can also stroll along the Manteo Waterfront and enjoy views of the sound and surrounding landscape.

Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge

This 152,000-acre wildlife refuge is home to various wildlife, including black bears, red wolves, and alligators. Visitors can take a scenic drive through the refuge, go bird watching, or take a guided tour to learn more about the area’s wildlife and ecology.

Currituck Banks National Estuarine Reserve

This 965-acre reserve is home to some of the most pristine natural areas in the Outer Banks. Visitors can walk along the nature trails, go kayaking in the sound, or simply relax on the beach and take in the area’s natural beauty.

The Outer Banks is a beautiful and scenic vacation destination that offers plenty of opportunities to explore the outdoors. Whether you’re interested in hiking, wildlife watching, or simply taking in the scenery, there are plenty of places to see scenic sights in the Outer Banks. Be sure to add some of these locations to your itinerary and take in all the area offers!

Outer Banks Rainy Day Guide

The Outer Banks is a beautiful destination for outdoor activities and sunshine-filled days. But what do you do when the weather doesn’t cooperate and you’re faced with a rainy day? Don’t worry, there are still plenty of fun and interesting things to do in the Outer Banks, even when it’s raining. Don’t let a little rain ruin your vacation! Our Rainy Day Guide has plenty of fun and interesting activities to keep you entertained in this beautiful coastal region, no matter the weather.

Visit a Museum

The Outer Banks is home to several museums that offer a glimpse into the area’s history and culture. The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras is a must-visit for anyone interested in the region’s maritime history. The Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills is another great option for learning about the Wright Brothers’ first flight and their impact on aviation.

Explore Indoor Attractions

In addition to museums, the Outer Banks has several indoor attractions that are perfect for a rainy day. The North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island is a popular spot for families and features exhibits on local marine life. The Outer Banks Mall in Nags Head is another option for those looking to do some shopping or catch a movie at the local cinema.

Indulge in Local Cuisine

What better way to spend a rainy day than indulging in some delicious local cuisine? The Outer Banks is known for its fresh seafood and southern-style comfort food. Check out some of the area’s best restaurants and try out a new dish or two.

Relax at a Spa

Finally, rainy days are the perfect opportunity to treat yourself to a day of relaxation at a local spa. The Sanderling Resort and Spa in Duck and the Aqua Spa in Duck are both great options for a day of pampering.

While rainy days in the Outer Banks may not be what you had in mind, there are still plenty of activities and attractions to keep you entertained. Don’t let a little rain dampen your spirits – embrace the opportunity to explore and discover something new.

Outer Banks New Year Resolution

Now that we are in 2023, people are starting to make changes. Spending time with family, learning new skills, relaxing more, or creating new memories might be on your list of resolutions. An Outer Banks vacation allows you to accomplish all of these things. Contact us today to reserve your 2023 vacation!

Learn to Surf

Besides its picturesque beaches, the Outer Banks is an ideal destination for surfers. World-class surfing spots are found around the Outer Banks, attracting surfers from all over the globe. However, these waves are not just for professionals but vacationers looking for water fun. Various surf schools offer lessons for vacationers of all ages. Try dancing on the water this year as a new year’s resolution.

Visit all 5 Lighthouse

There are five lighthouses on the Outer Banks, which protect its shores. Driving along the barrier island coast will allow you to see these lighthouses. Reach the top to enjoy a bird’s-eye view of the island. Take an Outer Banks lighthouse road trip this year and visit them all!

Try a New Local Spot

Local restaurants, shops, and attractions are plentiful along the Outer Banks. This year try something new that you have never experienced before. Embrace a first experience this year!

Buy your Own Vacation Home

Buying a beach house has always been a dream of yours. Find that perfect beach home with the help of one of our real estate agents. Get in touch with an agent by clicking this link.

Reel One In

A favorite fishing spot has always been the Outer Banks. Known as “The Billfish Capital of the World,” fishermen travel far and wide to catch a bite. Perhaps you can fish deep sea, from the pier, or even from the beach. If fishing piques your interest, make this your destination. There may be a record catch this year.

Spending time with family

A vacation on the Outer Banks is the perfect way to spend quality time with your loved ones. Aside from the beach, there are plenty of activities to be enjoyed by the whole family. It’s an enjoyable way to spend time together, experience new things, and create new memories.

Go somewhere new

There is always room for new adventures. This year, why not spend some time on the Outer Banks beaches? Vacations are a great way to relax, have fun, and appreciate nature. Relax at the beach as you deserve it.

Dare County Celebrates Its 150th Anniversary–History and Culture Will Be Featured

Dare County Courthouse as it appeared in 1904 when it was built.

The 150th anniversary of the founding of Dare County happened just a few days ago. There will be a full year’s worth celebrations to mark the event.

When it was created there wasn’t much here, which has a lot to do with why Currituck, Hyde, and Tyrrell counties were willing to give up small pieces of their land to form the new county.

Named for Virginia Dare, when it was created the new county was a far flung sliver of swamp, maritime forest and barrier islands. The closest town to a central place was Manteo, so it became the county seat.

It was smaller than it is today. When it was created the northern border was just about where Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills meet.

According to author and historian David Stick, the land that is now Kitty Hawk, Duck and Southern Shores was added in 1920 because the state legislature realized that area logically should have been a part of Dare County all along.

A more colorful tale was told by Pops Scarborough of Duck in a 1997 interview. Approaching 100 years of age at the time of the interview, according to Pops, Currituck County was going to start taxing fishermen on their catch. Local residents approached Dare County commissioners and asked if they planned to tax fishermen on their catch. The answer was no, so they petitioned the state to become part of Dare County.

A colorful tale but difficult to prove.

From the first English child born in the New World to the Wright Brothers first flight, Dare County is filled with remarkable firsts and fascinating pieces of history.

The county is planning a number of event in conjunction with its sesquicentennial celebration. One of the biggest will be Saturday May 2 at Island Farms with interpreters dressed in clothing of the era.

Take the time to explore the history and culture of the Outer Banks. Book your vacation today and stay in a Joe Lamb, Jr. & Associates home.

Candy Bomber Drops Candy for Hundreds of Outer Banks Children

Candy Bomber candy floating to the waiting hands of children.

As the C54 Spirit of America came in low over the trees at the Dare County Regional Airport, anticipation on the ground grew. Would this be the pass when the Candy Bomber dropped its load.

The first pass, just a few parachutes with candy attached floated to the ground, as the flight crew assessed the wind.

But the next pass, a few hundred small white parachutes with the dark wrapping of a Hershey’s Chocolate bar fluttered from the four-engined aircraft.

And the next pass, the same thing happened.

The annual December visit from the Candy Bomber has become a wonderful part of the Outer Banks Christmas tradition. According to event organizers this is the 21st visit to the area.

What seems to make the Outer Banks Candy Bomber tradition so special is the original Candy Bomber, Colonel Gail Halvorsen, now 99 years old, makes the trip almost every year.

During the Berlin Airlift, 1948-1949, then Lt. Halvorsen took to dropping candy for the children of Berlin. At the time, West Berlin was sealed off from the rest of western Europe and the United States by the USSR, what is now Russia.

The only way to get supplies to the city was by air, and Halvorsen and his fellow American and British pilots flew up to three times a day, day in and day out to keep the city alive.

Halvorsen, seeing that the children had no treats or candy, took to dropping candy with small parachutes attached as he flew over the city. Soon other pilots joined in.

The Outer Banks Candy Bomber is a wonderful reenactment of that act of generosity.

Take some time to learn about what a special place the Outer Banks is. Stay with us at Joe Lamb, Jr. & Associates for a week or two.

DCAC Reopens with Spectacular Daniel Pullen Photo Show

Looking almost brand new, the DCAC Gallery in downtown Manteo reopened just three weeks after flood waters got inside the building.

Centerpiece of downtown Manteo Looks Great after Repairs

It was great to see the Dare County Arts Council (DCAC) reopened just three weeks after flood waters from Tropical Storm Michael got inside the building.

By the time Michael got to the Outer Banks it was a day of wind and intermittent heavy rain showers. It was the tail end of the storm that packed a wallop though, pushing flood waters into a number of soundside areas…including Manteo.

The waters receded almost as fast they come in, but water in a building is still water in a building and the DCAC Gallery and offices had to close while they made repairs and dried out.

Reopening on First Friday in November, the old Dare County Courthouse where it’s located, looked as good as it has. The word must have gotten out because the Gallery was packed.

The featured artist this month is really worth a trip to the DCAC. Daniel Pullen is a true artist with a camera. A native of Hatteras Island, he’s been capturing images that tell the story of life on the Outer Banks is a way very few manage.

The photographs are a delight to look at individually, but taken as a whole, what emerges is a picture of the collage of life on the Outer Banks. There is beautiful imagery of lighthouses and full moons; Daniel has captures some remarkable images of surfing and the pictures he has taken of local fishermen seem to tell in a single picture what words often cannot describe.

The Daniel Pullen Photography Exhibit will be on display through the month.

Next First Friday brings Santa Claus to Manteo—a must see event on the Outer Banks.

Enjoy long walks on almost deserted beaches and the Outer Banks in the off season. Check out Joe Lamb, Jr. & Associates to find the finest in accommodations.

Goodbye to Hurricane Florence, Outer Banks Welcomes Our Visitors

Dimitri Maramenides of Epic Kiteboarding at Jennette's Pier on Friday. Although the Atlantic Ocean was extremely rough, there was no reported damage along the northern Outer Banks. — Dimitri Maramenides of Epic Kiteboarding at Jennette’s Pier on Friday. Although the Atlantic Ocean was extremely rough, there was no reported damage along the northern Outer Banks.

All Travel Restriction Lifted for Outer Banks

Hurricane Florence stayed well to the south of the Outer Banks and as of Sunday, all evacuation notices and travel restrictions pertaining to northern Dare and Currituck Counties have been lifted.

NCDOT is working feverishly to clear the road at the S Curves just north of Rodanthe and according to their latest bulletin, Hatteras Island will be open to all traffic after 3:00 p.m. Sunday.

The Ocracoke ferries are not running and at this point in time there is no access to Ocracoke.

For all the inconvenience Florence caused on the Outer Banks, the fact is, we got off with little or no damage—in stark contrast to our neighbors south of the Outer Banks and along the eastern shore of the Pamlico Sound.

There was a little bit of ocean overwash and no one lost power. It rained very hard on Thursday, and we have had intermittent squalls coming off the ocean for the past two days, but nothing at all like Wilmington and surrounding areas are experiencing with 30”-40” of rain.

It feels good to be open again and welcoming visitors. It is, after all, what we do on the Outer Banks, and we do it very well.

Our calendar is filled with things to do this week.

It looks as though the ESA Easterns Surf Championship will happen, although the first day will be Tuesday instead of Sunday. It may still be a challenge for some of the competitors from the south to get here, but we’ll hope for the best.

Surfalorous is also happening this coming week. The surf film festival sponsored by the Dare County Arts Council will run Thursday through Saturday at various locations.

If we have one really fun event to attend, it would have to be CrabDaddy at the Cotton Gin in Jarvisburg. It’s a combination celebration of the Sanctuary Vineyards harvest, local catch—with an emphasis on crab, and music.

It’s always a fun afternoon and great for the family.

See for yourself what we mean when we say the Outer Banks is a welcoming place. Check out our listings at Joe Lamb, Jr. & Associates.

When Rain Goes Away Musicians Come Out to Play

First Friday in downtown Manteo. It looks like the rain will be gone and it should be a good evening for music and visiting.

Live Outdoor Music Back on Tap for Upcoming Week

We have had a lot of rain here on the Outer Banks over the past week. If the rain gauge at the Dare County Airport on Roanoke Island is accurate—and it’s the official record keeper—it looks like 14” over the past seven days.

We’ve had a couple of breaks in the clouds and the sun has come out from time to time, but honestly? It’s time for the rain to go away. And if the weather forecast is accurate, we’re going to have another day or day and a half of this, then finally some consistent nice weather.

When it finally clears up, we can go back to some got the things that make summer on the Outer Banks so special.

All of the small outdoor music venues had to cancel their shows this past week. That would be places like Ocean Boulevard, with it’s wonderful setting on the beach road. Or the roof top venue at Rundown Cafe. Both of those are n Kitty Hawk.

In Nags Head it would be hard to find a better place to relax with a drink, watch the sunset over the Roanoke Sound and listen to music than Pamlico Jacks.

And those are just a few of the venues that had to cancel shows this week because of the weather…and thankfully, the weather is looking like it’s going to cooperate for Tuesday evening on.

That also means things are looking great for First Friday this coming Friday in downtown Manteo.

First Friday has truly become one of the Outer Banks summer traditions that people really look forward to. There is four or five block area along the water front in the town that is ideal for enjoying live music, some sidewalk cafes, some art and a night out.

There’s always a lot happening on the Outer Banks. Check out our Joe Lamb Jr., & Associates homes for the perfect location to enjoy all the there is to do and see.

Joe Lamb, Jr. Founders Honored by Dare County

Chair of the Dare County Commissioners Bob Woodard presents Certificate of Appreciation to Ann and Joe Lamb.

50 Years of Service to the Community Recognized

For 50 years Ann and Joe Lamb have believed in the Outer Banks. They have believed in it as a place to raise their family, grow a business and and welcome visitors to the community they call their home. At the Dare County Commissioner’s meeting this week, the couple were recognized for what they have meant to the Outer Banks.

Chairman Bob Woodward summed up what it means to be successful over the 50 years the Joe Lamb Jr., & Associates has been a part of the community.

“Fifty years is proof that what they have created has stood the test of time,” he said. “To be in business for 50 years you have to do a lot of things right. You have to treat your clients right and you have to treat your employees right.”

The legacy and impact of Ann and Joe is not just in our Joe Lamb Jr., & Associates business, though—as successful as it has been. The impact the couple has had on this community is immeasurable.

Students have gone to college because of the scholarships they created; the couple has supported some of the most important charitable causes on the Outer Banks including the arts and the Outer Banks Relief Foundation.

Ann was one of the founders of the Outer Banks Woman’s Club, named the 2017 nonprofit of the year by the Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce.

For eight years, Joe was a County Commissioner.

The couple is the very essence of what a successful family run business is supposed to be—a company that prizes customer service, its employees and the community where it is located.

The employees of Joe Lamb Jr., & Associates have known all along that our founders, Ann and Joe Lamb are great people to know and work for. We are proud to be associated with them and so happy that they have been recognized for the impact they have had on the Outer Banks community.

Tag: Dare County