Summer Day in Manteo, Nags Head, and Kitty Hawk

June has always been one of my favorite months of the year. It usually involves the most traveling, boat rides, beach trips, marks the start of summer, and I go into a summertime state of mind. I feel the most alive this time of year, while the anxious thoughts of work and life fade away. So, you could probably imagine I was beyond excited to partner with The Outer Banks this month and become an #OBXpert!

One of our first days in the Outer Banks was spent exploring the towns of Nags Head, Manteo, and Kitty Hawk. I had only visited the Outer Banks a couple times when I was a child so I was thrilled to have the chance to go back. When I was a kid, my dad, my sister, and I went camping to the OBX and I made a video of the entire trip on our camcorder (I also wrote a theme song, but sadly, I can't find that video anywhere!). I find it so ironic that 15 years later I'm back in the OBX doing the same thing, but for my blog. 

First of all, The Outer Banks of North Carolina is a very special place. There is so much history behind these unique barrier islands and I'm so proud to have such a special spot so close to home. From the Wright Brothers manning the First Flight, "The Lost Colony", notorious pirates, Virginia Dare being the first English born settler in America, to even one of the first battles of the Civil War being fought, this area is definitely rich in history. 

We started the first day off by grabbing breakfast at Nags Head Fishing Pier before heading to the Wright Brothers Memorial. After learning more about the First Flight, we drove down the road to explore the adorable town of Manteo. 

TJ and I walked around the dock for a little while before checking out the cute shops Manteo had, in what looked like (and was!) an adorable beach town village. We had a couple hours to kill before meeting our friends for lunch at Avenue Waterfront Grille, which we later discovered had the prettiest view overlooking the sound. 

We decided to stop and get ice-cream at a local ice-cream shop, not thinking about how it would probably melt in .5 seconds. Needless to say, I showed up to lunch with purple ice-cream stains all over my dress! It was worth it though.

After lunch, we stopped by Outer Banks Distilling for a rum tasting and got a tour of the entire place.   

After the rum tasting, we had a few hours to relax back at the beach house we were staying in, thanks to Carolina Designs. If you're ever looking for a beach home to rent while visiting the OBX, I'd highly recommend Carolina Designs. I posted a photo on Instagram of the gorgeous oceanfront home we were lucky enough to stay in. The night ended with The Lost Colony play and dinner at Lone Cedar Cafe!

Now, I #DareYouToOBX and encourage you to enter their sweepstakes where you can win a trip to The Outer Banks yourself! See details here! 

I can't wait to share the rest of the trip! We drove in the back of a truck down the National Seashore, frolicked around Jockey's Ridge, paddle-boarded in Duck, and so much more. Stay tuned!

Thanks for reading! 

xo, Shelby

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Thank you to The Outer Banks for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.