On July 1, we headed south to the island and village of Ocracoke. I was up very early on the first day of July, running 4 miles at 6:00 am. My run was partly in the rain, which was refreshing. After my early morning run, I packed up the Jeep and started getting ready for our day trip to Ocracoke.

My mom joined Merri Beth, Zander, Kalani, and I for our rainy adventure south. Highway 12 is one of the most scenic drives in North Carolina. We passed Bodie Island lighthouse, then went over the Bonner Bridge and onto Hatteras Island. We drove through Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, going over the “patchwork” bridge at New Inlet.

We made our way through the towns of Rodanthe, Waves, and Salvo. Then through Avon. As you come out of Avon going towards Buxton, you can see the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. We made a short pitstop to see the lighthouse, then made it to Hatteras Village just in time for the 9:30 am ferry to Ocracoke.

The ferry ride takes about 45 minutes and has some great views of the Sound. Once we were docked, we drove 13 more miles on Highway 12 into the village of Ocracoke. Our first stop was Teaches Hole, a pirate specialty shop with a self-guided Blackbeard exhibit.

We meandered through the gift shop for a short while, then checked out some of the history at the Blackbeard exhibit. (It’s $4 for adults.) After we explored the life of a pirate and the connections to Ocracoke, we indulged in some pirate booty. Zander got a press penny and a snow globe treasure chest, we bought my mom a sign that said “poop deck,” and I scored a small Blackbeard pirate flag.

It was still raining out, but it looked like there was a break on the radar coming soon. We had an early lunch at Howard’s Pub. MB enjoyed a fresh tuna sandwich while I got the crabcake sandwich. The hushpuppies were delicious too!

The rain was finally giving way and we went to a few spots around the village. Our first stop after lunch was the Ocracoke Lighthouse. I noticed that they extended the boardwalk and you could now walk to the base of the lighthouse. Previously, it was fenced off. After a few pictures, we were off to the British Cemetery. We enjoyed some more history and viewed many of the head stones. One woman lived for 117 years.

We cruised around other parts of the island, then decided to hit the beach. Although the beach was short-lived with the next round of rain coming, Zander and I caught some waves while MB, Coco, and mom took shelter under a beach umbrella. The rain was light at first, but then started to pick-up, that’s when we headed back to the Jeep.

The drive back was nice and slow. The ferry ride back to Hatteras was great because there was another break from the rain. We were able to get out and enjoy the view of the islands and the water. We also scored the NC State themed ferry, which was pretty cool. Go Pack!

Back at the beach house, more rain. We unloaded the Jeep, then wanted to unwind for a bit. before we cooked dinner.  MB and I enjoyed a glass of wine, then the family played UNO. Once we got the kids to bed, Mom, MB, and I played several rounds of Yahtzee.

And that was our adventure to Ocracoke. A bit more rain than we would have liked, but a great day trip from Kill Devil Hills and an awesome time on the Outer Banks.