Ryan, Chase and I arrived in Kill Devil Hills around 7 p.m. on Thursday and were pleasantly surprised by the ease of the drive to the Outer Banks.
We planned our trip right before the busy season which likely helped our drive go smoothly and we felt grateful that we didn’t hit any traffic. We left right at Chase’s naptime and hoped he’d snooze in the car but he slept for a brief 45 minutes during the drive. Fortunately he seemed to be in a great mood when we arrived at the large house we rented to stay in together for the weekend and was quite excited to see everyone when we walked through the door.
The house we rented worked perfectly for our large group of 20+ and I loved the way staying in a house together allowed us to hang out in our pajamas at night, cook meals together and enjoy more time with my mom’s side of the family than we might have had if we all booked separate hotel rooms. (Our group included my immediate family, my aunt and uncle, all of my mom’s cousins, their spouses, their children and girlfriends and boyfriends.)
Our rental house was located right on the beach in Kill Devil Hills and had plenty of space of our large group. It was extremely affordable thanks to off-season booking (around $150 total per family for three nights!) and also walkable to Duck Donuts which is how we decided to kick off our vacation fun on Friday!
Outer Banks Family Vacation (Day One)
Once everyone was awake on Friday morning, a large group of us walked about a quarter of a mile to the famous doughnut shop (far and away the most recommended place for us to try when I asked you guys for OBX recs!) and ordered several dozen deliciously unique doughnuts to bring back to the house for breakfast.
Duck Donuts lived up to the hype and while I loved trying an assortment of flavors, the simple cinnamon sugar doughnut was my favorite.
With our bellies full of doughnuts, we were ready for some more adventure and split into two groups for our next activities. One group headed out to the beach and another drove to Jockey’s Ridge State Park in Nags Head to see the sand dunes. I really wanted to check out the dunes and was incredibly impressed with the beautiful state park. It felt like we were in the middle of a dessert, surrounded by rolling hills of sand.
The dunes were very tall and much larger than I imagined and our group had fun racing up the dunes and snapping photos together.
By the time we were ready to make our way back to the house, the sand was quite hot on our feet and I was thankful we went out to the park earlier in the day because I can only imagine how toasty the sand becomes as the sun continues to beat on the dunes.
Once we made it home and reunited with the beach crew, everyone was ready for food. A bunch of people made sandwiches at the house while a few of us decided to pick up to-go orders of fish tacos from Mama Kwan’s. I love fish tacos so much and Mama Kwan’s did ‘em right!
After lunch, we changed into our bathing suits and walked out the long boardwalk from the house to the beach. The water was much too cold for swimming (it was in the 50s) and while a few members of our group were brave enough to get in (Ryan included – he surfed in the morning!), I opted out in favor of soaking up some sun on the shore. We totally lucked out with gorgeous weather all weekend and it felt wonderful to feel the sand in between my toes and the sun on my back!
Chase was a little weary of the waves on the beach but once we distracted him with toys and salt water in a bucket he was much happier! The rest of the afternoon was spent on the beach and by the pool until we headed inside to change and walk to a local race expo for the 5K race many of us signed up for the following morning.
The expo for the First Flight 5K was quite small and picking up our packets was a breeze.
By the time we made it home, everyone agreed we wanted to change into comfy clothes and keep things super casual at the house for the rest of the evening. Our dinner plans ended up falling through when we called to place a giant take out order at a local spot only to find out that the restaurant was busy and couldn’t fill our large order. Since coordinating a big dinner order with so many people wasn’t exactly a short activity, we ended up scrapping our plans to order in and made dinner at home using the food everyone contributed to the house which worked out well!
We ate dinner as we played trivia games and ended up heading to bed just before midnight with hopes of getting in a good night’s sleep before Saturday’s 5K! I’m planning to share more about the race and the final day of our vacation tomorrow since this post is already getting a little wordy. Hope you guys had a great weekend!
![\"Quantcast\"/](\"//pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-1e3-7hOJ_U8Bg.gif\")
Oh my gosh that looks so fun! After reading this post I emailed my mom and sister who live on the opposite coast and asked if we could plan something like this, renting a big house together for a fun family vaca!
This looks like an amazing weekend! Makes me want to plan to get my whole family together, too! Especially living across different states this is all the more important! And those sand dunes. WOW!
Sounds like so much fun! I love that your family all did a 5k together!
How fun! I’m hoping to plan a similar family trip next year! Any tips to coordinate people, food, activities? I’m also dying to see more of that house!
Creating a private Facebook group was SO helpful! It allowed everyone to check in, ask questions and stay organized without a bazillion group texts floating around!
If I can chime in, my husband’s family (about 15 of us!) have been renting a house for a week in the Adirondacks for the last 5 years & it feels like we have it down to a science now. Each family unit takes care of a meal for the night & brings any food that is needed. To get creative, we often do a ‘theme night’ each night (Italian, Mexican etc) Everyone usually brings their own adult beverages for the week as well & any specific things that one might want. Activities just seem to vary, we rent a boat since we’re on the lake & usually go out each afternoon, but, sometimes groups split off to go kayaking, walk into town, hike, etc. Other than the boat do we rarely go do an activity ALL together–there’s just too many of us, haha. My mother in law also sends out an email prior to the trip to divvy up who is bringing things like paper towels, any house rental rules that might have changed & at the end of each trip, jots down notes to herself–ie, we had WAY too many snacks one year because each family brought 3-4 massive family bags!
Similarly for friend’s bachelorette parties & girls weekends we’ve done the same thing too & for my tech savvy friend, a google doc, where multiple people can write on it is SO helpful, because we can all see what needs to be brought & who is bringing what items. It seems like a lot of work the first time around, but everyone seems to get into a flow for following years 🙂
How fun!! I’ve been wanting to go to OBX and where you stayed looks perfect! Gotta admit, love that it’s in walking distance of a donut shop 🙂
Can’t wait to hear about the rest of the trip!! Happy Monday!! 🙂
-Sarah http://www.thefrugalmillionaireblog.com
Wow! Looks awesome, and I can”t believe how affordable your house was! I may need to look into that next fall or next spring, during the off-season.
Have a great week!
Booking in the off season was key! I think tourist season begins May 1 there so we really lucked out with great weather and affordable rates!
This sounds SO fun! I am a huge fan of renting houses instead of hotels whenever we have a decent sized group. Often just hanging out with people in the house winds up being my favorite part of the trip. So glad you had such a great weekend!
Same here!!
Glad you made it to Duck Donuts!! We often find ourselves picking up one for dessert after lunch! I think there is one in Charlotte…
OH my gosh that house is beautiful!!!!! I want to teleport there right now. So jealous of your trip and girl, you rock the half bun!
What a fun weekend! We haven’t had a big family vacation since I was a kid – you’ve inspired me to get one together in the near future. Looks like lovely weather…not going to lie, I’m slightly jealous of the sandy beach and swimming pool you all got to enjoy 🙂
We LOVE the OBX and cannot wait to book another large family vacation there! Looks like you all had an awesome time and great weather. And that house is gorgeous! Beachfront is the only way to go 🙂
We LOVE the OBX! We’re headed down there for a week in August and are already counting down the day until we go! I’m glad Chase enjoyed playing on the beach too. Our son will be 11 months when we go and I’m curious to see how he’ll do with the sand/water. Hoping he doesn’t try to eat too much of it. lol
Sounds like an absolutely wonderful start to the weekend! Definitely looks idyllic.
Chase is so relaxed with your family! It’s so wonderful to see him surrounded by so much love from all sides of the family. 🙂
XO, Jessica
http://www.semisweettooth.com
How fun!! Gosh it looks absolutely gorgeous there! I bet it’s fun seeing a different coast after growing up in FL!
Oh man, I miss the ocean. I loved staying at the Outer Banks back when I lived on the East Coast. Such a cute house! Looks like you’re having a great visit with your family.
Looks like you and your family had a great time. I’ve only been to North Carolina once that I can remember to visit family as a kid. I’d love to go back as an adult though, it looks beautiful!
This looks SO fun! My family and friends used to rent big houses in Cape Cod for the summer. It definitely allows more hangout time than separate hotel rooms. Can’t wait to read about the rest of your time there!
https://jonandaudadventure.wordpress.com/
looks so very lovely!
It looks sooo beautiful there and very relaxing too! I’ve always wanted to see the Outer Banks! 🙂
the outer banks is my absolute favorite place in the world! we have a beach house in corolla (about 35 minutes from kill devil hills) that i’ve been going to since i was born. i love how peaceful it is there and everyone is so friendly! duck donuts is the BEST, too, your photo has me drooling!! glad to hear you’re having a great trip 🙂
we realllllly wanted to make it out to corolla! isn’t that where the wild horses are in the outer banks!?
it is!!! you have to drive super far out though, way past where the road ends at sunrise! and a big car is a must, we’ve gotten stuck twice, but it’s SO beautiful! worth the trip – hope you get to see it next time 🙂
Looks like a great time! I have never been to the obx but i’ve heard people really love it there
That looks like fun! Could you post the link to the house rental company? My family lives in NC and I would love to look into it. Thanks in advance!
Yes please! that house/beach looks perfect!
This looked like such a fun trip! My family lives in NC too and we are planning a beach trip out for memorial day weekend. I have ten month old and noticed Chase wearing a sweatshirt in the pool. Seems like a pretty great idea to protect from the sun. Was this a special swim sweatshirt? or just a regular sweatshirt? Love to hear any tips you have for keeping babies out of the sun while being in the sun!
Sounds like such a great time!! 😀 I loooove OBX its so beautiful and relaxing. My family and I rented a house last Fall and we had such a great time. Glad you got some Duck doughnuts!
I am anxious to read about the last day of your vacay! I have been loving these pictures. My husband and I are going to try and take a mini vacay sometime late summer/early fall and OBX is on the list. Not only is it gorgeous but now my mouth is watering from those donuts. What flavor is the donut in the top row, second from left!?
Have a wonderful week!
Sounds like an awesome weekend! Its hard for us to coordinate schedules when it comes to family trips, but I absolutely love when we can make it happen. We also do a lot of off-season bookings and I agree it’s totally worth it. Excited to hear about the rest of your trip!
http://www.bettysbalance.com
Sounds like such a fun weekend! I have never been to that area of the country, and have always wanted to check it out. It looks beautiful. Glad you ha a good time!
I love wordy posts and your vacation recaps! So fun! Looks like a totally awesome house and so much fun! Glad to see families who can get together, it’s precious! Looking forward to part 2. Have a great Tuesday morning!
What a fun idea for a little family weekend getaway. My husband and I have always talked about getting our families together at a place like the outer banks. And those doughnuts would be worth the trip alone!!!
I am loving reading about your OBX adventures! Can’t wait to go later this summer : )
Hope you guys have the best time!!
Julie, you summed up the weekend perfectly. I only wish it wasn’t 50 degrees and raining here and we were all back at KDH enjoying the sun and surf. Looking forward to watching you on the SUP next year!!!
Love these posts. Nice vacation ideas.
My family would love to rent a large house like that in OBX! Can you share the realty company you used for the rental?