The wife and I are heading down to the Outer Banks next week. I’ve been down there many times before and pretty much know that there’s no train related stuff on the islands (not a smart move to put a railroad on an island that gets hammered by hurricanes). Are there any places on the mainland that are good to go to? Maybe over near Elizabeth City? I’m looking for excursion trains, (good) LHS, layouts (personal or club that are open to the public), etc.
We’re staying up in Kitty Hawk (couple of blocks from the Wright Bro’s memorial). We have an 8+ hour trip to get down there, so we’re not looking for any 5 hour day trips.
hi, assuming you know about all the stuff around norfolk, the only decent site i know of is the new hope valley in bonsal. they have steam excursions on a few weekends each month, their website is www.nhvry.org. have a safe trip…
I don’t know about any train related stuff, but my family is going to the OBX in two weeks. This will be the first time any of us have been there. Are there any things that are a must see. We are staying in a beach house up in Corolla. There will be 16 of us from 3 generations.
We are going to Beaufort, NC the weekend before the July 4th holiday to tour the Pepsi Tall Ships on that Sunday. Having just moved to Wake Forest, NC we are only about 4 hours drive, but are still learning the area. We went to Wilmington a few months agoas it is only about 2 hours drive to that part of the coast, and look forward to an Outer Banks trip some day.
reynolds, actually in the 26 years I’ve been driving past Norfolk, I’ve never once stopped there. By that point of the trip (6 hours into it), we’re just ready to be at the beach.
Hoosier… I’ve never stayed up in Corolla. I’m usually down in Kitty Hawk or Kill Devil Hills and go more south instead of North. Some of the things to do/see are (these are in the order I thought of them, not necessarily the best first):
Roanoke Island/Manteo - Neat town. They have some art festivals during the summer. This could be listed as 6-10 since a lot of things are there, such as, Festival Park, Fort Raleigh, Elizabeth gardens, the Maritime Museum, etc.
The Sand Dunes - this is exactly what they are. They’re in Kill Devil Hills. It’s a large pile of sand that is ever changing due to the winds. If you go and see a castle in the sand… it’s because there used to be a mini golf course next to it. The last time I was there, it was under the dunes. Who knows what it’s like now.
Wild Horses - These are up near Corolla. There’s tours available. http://www.outerbankstours.com is one place that has tours.
Other activities you could do are Parasailing, Jetski’s, kayaking, dolphin tours, kite flying, fishing (surf and pier), crabbing, shopping, go karts, mini golf, and a ton more.
I would suggest that the very first thing you pick up is a Sunny Days coupon book. It’s packed with coupons for just about everything. Many places have these, but you might wa
Hoosier, if you go see the Lost Colony play… make sure it’s not supposed to rain. It is an outdoor play. I went one time, saw the first half, then it POURED down rain, and they had to cancel the rest of it. We got drenched. It’s not a short walk back to the car either!! Just wanted to warn you of that. (we had bought our tix in advance so we HAD to go that day).
Hoosier… I’ve never stayed up in Corolla. I’m usually down in Kitty Hawk or Kill Devil Hills and go more south instead of North. Some of the things to do/see are (these are in the order I thought of them, not necessarily the best first):
Roanoke Island/Manteo - Neat town. They have some art festivals during the summer. This could be listed as 6-10 since a lot of things are there, such as, Festival Park, Fort Raleigh, Elizabeth gardens, the Maritime Museum, etc.
The Sand Dunes - this is exactly what they are. They’re in Kill Devil Hills. It’s a large pile of sand that is ever changing due to the winds. If you go and see a castle in the sand… it’s because there used to be a mini golf course next to it. The last time I was there, it was under the dunes. Who knows what it’s like now.
Wild Horses - These are up near Corolla. There’s tours available. http://www.outerbankstours.com is one place that has tours.
Other activities you could do are Parasailing, Jetski’s, kayaking, dolphin tours, kite flying, fishing (surf and pier), crabbing, shopping, go karts, mini golf, and a ton more.
I would suggest that the very first thing you pick up is a Sunny Days coupon book. It’s packed with coupons for just about everything. Many places have these, but you might want to stop at the visitors center at mile post 2 (it’s right as you come to the main divide off of the Rt 158 bridg
Dean… definitely good info. I didn’t mention the Weeping Radish and Tale of the Whale because he didn’t mention about wanting restaurants.
If you’re looking for a good night spot, the Pit has concerts and DJ’s. Pretty cool place. The last time I was down, I had JUST missed seeing Cracker by 1 night. It’s not a really big place, but the food and atmosphere are pretty good … for the younger/party crowd.
Keep the suggestions coming guys, this is great info. I’m definately interested in good restaurants in the area. We will after all be on vacation, and anytime I don’t have to cook or do dishes if ok by me.
I’m pretty sure that my wife, sisters, sister-in- law and mother will want to visit the lighthouses and go shopping. Maybe my brother and brother-in-law will stay at the house and go fishing and drink beer. We will have 8 kids from 1 year old to 13 years old, so the nightclubs will probably be out, unless we take turns leaving the kids at the house, and some of the grown-ups making a break for it. My 5 year old has for at least a year claimed that he wants to be a Monster Truck driver when he grows up. So I think it’s a given that I’ll be taking at least my two oldest boys to the Gravedigger place.
Thanks again guys, and sorry to hijack your thread Kevin.
Yeah I’m about to turn you over to the Homeland Security Dept for hijacking me!!!
Just kidding, it’s my own fault for answering you!!! What week are you going down? I’m there 10th-17th (Sat-Sat). I don’t really know of any restaurants up your way (Corolla/Duck). One thing you should do though is visit some of the small stores up there. Ask the people working where they like to eat at. Always good food where the locals eat. They aren’t down for over-hyped/over-priced food.
Anyone else have any TRAIN related info for down near the Outer Banks?
In good hijacking form, i only mentioned the Weeping Radish because of the toy/train store… so i truly DIDN’T hijack it [:P][:o)]
and well, since i mentioned one restaurant, i had to mention our favorites. (ok, maybe i did hijack it… )
I just got directions from Nags Head to Wilson (where there’s supposedly a good hobby shop) and it says the drive is 4 hours (non-highway). that may be a bit far.
We usually spent a day doing the lighthouses. Getting to Ocracoke takes a while, but you get to see two other lighthouses along the way, so it’s not a solid drive. and well, if you get too restless, just pull off the road and go jump in the ocean for a while.
Plymouth NC is a possibility since it is one of the closest railfan locations to the outer banks. Plymouth NC is at the end of a CSX branch from the former ACL main at Rocky Mount NC. This railroad parallels US highway 64 for most of it’s length.