Sunday Brunch-A Perfect OBX Mother’s Day Beginning

The view from the outdoor deck at Beachside Bistro.
The view from the outdoor deck at Beachside Bistro.

This Sunday is Mother’s Day and if Mom is looking to start the day with a little class and a toast to what she has accomplished, a Sunday brunch is perfect for the occasion. And there are so many great Outer Banks restaurants offering a special brunch for Mother’s Day that there is no excuse for sitting at home.

We did a very quick scan of what’s available and there are so many places offering brunch that we could not possibly list them all. We did pick out four we have sampled in the past and we’re confident that if Mom goes to any of these, she won’t be disappointed. However, these four are not even close to the many fine establishments service brunch this Sunday.

Red Sky Cafe-Duck

10:00a.m.-3:00 p.m.

Chef Wes Stepp never disappoints with his innovation and ability to blend flavors and textures. Looking over the menu, there is something for everyone—shrimp and grits, French Toast Casserole or eggs Benedict are just a few of the items. And brunch includes a build your own Bloody Mary or Mimosa bar.

Trio-Kitty Hawk

Noon-3:00 p.m.

What better way to celebrate Mother’s Day than with Champagne, and if that’s the plan, why not go to the place that specializes in wine and bubbly drinks. Everything from a simple but very drinkable Simonet Brut to Mumm Cordon Rouge. Nice menu to go along with it and live acoustic music.

Beachside Bistro-Kill Devil Hills

10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

If an oceanfront brunch is on the menu, it doesn’t get much more oceanside than the Beachside Bistro in the Seaside Ranch Resort. Brunch entrees include Strawberry Stuffed French Toast, Crab Benedict and some great looking desserts.

Basnight’s Lone Cedar Outer Banks Seafood Restaurant-Nags Head

10:00 a.m,-3:00 p.m.

Why not a buffet for brunch. The Lone Cedar concisely turns out some of the best dishes around—their seafood especially is well regarded. There’s plenty of seating and, located on the Causeway between Nags Head and Manteo, the restaurant overlooks Roanoke Sound.

Still need reservations? Check out our great selection at Joe Lamb Jr., & Associates.

Outer Banks Event Calendar Filled for Mother’s Day Weekend

Kids painting the wall at Dowdy Park at Artrageous 2017.
Kids painting the wall at Dowdy Park at Artrageous 2017.

Things are heating up on the Outer Banks and it’s not just the weather, although that’s getting warmer as well. The event calendar is getting so full that we can’t even get to everything there is to do—but we can at least give a good sense of upcoming events.

There’s plenty to do this weekend, with the Kentucky Derby Party at Elizabethan Gardens and the Eastern Surf Association regionals at Jennette’s Pier.

But for for visitors on the Outer Banks, those events are already scheduled, so we thought we would look ahead a bit to next weekend—Mother’s Day Weekend, because there is a bunch of ways to help mom celebrate.

For visitors—or residents—with little kids, there are two fantastic events lined up perfectly for the weekend.

On Friday, May 11, it’s KidsFest at Roanoke Island Festival Park in Manteo and on Saturday May 12 the Dare County Arts Council brings Artrageous, their annual celebration of children and the arts, to Dowdy Park in Nags Head.

KidsFest is sponsored by Children and youth Partnership of Dare County and the event is very much designed for younger kids. Artrageous will appeal to kids of just about every age group and there is something for everyone to do.

Tickets are required for some of events.

One of the nicest races anywhere is the Nags HeadWoods 5K on Saturday.. Now celebrating its 35th anniversary, the course is competely on a dirt road with a beautiful canopy created by old growth trees shading the route. There’s a little bit of up and down to the course, but not too much.

Dog lovers—Woofstock brings a weekend of fun and funny competitions to the the Nags Head Event Site on Roanoke Sound.

And…do not forget about Annual Pirate Putt-Putt for Polio Fundraiser Tournament at Professor Hacker’s Lost Treasure Golf Course in Kill Devil Hills. That’s a lot of fun for a very good cause.

Still looking for accommodations for the upcoming weekend? Check out Joe Lamb Jr., & Associates for great selection and quality homes.

Outer Banks Events May 11-13

KidsFest

Roanoke Island Festival Park, Manteo

Friday, May 11

9:30am-12:30pm 

This annual event is a FREE and fun-filled day where children, ages five and under, can enjoy face painting, bubbles, ice cream and snowballs, arts and crafts, music, large vehicles, and much more! 

WOOFstock 2018 – featuring Outer Banks Spring Splash

The Outer Banks Soundside Event Site

May 11-13

Phone: (252) 473-3234

Head over to The Soundside for two pooch-friendly events. Woofstock moves to the beach this year and is joined by the “Outer Banks Spring Splash,” featuring Dock Dogs and a 25,000-gallon competition pool.

35th Annual Nags Head Woods 5K Run

Nags Head Woods, Kill Devil Hills

May 12

Double starts at 7AM & main race at 8am.

It is an out-and-back course that covers rolling terrain on a hard-packed trail. The Nags Head Woods 5K Run is the longest running charity race on the Outer Banks hosted annually by the North Banks Rotary Club.

Annual Pirate Putt-Putt for Polio Fundraiser Tournament

Professor Hacker’s Lost Treasure Golf, Kill Devil Hills

May 12

(252) 489-9198

Time: 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Pirate Putt Putt for Polio is an annual miniature golf tournament and fund raiser for Rotary International’s End Polio Now – worldwide polio eradication initiative.. The price is $10 per person, which includes a round of miniature golf.

Artrageous Kids Art Festival

Dowdy Park, Nags Head

Nags Head, NC 27959

May 12

10:00 AM-8:00 PM

Artrageous is organized and staffed by volunteer artists, musicians, crafters, dancers, writers, photographers and other creative people who dedicate their time and energy to the event each year.   Proceeds from Artrageous benefit DCAC cultural arts programming and the Artrageous Youth Scholarship Fund, which awards one scholarship to a senior at each Dare County High School. 

Mother’s Day 2016-An OBX Delight

The Kitty Hawk Beach on Mother's Day 2016.
The Kitty Hawk Beach on Mother’s Day 2016.

Since it first became an official holiday in 1914, Mother’s Day has really focused on two themes—mothers and family. The Outer Banks seems to represent the best part of both of those.

That was on full display today along the beach. Families of every sort were enjoying an absolutely beautiful spring day—the temperature was in the low 80s, the breeze from the south around 10-12 mph, the sun was bright without a cloud in front of it . . . even the Atlantic Ocean, it seems, cooperated and kept the temperature in the surf tolerable.

(That can be a rare occurrence—springtime water temperatures are typically in the 50s.)

It is wonderful to be on the beach and hear kids laughing—ok, squealing—in delight. Fathers, in an image that seems to be a picture from time immemorial, walk into the surf holding the had of a two or three-year-old.

it was interesting; looking north along the beach in Kitty Hawk to Pelican’s Perch—that’s the pink house that’s the last home still standing east of the Beach Road in that area—there were kids playing on the beach, dads with their children and a long row of mothers sitting in beach chairs and towels relaxing.

A fitting way to spend Mother’s Day.