Whalehed Club boat basin. A great place to take kids fishing.
Fall is fishing time on the Outer Banks. The surf and pier fishing has really picked up, there’s lots and lots of tournaments scheduled for the season and offshore has been reporting a banner year.
Not everyone, though, is wants to fish the ocean, so we checked with some local fisherman about some great locations to fish on the sounds.
WHALEHEAD CLUB BOAT BASIN
A protected spot, and there are some surprises here. Flounder have been caught in the basin—surprising because the water there is mostly fresh. Also look for big mouth bass. A great location for kids.
Little Bridge, Manteo Causeway
One of the most popular places around. There’s usually something biting. Rumor has it a great trout hole lives on the south side.
Roanoke Island, South of Washington Baum Bridge Boat Ramp
At the end of the Ramp there’s a dock built by NC Marine Fisheries and locals swear by it. Rock fish seem to really like the waters there, and spot are very common.
If crossing the Washington Baum Bridge, turn left at the light at Pirates Cove.
South Side of Oregon Inlet
A great place to take kids and it’s almost ocean fishing. Just on the south side of the Bonner Bridge, there’s parking with an easy trail that leads to a shallow lagoon or small bay. The bay is very sheltered and is a great place for kids to learn how to fish.
Steep Canyon Rangers, headlining Thursday night at the Outer Banks Bluegrass Festival.
Fall is music festival time on the Outer Banks and there is some great entertainment lined up beginning this week with the Outer Banks Bluegrass Festival at Roanoke Island Festival Park in Manteo.
Here’s a quick snapshot of what to expect.
Outer Banks Bluegrass Festival
September 21-24
Rhonda Vincent and the Rage. Thursday and Friday.
Some of the biggest names in Bluegrass will be coming to the Outer Banks this week. Rhonda Vincent and the Rage will take the stage twice; look for them on Thursday afternoon and Friday evening.
Steep Canyon Rangers will also be performing on Thursday, taking the stage at 7:45. In a music style dominated by great musicians, Steep Canyon really stands out with tight arrangements and innovative sounds.
Also look for Gene Watson on Friday and the Soggy Bottom Boys on Saturday to closeout the Festival.
Hatterasity-A Bluegrass Block Party
October 8-11
Hatterasity is a Hatteras Village bluegrass happening, there’s some great local talent—but local talent in this case is Ocracoke’s Molasses Creek with a national reputation. There’s also a great jam session to kick things off on Tuesday evening—bring your instrument and sit in.
Mustang Music Festival
October 9-10
Lettuce-funk band. One of the headliners at the Mustang Music Festival.
Promoter Mike Dianna has created one of the best music festivals around. His move two years ago to the Whalehead Club brought the festival to the perfect setting for Mike’s vision of music at all times.
The two day festival features two stages, so that when one band is playing the other is getting ready to go. No breaks between performance…one stops the next one starts.
The music is always worth the price of admission—Mike consistently manages to bring groups to the Outer Banks that are right on the cusp of going to the next level and it shows.
This is a very family friendly event with proceeds going to two great causes—the Corolla Wild Horse Fund and the Mustang Music Program that works with kids to learn how to perform music.
Duck Jazz Festival
October 11
Frank Vignola and Vinny Raniolo, headline the 10th Annual Duck Jazz Festival.
The 2016 version of the festival is the 10th Annual and the lineup this year is amazing.
Headliners Frank Vignola and Vinny Raniolo may be the finest jazz guitarists around—certainly the people they have loved with over the years would seem to indicate that.
Their styles are smooth and expressive—a classic jazz sound.
The setting is perfect. There may not be any place better to sit outside, sip some wine and take in a free outdoor jazz concert than the Duck Town Green.
Watermelon seed spitting at Kitty Hawk Kites Watermelon Festival.
Wow! There is so much to do in August we can’t even list it all. Here’s a good start to all the great things there are to do but by all means, check locally for even more.
One of the great things about the Outer Banks is there seems to be something to do for just about everyone.
Some great music is coming to the area with John Michael Montgomery on August 4 at the Outdoor Pavilion at Roanoke Island Festival Park (RIFP). There is probably no better outdoor venue anywhere, so that gets a five out of five star recommendation.
For the outdoors people, check out the events at Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. Fun and educational, they are sure to be experiences that will be remembered.
And . . . there’s lots for kids to do with the 10th Annual OBX Watermelon Festival at Kitty Hawk Kites in Nags Head and a puppet show at RIFP.
Alligator River Refuge Van Tour
August 2, 16 7:00 am – 9:00 am
Creef Cut Trail Parking Lot, 5.5 miles west of Roanoke Island, Hwy 64 & Milltail Rd.
Join us for a personal tour through popular areas for viewing and photographing wildlife. Our two photographer leaders know the refuge. $30 per adult. $20 children 6-12. Limited to 5 participants. Reservation required. 252-216-9464 for reservations and details.
43rd Annual Senior Arts and Crafts Show
August 3, 49 a.m.- 4 p.m.
The Baum Center, 300 Mustian St., Kill Devil Hills
Sponsored by The Outer Banks Woman’s Club. Admission is $1.00- children 12 and under free. Proceeds from the show benefit scholarships and community projects.
10th Annual OBX Watermelon Festival
Jockey’s Ridge Crossing in Nags Head
August 4 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Enjoy games, food, face painting, tie-dye shirt making, arts and crafts activities, an inflatable waterslide, TONS of watermelon fun and more. Compete in classic competitions like seed spiting and watermelon eating. Benefits Outer Banks Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Coalition.
Movies On The Sound
Dusk, Weekly on Tuesdays
Town of Duck, Town Green
Although FREE, donations are appreciated to benefit Children @ Play, the films’ presenter. Blankets and chairs are encouraged.
Lace up your running shoes and see the sights. Add the fun of a run and fitness to your vacation joining us for a Summer morning 5k run/walk through the Historic Village of Corolla Light.
August 3rd
August 10th
August 17th
August 24th
August 31
Rainbow Puppets Children’s Show Really Big Dinosaur Show
August 3 – 5, 10:30 am – 11:30 am
Roanoke Island Festival Park- Indoor Theatre
It’s not called “The Really Big Dinosaur Show” for nothing… there’s a long-necked dinosaur that stretches out over 16 feet from nose to tail, there’s a nine foot tall T-Rex, and there’s a mountain that comes to life and begins singing a song. Tickets are $5/ ages 2 and younger-free.
John Michael Montgomery
August 4, 6:00 pm
Roanoke Island festival Park- Outdoor Pavilion
One of the best voices in country music comes to the Outer Banks.
Red Wolf Howling-Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge
Date: August 10, 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Creef Cut Trail parking lot, Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, Hwy 64 & Milltail Road
Refuge staff/Red Wolf Caretaker offer you the experience of a lifetime! Come and learn about the endangered red wolf during a short presentation. Then journey to the heart of the refuge for an adventurous attempt to hear our captive red wolves produce their haunting sounds. Call 252-216-9464 with questions.
OBX Pirate Festival
August 10 – 11
Kitty Hawk Kites, Nags Head
Ahoy Mateys! Get ready for a swashbuckling good time as pirates and their friends invade Jockey’s Ridge Crossing in Nags Head.Kids are invited to participate in a free Scalawag School to see if they have what it takes to be part of Blackbeard’s Crew!
Singer/songwriter and professional surfer, rforming from his catalog and latest album, The Heart.
2016 BIC SUP One Design Series
August 25
Kitty Hawk Kites, Duck
BIC SUP is a series of stand up paddleboard races featuring BIC’s One Design race style SUP. This event is a fun and friendly competition. Brief clinics will be held prior to each competition. Registration and clinics start at 9:00a.m., Races begin at 10:00a.m. for most events.
Ready to parade at the Town of Duck’s annual July 4th celebration.
The Outer Banks is about to explode. Blow up. Light the sky. Ok…not literally, it’s just that July 4th is coming and with all the celebrations of our nations birthday there will be plenty to do and plenty of fireworks.
For people who like to start their day gasping for air as their muscles cry out for relief, check out the Killer Dunes 2-miler. That two miles over the sand dunes of Jockey Ridge State Park is on two miles of consistently soft sand; that two miles will probably feel more like 20 by the end.
A quick shower and the town of Manteo is just 10 minutes away from Jockey’s Ridge. The Independence Day celebration is an all day affair for the town—food, games and entertainment all day long and fireworks at Roanoke Island Festival Park at night.
The Town of Duck knows how to put on a good time and their Annual Independence Day Parade has to be experienced to be described. A touch of insanity, a good dose of humor and a great time for everyone. The parade starts at 9:00 a.m. and although the route never makes it to NC12, traffic gets really backed up in the morning. It’s good to be hard of that.
Lots of fireworks too in the evening. Everywhere from the Whalehead Club in Corolla to Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head and Manteo. A tip from a long time resident—the beach is great place to watch the fireworks. Another tip—the Whalehead Club is always spectacular.
4th of July Events
2016 Killer Dunes 2-Miler & Fun Run
8:30am
Jockey’s Ridge State Park, Nags Head
A2 mile course on the tallest natural sand dune system in the Eastern United States! Quarter-mile Fun Run also available for all ages. Proceeds benefit Friends of Jockey’s Ridge.
12th Annual Town of Duck 4th of July Parade
9:00 a.m.
Town of Duck
After the parade, Duck Town Park features a Dixieland band, watermelon and the awarding of trophies.
Town of Manteo 4th of July Celebration
Celebrate the birth of our nation with a day filled with activities.
July 4th Celebration with Town of Manteo Fireworks/Live Concert
Roanoke Island Festival Park Outdoor Pavilion
Music and Fireworks-Lawn chairs, blankets and picnics and families and friends. The nation celebrates July 4th at Roanoke IslandFestivalPark. A patriotic concert will began at 8 p.m.roanokeisland.com
The Town of Kill Devil Hills 4th of July
Avon Pier
Town Of Nags Head Fireworks Spectacular
Nags Head Fishing Pier
Town of Manteo Fireworks
Downtown Manteo. Fireworks begin at 9:30 at RIFP.
Whalehead Club-24th Annual Independence Day Celebration
Corolla Festival of Fireworks Monday, July 4th, 2016 from 12pm – 9pm
The 24th Annual Independence Day Celebration in Corolla offers an afternoon of family activities. Food vendors, a cornhole tournament, watermelon eating contest, and children’s games. Admission and parking are free; event starts at 5:00 p.m. with a fireworks display at dusk.
End of the Currituck Reserve Boardwalk Trail leading to Currituck Sound.
The Outer Banks is a surprising place. Almost all of our visitors come for the sun, the sand and the chance to sit on a beach and do as little as possible. After two or three days of that, it can begin to drag a bit and then the exploration of the Outer Banks really begins.
There is a remarkable history here—check out The Lost Colony, the longest running outdoor drama in the United States. Joe Lamb Jr., & Associates is a proud sponsor of the play and it’s a great evening of entertainment. there is more recent history at the Whalehead Club or any of the lighthouses that dot the coast.
There is also a wilderness side to the Outer Banks; the western shoreline that borders the sounds is a place of dense forests and surprising beauty.
There are actually two trails—a .3 mile boardwalk and a .75 primitive trail. Those are one way distances so double them for the full length.
The boardwalk trail is suitable for anyone. Towering pines line the path creating a canopy of green. The trail ends with an overview of the northern end of Currituck Sound.
The primitive trail should be fine for anyone eight years and up, although it’s important that children know to stay on the trail. There are two stairs about 25 yards from the beginning of the boardwalk that is the beginning of the trail. Look for the blue blazons that mark the path.
A good pair of walking or running shoes, or even sturdy sandals, should be fine, although flip-flops would be pushing your luck a bit.
The trail winds through an extensive grove of live oak, twisted and shaped by the relentless winds of the Outer Banks. It ends at a marsh on the edge of the sound.
This is a great introduction to a side of the Outer Banks that is often overlooked.
Late spring to early fall, insect repellant is a must.
Yea for summer! It’s almost here. Memorial Day Weekend is upon us, the weather is getting warmer and there’s lots to do.
The Lost Colony kicks off its 79th season this weekend; the Outer Banks Brewfest ups the ante with the Inaugural Outer Banks Craft Beer Week. There’s still a Brewfest—that’s happening next weekend on June 5, but this week will be filled with beer tastings, beer and food pairing and all things beer related.
Summer, of course, is all about music, especially shag music and the weekend will not disappoint.
Sunday at the Whalehead Club in Corolla, the Memorial Day Beach Blast is a day before the actual holiday, but who’s counting. Outdoors on the expansive Whalehead Club lawn with vendors selling food, beer, soft drinks and just about everything that’s needed for a good time. Music from Blackwater Rhythm & Blues Band, DJ Harvey Taylor and Aquarium should keep the place hopping for the 12-5 time it’s scheduled..
It is free, but no coolers are allowed.
The Shallowbag Shag Beach Music Festival is Monday—yes, that is Memorial Day—at Roanoke Island Festival Park in Manteo. This one is an all day affair with music with the sound of shag and beach music beginning at 1:00 p.m. and going until 8:30 or 9:00 o’clock at night.
Cory Hemilright has been producing theShag Music Festival for a couple of years and it has really improved. He is also brining in some great sounds for the summer at RIFP. First show is this coming Thursday, June 2;Collin Raye, Dave Atkins and the Lonesome River Band. That should be some great sounds.
