The boys and I are almost always planning a whirl wind of travel, but things have been significantly slower lately due to the surrogacy. I am 33 weeks now, and I wanted to take the boys somewhere special for Spring Break, but wanted it to not be a hassle for myself. Countless friends have told me stories of their love for the Outer Banks of North Carolina. How laid back and "away from it all" it feels even though it is easy to get to. Miles of beaches and plenty of outdoor recreation activities to keep the boys busy sounded perfect to me, so we booked a vacation home and will be heading to the OBX area next week!

Where We Are Staying


I was advised by many that a vacation home rental is the way to go when visiting the OBX area. Not only can you save a lot by cooking some of your own meals, but these homes are located in convenient soundside and oceanside locations that are close to area attractions and give families room to spread out. Not to mention, you are never far from the many water related recreational activities that the area is famous for.

We booked a 3-bedroom vacation home located in Nags Head, NC. with Village Realty right on a lake and just a mile or less walk from the beach. My oldest absolutely loves fishing, so I know he will spend every free moment fishing from the lake right in the backyard, it even has a fish cleaning station in case he gets lucky. It is also located in a community that gives access to a pool, tennis courts and a beach club. During high season, there is a shuttle provided that takes guests to the beach as well.

Our Outer Banks Recreation Plans

There is so much to do in the OBX area that it was hard to narrow down a list of things to do for the week that will be there. However, since we are going right before the busy season some things were not yet available, which actually helped to make the selection process easier. This is perfect for us though, as I have to take it a bit easier and there is still plenty to see and do this time of year!

Some of the most important attractions and activities for us include visiting the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island, fishing out on Jennette's Pier and climbing the sand dunes at Jockey's Ridge State Park, where you can climb the highest dune on the East Coast!

Last year, we read a book about the lives of the Wright Brothers, so a visit to the Wright Brothers National Memorial is a must. We have only seen a few lighthouses up close before, so the boys are pretty keen to check some of them out too, particularly the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. Outdoor adventure is always high on our list when traveling, so we hope to take part in some kayaking, possibly some dune surfing and Joshua is hoping he will get to try his hand at hang gliding or kite surfing as well.

There always seems to be an event of some sort in the OBX area, and we are lucky enough to be there during their St. Patrick's Day Parade, apparently one of the largest in the whole state, so we are definitely looking forward to celebrating the luck of the Irish in Nags Head on the 12th!

Dining Out

Since I am a mom of four growing boys and also budget minded, we will have a few meals cooked in at our vacation home. However, a vacation would not truly be a vacation without a few incredible meals out tasting local specialties, which of course will include plenty of seafood since we can get it fresh on the North Carolina coast.

One of the restaurants we hope to visit is Sam and Omie's. In business since 1937, this is a popular stop for fisherman and locals in general. The crab and eggs benedict for breakfast sounds too good to not try. Tortuga's Lie sounds like another great choice for us since they carry a wide range of cuisine from Japanese to Creole, but the conch fritters are what are really calling me to this restaurant.

We are so looking forward to our Spring Break trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I wish we could go a bit later in the season to take full advantage of the incredible range of outdoor adventure and water sports they have available, but this surrogate baby has other plans. Nonetheless, we plan to have a blast, and I can't wait to share all of our experiences with you when we return. Have any recommendations for things we should do or places we should eat? Feel free to leave them in the comment below!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Visit NC. The opinions and text are all mine.