By early March, the kids were tired of the winter and ready to go to the beach. “Is it summer, already?”, asked Tanay. “Can I take my cars to the beach? “. So, I knew a beach vacation was on the cards sometime in the summer. But by the time we could make concrete plans, most of summer had sped by. On a whim, Seejo suggested going to Outer Banks for the upcoming weekend. We loved Outer Banks the last time we were there but we also knew that it a tad too far for a weekend trip. However, when we broached the idea to our friends Ketan and Sheetal, they were game as well for an impromptu beach weekend and Outer Banks.
A quick glance at a few travel website revealed something that we had guessed- the entire east coast population was in Outer Banks that weekend. There were no airbnbs and virtually no hotel rooms available. We managed to get a Ramada Inn near Nags Head/Kill Devil – although it was a bit out of our budget. It turned out to be an excellent choice because the hotel had direct beach access and we could get to the beach without having to step out the hotel. We started driving down on Friday afternoon in a rather futile attempt to beat the traffic. All four kids were piled into our car, while my mom , Sheetal and Ketan enjoyed a peaceful “conversational” six and half our ride all the way to Nags Head. By the time we reached the hotel, it was around 11 pm and we were all ready to crash.
The next morning, we unloaded our beach gear (we had a trunk full of stuff ) and hauled it to the beach. Not knowing what we could do and not really having the time to plan, we had packed our minivan to the brim with things that we may or may not need. So, out came the canopy tent, a few chairs, a couple of beach mats, sand toys, a boogie board & a cooler full of snacks!! We were READY to spend the whole day with the sand and the waves. Fortunately, the rest of the OBX visitors must have found other beaches because this one was not very crowded. And it was a great day to be at the beach too – the weather was perfect and the waves were just right! I always thought that there is something perfect about the waves at Outer Banks. The waves have enough heft that you can feel the power of the ocean and the water is cold enough that you feel a bite when you enter but soon warms up as you wade a little inside. It was perfect for boogie boarding and the older kids had a blast trying to surf the waves. Tanay flirted briefly with the water but was more comfortable playing with this toys. Seejo alternated between napping and playing with the kids. Before we knew it, the day was done. We tired and hungry and happy.
Finding dinner was an Herculean effort though. After driving up and down a few times South Virginia Dare Trail beach road and encountering an hour wait times, we decided to wait
for a table at the Goombays Grille & Raw Bar. Trip Advisor reviewers rated it high and it was specifically mentioned as child friendly. Normally when restaurants are noted as child friendly, it usually means that they have a few meals geared towards the kids and an activity sheet with a few crayons. Goombays was that rare restaurant that was actually child friendly. With really colorful walls painted with sea creatures and jungle theme, it was fun and cool and welcoming . They had a true mocktail drink menu for the kids that came with a small toy that they could keep. The food had variety and was actually delicious. The adult drinks and food was lovely too. Very highly recommended.
We got up early on Sunday and couldn’t leave without another early morning visit to the beach. We were at the beach from 7:30 to 10:30 am. After a quick shower and check out, we decided to have breakfast at Stack ‘em, High Pancakes. It was another long wait – primarily because they had this weird style where you queue up to order like a fast food restaurant but once your order, you are served like a sit down and eat. There was plenty of place to eat but there was a good 30 minute wait time. It had all of the typical breakfast foods like omelet’s and waffles and pancakes and oatmeal but it was all delicious and freshly made.
We had a long drive back but we couldn’t leave without a stop at the Wright Memorial park, where Orville and Wilbur Wright flew the first aircraft. They have a huge monument built to commemorate the flight including a life size replica of the plane. Seejo tried to explain pitch and yaw and roll to two bewildered eight year olds who were aghast that at the thought that staying up for 11 seconds was considered an achievement. We are still playing with paper plans even a month after right the visit with the kids feeling proud that their paper plans can fly in the air just as long as the Wright brothers!
