This year, we started a new science curriculum with the girls, and personally, I have been loving it. Thanks to a little Facebook ad about NOEO science, we ordered a chemistry and physics for 1st-3rd grade and it has been a lot of fun. We recently finished up a unit about simple machines and I was so excited to see the next unit was about flying and the Wright Brothers. Why was I so excited about this, you ask? Because we just moved to the east coast, which means we are within driving distance of all these amazing historical sites, including Kitty Hawk, North Carolina - the site of the world’s first flight. It just so happened that we began this unit right before President’s Day Weekend so it was the perfect time for a field trip. Kitty Hawk, North Carolina is located in Outer Banks, which, without a doubt is an epic summer destination. Our trip obviously took place in the winter but we know it’s a summer destination because well…most everything was closed while we were there, haha. However, we still had a great time and didn't regret a winter visit at all. We stayed at the Hampton Inn in Corolla and it was such a great location because it’s just right there on the beach. From what we could tell, Corolla is a little less commercial than some of the other places in Outer Banks, and while it was a bit of a drive from some of the highlights of our trip, it was still very historic and scenic and we really liked it. Day 1We started the day off at the beach during low tide. It was amazing because we virtually had the beach to ourselves minus a fisherman or two, and even though it was a little chilly, the kids had a blast collecting all the seashells they could find. We found some pretty cool seashells and we even saw quite a few dolphins from the shore. Next, we made our way to the Currituck Lighthouse. Even though it was closed for the season, the area around it was pretty fun to roam. It’s located in Historic Corolla where you’ll also find the Whalehead - a historic mansion turned museum, the Maritime Museum, as well as the old school house and the Corolla Chapel. Most of the buildings were closed for the season but the chapel was holding church services and there was a fun bookshop that was open. It would’ve been fun if things were open but it was definitely fun to roam while it wasn’t crawling with tourists. This was about all we saw of Currituck but in the summer, it would be so fun to do a wild horses tour! Our next stop for the day was Duck Donuts! Don’t laugh, if you’ve been to a Duck Donuts before, we had never been but either way, it’s a must in Outer Banks because that’s were the whole operation began! We were definitely impressed with our visit. If you haven’t been, you’re in for a treat! Duck Donuts is a donut shop where you can build your own donuts! You start out with a regular cake donut, pick your glaze, then your topping, and/or a drizzle. If the options are too overwhelming, they do have a “favorites” menu you can choose from. Our favorite ended up being a lemon glaze with a raspberry drizzle. Mmm, so good! Before we got to ahead of ourselves, our next stop of the day was a visit to the Wright Brothers National Memorial, since that was really the purpose of our trip. While we weren’t the only ones there, by any means, I can see how this place could get quite crowded in the summer as it’s not very big. This place is honestly one of the most inspiring places I’ve ever been! The Wright Brothers picked Kitty Hawk as the location to try their inventions because it’s one of the windiest places in the United States and the sand dunes offered a bit of a softer landing than other windy places. The museum talks all about how the Wright Brothers got started and what inspired their inventions. They even have a life-size replica of the original flier as well as original pieces. While we were there, a ranger gave a great presentation on the development of that first flier and the Wright brothers processes. Outside, you’ll see the replica camp the brothers had set up while in Kitty Hawk as well as boulders that mark each of the first four flights that took place on that momentous day in 1903. There’s also a memorial up on a large hill that you can climb up too. The hill was actually a sand dune that the Wright Brothers actually climbed for some of their test flights. It’s covered in grass now because that’s how it was stabilized in order to build the monument at the top. On the other side of the hill, there’s a really fun statue that was built to memorialize the first flight with the people who were in attendance. It was fun for the kids to climb around but, looking at it, it’s also just so easy to imagine the feeling in the air in those historic moments. The Wright Brothers truly changed the world and walking those grounds, you can just feel that you are somewhere special. It’s an amazing testament to the ingenuity of mankind. Orville and Wilbur knew they had done something incredible but only 3 months before Wilbur died, an Air Force pilot broke the speed of sound. If he would’ve lived 20 more years, he would’ve witnessed man walk on the moon with a piece of his original 1903 flier. Doesn’t that just give you chills?? After our visit to the Wright Brothers Memorial, we made a quick visit to Jeanette’s Pier. It was a fun little stop because there were actually surfers in the water and the kids loved running around in the sand, though I could see it being a much more happening place in the summer. Day 2We started off this day with some more beach combing, but this time we went back to Nags Head Beach, again at low tide. It was pretty windy and quite chilly but being at the beach by ourselves and finding some really cool things made up for all that. Actually there was a family there with sand toys and beach chairs and we thought they were a little crazy, haha but maybe we were crazy too! We saw dolphins out in the water again, we saw big pieces of horseshoe crab shells, but our favorite find was finding tons of Mermaid Purses! This was something totally new to our family and we really got a kick out of it. Mermaid Purses are actually skate egg cases. A skate is an animal that is actually a ray, but instead of a whip-like stinger, or tail, it has more of a shark-like tail. They lay eggs every 3-5 days and after hatching, the casings are frequently washed on shore. Our next stop was the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island. Again, it was a great time to go because it wasn’t crowded at all. We love a good aquarium and this one did not disappoint. The exhibits were clean and beautiful and we love a good shark tank! But the biggest thing that makes this aquarium unique is that it houses the Sea Turtle Assistance and Rehabilitation (or STAR) center. We got to see a little bit behind the scenes of how they take care of the sea turtles they rescue and there was even a little bit of hands on role play where the kids got to help their own play turtles. They did x-rays and blood draws and depending on what kind of help the turtle needed, they would learn how to treat it. Then they would release them “back into the wild”. It was so fun, and because there weren’t many people there, we may have done it more than once :) This aquarium requires reservations ahead of time year round, which you can easily get online. After asking an employee at the gift shop where we could grab some food, we headed into downtown Manteo. It was a fun little historic district, and while I can’t really recommend where we grabbed lunch, the kids did like to admire the boats in the little harbor afterwards. After that, we went the short distance to Bodie Island Lighthouse. The actual lighthouse was, again, closed for the season, but the visitors center was open, so our visit wasn’t a bust. On the way back to Corolla, we quickly visited the Nags Head Woods Preserve, which was almost like a different world in contrast to the beaches we had been driving past. There are some pretty cool historic cemeteries tucked in there as well that would be fun to find on a different trip, but our kids were ready for a little “R&R” back at the hotel with the indoor pool ;) We had such a good trip visiting Outer Banks in the winter. Even though a lot was closed, we loved that nothing was crowded and everything that was open was easy to visit. It was a great scouting trip as well and we are ready and armed with good information for when we do go back in the summer, though we’ll probably explore different parts of the islands. Have questions about our trip? We’re always happy to answer! Or is there anything you’d add to an Outer Banks winter itinerary? Make sure to pin so you can come back to this post! Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram or TikTok for some of our day-to-day adventures and until next time, get out and explore where you live!
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AuthorWe're just a military family enjoying where we live, one PCS at a time. Follow us as we explore our current home, South Carolina, and beyond. The world is our backyard. Archives
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