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19 Blue Ridge Parkway: High Country

20 48 Hours in Asheville

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TRIP 15

Pirates of the Outer Banks

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WHY GO From the famous black-and-white spiral Cape Hatteras Lighthouse to Ocracoke’s isolated beaches, it’s easy to see why Blackbeard - and millions of tourists - have chosen to make the Outer Banks their summer stomping grounds. For more pirate lore, head south to oft-missed Beaufort, home to a Blackbeard shipwreck.

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TIME

4 - 5 days

DISTANCE

223 miles

BEST TIME TO GO

May - Oct

START

Corolla, NC

END

Atlantic Beach, NC

ALSO GOOD FOR

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Just what the doctor ordered as an antidote to the productivity-mad American society: a day at the beach, followed by dinner at a restaurant (often featuring a cartoon mascot in a pirate outfit or a name like “Salty Sam’s Seafood Sircus”) and topped off by, well, another day at the beach. Throw in a few lighthouses, a shipwreck, fresh seafood and kayaking, and you’ve got yourself a good ol’ fashioned beach vacation.

Our journey starts on Hwy 12 at the northernmost of the Outer Banks’ six lighthouses, the Currituck Beach Lighthouse. The impressive all-brick sentinel has been guiding sailors since 1875. Lighthouse keepers rotated the Fresnel lens (a geometrically shaped lens lit by an enormous mineral oil lamp with 4in-thick wicks) by means of a system of weights that they had to hand-crank every 2½ hours. The grounds are free, but to appreciate the view and the loneliness of light-keeping, buy a ticket and high-tail it up the 214 steps.

For a one-of-a-kind lunch, pop across the Hwy 152 bridge to the mainland (still technically the Outer Banks) and the farm, German-inspired brewery and restaurant Weeping Radish. Plan on arriving hungry at 10:30am on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the twice-weekly three-hour farm tour and lunch. With a stomach filled with pretzel hot dogs, homemade beer and sauerkraut, sail on back to the islands to the must-see Wright Brothers Memorial. The complex covers several museum spaces, a hilltop memorial and historic outbuildings and markers from the Wright Brothers’ time. It spices up a beach vacation with a history lesson and, during summer, daily kid-friendly events that teach little ones about the art and science of flight.

If you’re not renting a vacation home, the family-owned Colony IV by the Sea motel is just down the street, loaded with fab amenities like free wi-fi and breakfast, gym privileges at the Y and beach access, and only-in-the-Outer-Banks perks like a fish-cleaning station.

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THE CAPE HATTERAS LIGHTHOUSE

What happens when erosion and tidal movement means your 4800-ton, 1.25 million-brick lighthouse has crept to within almost 100ft of the shorelines? You pick it up and move it, of course. In 1999, after 60 years of erosion stabilization attempts, the National Park Service authorized this controversial project. Over 23 very slow days, the lighthouse was moved - safely - 2900ft from the shore, completely unscathed.

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Those looking to get a jump-start on counting all the grains of sand on the planet will find their bliss at Jockey’s Ridge, the largest sand dune on the East Coast. In the evenings, folks often gather here to watch the sunset over the Pamlico Sound. Impress your friends with tales (and video) of your hang-gliding prowess by booking a beginner’s lesson with Kitty Hawk Kites, the largest hang-gliding school in the US. Even softies would enjoy a lesson here, as safety is paramount and you’re never terribly far off the ground (don’t worry; we won’t tell your awestruck friends).

A handful of restaurants serve up good eats without the anthropomorphic mascots, including Basnight’s Lone Cedar Café, right on the Nags Head-Manteo Causeway. Come early to wander the fresh herb garden and pier, and then feast with a sunset backdrop on delectable seafood and vegetables. You can actually taste the commitment to sustainable farming and fishing. Bring your own freshly caught fish, and the chefs will prepare it any way