Duck, Nags Head, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills and Hatteras were all funny names of towns I had heard of for years. I had always heard of the Outer Banks and the beauty of the North Carolina coast but I had never been for myself. I am an east coast guy and will argue the east coast beaches are better than those on the west coast. 3 days in the Outer Banks of North Carolina only strengthened that claim!
I took the early flight in from New York to Norfolk, Virginia. It’s about an hours drive to the Outer Banks area. I made a pit stop at Currituck BBQ Company for some fantastic Carolina BBQ. Then it was straight to the Carolina Club, still in Currituck, for my first round of golf on the day.
The Carolina Club is a nice track. It’s not very long or hard but very well kept and a very pleasant course to play. If you’re a single digit handicap you will score very well here. The most challenging part is reading the undulating greens. But any day out playing golf is a good day in my opinion!
I then headed about 10 miles south to play the Kilmarlic Golf Club. Kilmarlic is inland as well and is a tougher and more scenic course than the Carolina Club. The fairways are tighter and the rough much less forgiving. You will lose balls at Kilmarlic! I played pretty well although by the back 9 I was tired from a full day of travel and the heat.
I actually stayed at the Kilmarlic Club Cottage. They call it a cottage but it’s a big 4-bedroom house that is twice the size of the house I grew up in! I loved having the space and a pool table never hurts! Yes I’m pretty darn good at pool and all bar games like ping pong and darts!
The cottage is literally located between the 18th green and the 1st tee of Kilmarlic Golf Club. It was a beautiful place to stay but is a bit far from island towns like Duck, Nags Head etc. You’re looking at a 25-30 minute (or more depending on traffic) drive to get anywhere in any of the beach towns. That said, it was nice to be in a big place that was quiet and private as well.
Saturday was the only day I didn’t play golf in the Outer Banks. My first order of business was checking out the Town of Duck. Yes the name of the town is Duck. It is a pretty little beach town and a very well kept place I may add. I bee-lined it straight to Duck Donuts for their famous warm donuts. They were phenomenal. I mean like really freaking good!
Duck Donuts has become a chain in the area but at the Duck outpost you can then walk on the boardwalk. It’s not a boardwalk like you might be used to in New Jersey, Delaware or Maryland. It’s a nice boardwalk without trashy tourist shops where you can stroll along the bay and get some great views. It kind of reminded me of the High Line in New York a bit in that you don’t think it’s going to be cool but it really is cool!
As if I didn’t have enough food at Duck Donuts it was time to have some lunch with a view at the Sanderling Resort’s Lifesaving Station. This was a great suggestion because it was basically fancy, good, normal food if that makes sense. I ordered light and was quite pleased with my burrata and Caesar salad. I mean, how can you go wrong?
I was originally going to go parasailing and jet skiing but after all the food I decided that was a bad idea! So I decided to take a little road trip to Cape Hatteras. Excellent decision!
From Duck, you drive through Kitty Hawk then Kill Devil Hills where they have a very special national memorial. This is where the Wright Brothers basically invented flying in 1903. They have a massive memorial and museum area on the site. It is not to be missed. Honestly, if you’ve ever flown, you kind of owe the Wright Brothers!
As you continue down the connecting islands you should make stops at the following places: Bodie Island Lighthouse; which for me was the best lighthouse I saw in the Outer Banks. Pea Island for the beaches and wildlife refuge. And finally the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse because it looks really cool and marks a pretty cool part of America that you’ve seen if a hurricane is about to hit the east coast!
There are lots of other places to see and stop along the way including countless restaurants, scenic places, beaches and more. The drive is about 70 miles or so one way and can take a long time on weekends because of summer vacation traffic and changeover days. So be patient.
Sunday I was back on the golf course at Nags Head Golf Links. This was the best course I played in the Outer Banks without a doubt. It has several holes right on the sound that are gorgeous. I actually shot a 73 on the par 71 track so I was pretty pumped! The key to Nags Head is keeping it in the fairway. I know you can say that about every course on Earth but especially here!
Sunday night it was back into Duck to catch the sunset over the Outer Banks sound. I grabbed dinner and obviously some more Duck Donuts for dessert. I had a great 3 days in the Outer Banks of North Carolina and I hope to return again soon and get a house in one of the beach towns!
I grew up going to Duck every summer from Virginia. It’s changed a lot since I was a kid but nothing compared to other beach towns. I still love it there as do my kids now. Nice article, thanks for making me want Duck Donuts now!
I go to OBX every year, my wife’s family has a house in Duck. Great ice cream down there!
I’ve always wanted to check out OBX, but there’s no easy way to get there from Boston.
Amazing post! thanks for sharing.
This is best way and path to make your journey more delight. Great experience, All pictures looks awesome of North Carolina.