Outer Banks Valentine’s Day Getaway

A bouquet of roses on the beach in the Outer Banks for Valentine's Day

‘Tis the season for love! Valentine’s Day this year is all about romance on the Outer Banks. Your favorite seaside destination is perfect for a romantic couples’ getaway. Whatever you plan to do on Valentine’s Day, we know all the things to do to make it extra special.

Rent a beach house

An aerial view of the Outer Banks

To start off your Valentine’s Day, there’s nothing better than a scenic view from your front porch. With one of Joe Lamb Jr.’s beach houses, everyone is welcome, whether it is with a partner or the whole family.  The beautiful Outer Banks of North Carolina are the perfect place to spend Valentine’s Day with your sweetheart. Whether you’re staying for a long weekend or an entire week, you’ll have a great time.

Watch Sunrise on the Beach

A sunrise in the Outer Banks

The sunrise on the Outer Banks is unmatched. Stroll the island’s eastern side to watch a spectacular display of light shine across the Atlantic. Give your date a lifetime memory by sharing this experience! Enjoy the sunrise from the romantic comfort of one of our oceanfront homes while you catch a glimpse of the sunrise.

Watch Sunset at Jockeys Ridge

A sunset view at Jockey's Ridge

Jockeys Ridge is the largest sand dune on the east coast. Allowing for panoramic views of both the sound and the ocean. This time of year, there are fewer crowds on Jockey’s Ridge, which makes it an ideal spot to watch sunsets over the Roanoke Sound. During sunset, the sand dunes are unmatched.

Romantic Dinner

There are a number of different culinary experiences that you can enjoy on the Outer Banks. A wide range of dining options are available on the island, so you can choose the one that suits you best. In preparation for Valentine’s Day, many restaurants offer special dinner menus for their customers. We recommend making reservations (if possible) for your favorite local restaurant in advance.

Take a Stroll in the Gardens

The Elizabethan Gardens are located in Fort Raleigh National Park.  This garden has become one of America’s most beautiful and unique gardens since the first attempts to colonize America by England under Queen Elizabeth I. The Roanoke Sound’s tranquil setting makes this scenic year-round garden a perfect spot for a Valentine’s Day stroll. Find out more about the fascinating beauty of camellias as one of the featured flowers in February.

Star Gazing

Stargazing at night in the Outer Banks

Observe the Milky Way and shooting stars! Among the most popular things to do on the Outer Banks is stargazing. The Outer Banks have dark skies and limited light pollution, and are a romantic place to stargaze with your loved one. Valentine’s Day beneath the stars.

Fall on the Outer Banks – An Event for Everyone

Scene from Crabdady Festival, Sanctuary Vineyards, Jarvisburg.
Scene from Crabdady Festival, Sanctuary Vineyards, Jarvisburg.

Fall is the best time to be on the Outer Banks. Summer is wonderful, but when fall arrives the magic happens. The days are still warm but the summer heat has backed off a bit; ocean water temperature is very manageable and there aren’t quite as many people here as the summer, but still enough that all the businesses are open.

But what really makes fall so special was that’s when the event calendar explodes.

We’ve compiled a list of events through October and included some remarks about three of them.

Be sure to schedule a visit at one of our Joe Lamb, Jr. & Associates homes and check out all there is to do on the Outer Banks.

11th Annual Surfalorus Film Festival

surfalorus film festival logo 2022

September 18-21, 2022

Sponsored by the Dare County Arts Council, this three day film festival includes some great surf films from five minute shorts to feature length movies.

 

At various locations. Don’t forget to purchase your passes today. 

*Face masks are required for access to all Surfalorus venues due to the continue threat of COVID-19 and its variants.

CrabDaddy Wine/Beer Festival

picture showing 2022 crabdaddy wine and beer festivalSanctuary Vineyards, Jarvisburg

October 8, 2022

Wine, crabs and music. We probably don’t have to say much more than that. But just to make a visit even more enticing, the setting is beautiful undertone tall trees on the north end of the Cotton Gin in Jarvisburg and the event is very family friendly.

Grab your tickets today for general admission into this fun & exciting event. You can also get a VIP Table that includes: seating for 8, table service, 3 bottles of wine & a charcuterie board.

Events

WRV Outer Banks Pro Surf Contest

Jennette’s Pier

Nags Head

August 31- September 5, 2022

Outer Banks Stunt Kite Competition

Jockey’s Ridge State Park

Nags Head

September 9 – 11, 2022

Outer Banks Triathlon

Old Swimming Hole

Manteo

September 16-17, 2022

ESA-Eastern Surf Finals

Jennette’s Pier, Nags Head

Sept 18 – 24, 2022

Pridefest

Nags Head

September 16-18, 2022

Dare County Motorcycle Toy Run

September 24, 2022

Outer Banks Jeep Jam

Soundside Event Site

Nags Head

October 7 – 9, 2022

Outer Banks Bluegrass Festival

Roanoke Island Festival Park

October 20-22, 2022

Outer Banks Parade of Homes

October 6-9, 2022

First Friday

September 2, 2022

Manteo

Duck Jazz Festival

Town of Duck

October 8-9, 2022

Wings Over Water Wildlife Festival

October 18-23, 2022

Fall Restaurant Week

Outer Banks

October 10-16, 2022

Outer Banks Seafood Festival

Soundside Event Site

Nags Head

October 15, 2022

The NC VIP Fishing Tournament

Jennette’s Pier

Nags Head

October 17-19, 2022

Brewtag

Soundside Event Site

Nags Head

October 22, 2022

Roanoke Island Maritime Museum Boat Show

Roanoke Island Maritime Museum

Manteo

October 29, 2022

Harvest HayDay

Island Farm

Roanoke island

October 29, 2022

As you can see the Outer Banks is full of events this fall and we can’t wait to hear which event or events you went to. If you’re still searching for an Outer Banks vacation rental to stay in this fall, give us a call today!

Big Currishuck, Great Food, Great Music and a Great Good Time

All you can eat oysters, freshly steamed and tasty. One of the best parts of the Big Currishuck.
All you can eat oysters, freshly steamed and tasty. One of the best parts of the Big Currishuck.

If it’s the Saturday after Thanksgiving it has got to be the Big Currishuck at Sanctuary Vineyards in Jarvisburg. It’s just a little ways north of the Outer Banks. Close enough that we can still call it the Outer Banks.

This is the seventh or eighth version of the annual event and it always seems to keep getting better and better. Or maybe it’s just that the latest one is so good that memory pushes the last one to the far reaches of our minds.

The Big Currishuck is all about fresh steamed oysers, all you can eat. And crab, all you can eat. And fantastic eastern North Carolina barbecue…all you can eat.

And music—we don’t want to forget about the music. This year from Jonny Waters & Company and Trae Pierce & the T-Stones back for the fourth year in a row. They’re a central Florida band with an amazing range of music all done in their own hiphop, jazzy kind of style.

Can’t forget the four local microbrews that were on hand either. Nor the wines from Sanctuary Vineyards.

In short, it’s a great event and the perfect way to wrap up Thanksgiving Weekend.

It has become such an event that people plan their visits around it. Really, there were a couple of visitors who mentioned that the Big Currishuck is right up there with Thanksgiving dinner as a highlight for the weekend.

The oysters are the main attraction and a big shout out to I Got Your Crabs down in Kitty Hawk for steaming up so many, and keeping everyone stocked. According to what we heard they were form Chesapeake Bay this year. Makes sense. Hurricane Dorian did a number on the local oyster farmers.

Also a shoutout to John Wright of Sanctuary Vineyards for putting it all together. Can’t wait for next year.

Winter is special on the Outer Banks. Discover the hidden side of life on a sandbar in a Joe Lamb, Jr. & Associates home.

CrabDaddy-Steamed Crab, a Perfect Day & Family Time

AYCE Crab and NC Barbecue, music and a beautiful setting. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Here’s the basic concept behind CrabDaddy, the annual celebration of crab and other things at the Cotton Gin in Jarvisburg—

Eat a lot of crab. Drink some wine from Sanctuary Vineyards, or beer from the taps of the local brewery that are on hand. Bring the family—any event at the Cotton Gin is very kid friendly—enjoy life under the towering pines on the north lawn of the Cotton Gin.

And listen to some really good music.

All of that was helped along on Saturday by absolutely spectacular weather, making for as close to a perfect day as there could be.

CrabDaddy is fun. The crab is freshly caught local crab steamed by the folks from I Got Your Crabs down in Kitty Hawk. For the non crab eaters there eastern North Carolina barbecue on hand—prepared right there and it was good.

Keeping it simple, buy your ticket and it’s all you can eat.

Eating is not the only thing happening. There is also the CrabDaddy Olympics. Barrel Rolling, which the kids love, and our personal favorite…grape stomping.

Cut a wine barrel in half, fill it with grapes—muscadines in this case, turn the spigot on at the bottom of the barrel and let the two people with the grapes smushed between their toes start stomping. 

It is a gooey, sticky wonderful mess of a contest.

Next up for Sanctuary Vineyards, don’t miss their annual Big Curri-shuck the Saturday after Thanksgiving. All you can eat oysters, crabs and more.

There is always something special to do on the Outer Banks. Reserve your Joe Lamb, Jr. & Associates home today and see what it’s all about.

CrabDaddy Reappears at Sanctuary Vineyards

CrabDaddy Poster

All is well on the Outer Banks as CrabDaddy makes his annual appearance this Saturday on the north lawn of the Cotton Gin in Jarvisburg on September 21. That’s this coming Saturday.

Who, the uninformed may ask, is CrabDaddy, not realizing that CrabDaddy is a what as much as a who.

What he, or is it what, is is a fantastic celebration of food, family, crab, wine and beer in a beautiful setting.

Brought to the world by Sanctuary Vineyards and held under the towering pines on the north end of Sanctuary Vineyards, the event is an all you can eat crab fest. There is also a local pit master smoking up some eastern North Carolina barbecue. The wine is from Sanctuary Vineyards. The beer is local. For kids there are hay rides and what is particularly nice there is plenty of room for kids to roam around in a very safe area.

The music this year may be the best ever for the event with Almost Everything, Roots of a Rebellion and Twen on hand and a possibility of more.

Along with more food than any human can possibly consume, beer, wine and great music, CrabDaddy also features the Crabdaddy Olympics. These are competitions that should be in the Olympic lineup but aren’t—including grape stomping. Hop in a barrel, smush some grapes and get some juice.

Right now Saturday is looking fantastic, so plan on heading 11 miles north of the Wright Brothers Bridge and have a meet and greet with CrabDaddy.

CrabDaddy is just one of many special event happening this fall in and around the Outer Banks. Spend some time with Joe Lamb, Jr. & Associates and see what life on a sandbar is all about.

Acoustic Sunset-A Perfect Thursday Getaway

Acoustic Sunset at the Cotton Gin in Jarvisburg. A gathering under the pines, perfect for the whole family.
Acoustic Sunset at the Cotton Gin in Jarvisburg. A gathering under the pines, perfect for the whole family.

There is something truly special about the Acoustic Sunset at the Cotton Gin in Jarvisburg. 

Maybe it’s the setting beneath the towering pines on the north end of the property. Perhaps it’s the music. Sandbar Blues was playing tonight and their blend of classic rock with a touch of country set the mood perfectly.

Maybe what makes Acoustic Sunset so wonderful is how nice it is as a family event. Yes there’s wine from Sanctuary Vineyards available and usually beer from a local brewery, but the Wright Family who owns the Cotton Gin has always made a point of making sure their events include the whole family.

Most likely, though, it’s all of the above.

Every Thursday during the summer and into the early autumn, from 5:00-8:00 p.m. a band or a musician performs at Acoustic Sunset. It’s usually acoustic instruments, sometimes like today, the instruments are electric, but don’t expect any hard rock at these gatherings. 

This is really music that’s fun to listen to and sets the stage for a relaxing afterwork or late afternoon vacation getaway.

With picnic tables spread about and food and drink available from the Thyme and Tide Restaurant located in the Cotton Gin, the setting seems ideal.

Next week it’s Mercy Creek. Highly recommended. The best way to describe the them is a husband and wife duo. Just a drum, guitar and occasionally mandolin. And the music is acoustic…but acoustic with attitude.

This is an outdoor event, so weather does play a role so we took a look a the long-range forecast. Right now it looks promising, so gas up the car, pack up the kids and head ll miles north of the Wright Memorial Bridge next Thursday for an Acoustic Sunset.

There is so much to do and explore on the Outer Banks and Joe Lamb, Jr. & Associates has the perfect beach home for your stay.

Cajun Occasion at Sanctuary Vineyards

Good times, good food, good music and wonderful wine. Don’t miss this one.

The Cajun Occasion, the name says it all. Coming Saturday, March 2 to Sanctuary Vineyards up in Jarvisburg. That’s about 15 minutes north of the Wright Memorial Bridge.

Since the official Mardi Gras is on March 5 this year, we can probably call the Cajun Occassion a pre-Mardi Gras party.

One thing we do know, the folks at Sanctuary Vineyards know how to throw a party and this has all the hallmarks of a great time.

The event certainly has a Cajun cast to it.

There’s the food, provided by Coastal Provisions…jambalaya and cornbread. That’s about as New Orleans as it gets.

And then there’s the music, provided by “Just Playing Dixieland.” It’s a local group and—no surprise—they play Dixieland music. And they do it very well. In their other musician lives the band members are very talented musicians and it shows when they get up on stage.

And, for good measure—and because it is Sanctuary Vineyards—there were be barrel tastings of wines that have not yet been bottled.

Barrel tastings can run the gamut from “Oh, my…that’s not ready,” to “Wow! Is that good.” It’s a great way to get a sneak peak at what is soon to be in the bottle and to learn a bit about the wines.

It’s an afternoon event—2-5 p.m. so there will be plenty of time left after the Cajun Occasion to check out what else is happening on the Outer Banks.

Summer is coming. Now is the time to book your Joe Lamb, Jr. & Associates home. Get the home and location you want by confirming your vacation plans before the spring rush.

The Big Curri-Shuck…the Perfect Way to End Thanksgiving Weekend

The Big Curri-Shuck is the perfect post Thanksgiving celebration. Thanksgiving is all about food, family and just enjoying the day without worrying about eating too much or really anything.

The Big Curric-Shuck is pretty much the same thing with some live music thrown in.

Held the Saturday after Thanksgiving at Sanctuary Vineyards in Jarvisburg on the mainland, the premise is simple—steam a few hundred bushels of oysters and maybe some crabs as well, and let people eat as much as they want. Add in some local North Carolina barbecue, wines from Sanctuary Vineyards, beer from local micro breweries and great music…well, what’s not to like.

Sanctuary Vineyards is owned by the Wright family, the same folks that own the Cotton Gin—which is next door—and like all events held there, it is kid friendly. Hayrides for the kids all day and the music is great for dancing but the words never have to be explained.

It looks as temperatures will be mild…November mild, low 60s…with some showers. Don’t let the rain keep you away. There is plenty of covered area to feast on oysters and barbecue, so staying mostly dry should not be a problem.

Although there are a number of events sponsored by Sanctuary Vineyards throughout the year, this is the big one—and it is a great time. It does sell out every year and we’re getting close to the day of the event, so contact Sanctuary Vineyards as soon as possible about tickets.

The Big Curri-Shuck is an afternoon event with the door opening at noon and things closing down at 5:00—making it a perfect way to wrap up Thanksgiving Weekend.

The holidays are truly special on the Outer Banks. Check out the great homes that are available through Joe Lamb, Jr. & Associates for the Outer Banks holiday experience.

CrabDaddy-Food, Fun, Beer and Wine

CrabDaddy-an all you can eat festival of crabs, beer and wine.
CrabDaddy-an all you can eat festival of crabs, beer and wine.

A Perfect Day in Jarvisburg

CrabDaddy we have to admit, is one of our favorite Outer Banks events of the year.

What’s not to like?

It’s an all you can eat event serving freshly steamed crabs from I Got Your Crabs as well as some fantastic local eastern North Carolina barbecue. This year the live music was provided by the Jesse Chong Band and Trae Pierce & The T-Stones.

And the wine from Sanctuary Vineyards is excellent and there were three local breweries on hand—Weeping Radish, Lost Colony Brewery and Northern Outer Banks Brewing Company—pouring some very nice beers.

Sponsored by Sanctuary Vineyards and I Got Your Crabs the event takes place on the north end of The Cotton Gin on the mainland in Jarvisburg. The setting is close to ideal; tall pine trees proved shade from the sun, and this year the sun was shining bright. The temperatures stayed moderate though and beneath the trees shade kept things comfortable all day long.

The concept behind the event is a celebration of the grape harvest. In keeping with that there his the  Great Currituck Grape Stomp, an event that proves stomping on grapes with bare feet is not the best way to extract the juice.

What happens in the competition is two wooden tubs are filed with grapes—it looked like muscadine grapes. A team of two contestant climb into each tub and proceed to stomp on the grapes hoping to be the first to fill a vessel that is catching the juice.

A sticky, sloppy mess—grape juice is very sugary—kids and adults find common purpose in the event.

The wine grape harvest this year at Sanctuary , looks like it will be ok, although it’s still too early to be sure. The summer weather was fickle with way too much rain in July followed by an August drought. They did get most of the grape picked before Hurricane Florence brought rains to the ares, so there is hope.

We’ll know next year at the 2019 CrabDaddy when the first of this year’s vintage is poured.

CrabDaddy is just one of a number of great Outer Banks events. For the best accommodation to enjoy all the Outer Banks has to check out Joe Lamb, Jr. & Associates.

Big Curri-Shuck-a Great Thanksgiving Celebration

Perfect weather for the Big Curri-Shuck.
Perfect weather for the Big Curri-Shuck.

Big Curri-Shuck-an all you can eat celebration

Great food, great weather, fantastic entertainment and some very nice wines and beer to with everything. Put it all together and it equals a big success for the Big Curri-Shuck, Sanctuary Vineyards celebration of all things oyster.

Although that may not be entirely accurate since in addition to all you can eat steamed oysters, there was also all you can eat crab and barbecue.

Still, there’s a reason why the event is called the Big Curri-Shuck, as in shucking oysters.

The event is a cooperative effort between Sanctuary Vineyards and I Got Your Crabs. It does seem like the perfect way to wrap up a Thanksgiving holiday—sort of a big thank you for the bounty of the harvest from the sea.

It’s become a real holiday tradition for quite a number of people—something they watch for a grab tickets as soon as they can. That might be good advice for next year; Hunter Stuart from I Got Your Crabs manages to get enough oysters every year for about 1000-1100 ticket holders, but John Wright, manager of Sanctuary Vineyards won’t oversell. He has said in the past that he’s determined that all you can eat, means all you can eat.

And the oysters were good this year…really good.

It’s not just the oysters that make the event special. Certainly the North Carolina barbecue helps. As does the crab legs. There is something about the setting that seems to take this event to the next level.

Maybe it’s being vineyards and farmland right next to the event; maybe it’s the picnic tables and the wine and beer and the way everyone seems to be in such a good mood. Who know what it is, but there is something about the Big Curri-Shuck that makes it an event that creates great memories.

Fantastic music this year as well.

The Daniel Jordan Band from Elizabeth City were great with their mix of rock, blues and country. Buckshot out of Virginia Beach—amazing. Think country with attitude. Also some of the younger kids from Ruth Wyand’s Mustang Music Program got to take the stage.