Summer may be long gone, but that doesn’t mean the fun family vacations have to be! My family + I love beach vacations no matter the time of the year. (Maybe that’s why we were meant to be a California family?) This Fall we wanted to take one last road trip to the Outer Banks before we moved across the nation to San Diego. It’s one of our favorite places because it reminds us so much of San Diego with the carefree vibes and endless fun family activities to do! We had sincerely the best time and stayed at the coolest Airbnb. Let’s chat about my favorite things to do at the Outer Banks and where to stay at Outer Banks!
Where to Stay at Outer Banks: The Kitty Hawk Treehouse
The first thing I always secure when planning family vacations is where to stay. Since my family loves the Outer Banks, I wanted to make it a super memorable trip. So I felt like I had to find the perfect place! I scoured the internet and finally found the perfect place to stay in Outer Banks… The Kitty Hawk Treehouse!
All About The Kitty Hawk Treehouse
If you’ve been following along for even a little, you know some of my favorite vibes for life are boho + minimal. This tiny house was exactly that. The perfect mix of boho, minimal, and cozy. When it comes to Airbnb vibes, what more could you ask for?
Since it’s a tiny home there is a lofted bed area with a king bed and a twin bed. We all slept up there, and it was sort of like we were tent camping! Talk about family bonding!! We brought up snacks and games to hang and play as a family in our little “tent”. If close quarters for sleeping isn’t your thing though, there are also two couches/daybeds below the loft for smaller sleepers or those who don’t mind sleeping on the couch!
The hosts of this tiny home are a husband and wife team. They have 2 little girls and live on the property. Their house is separate from the tiny home, but sometimes you’ll see them on the property. They are the sweetest humans and will give you any and all recommendations you need of things to do at the Outer Banks. (If you need more after reading this blog 😉 )
The tiny home treehouse is tucked away with a long private driveway, so it’s a neat getaway! If you wanted to live off the grid for a little, you totally could. That being said, they do have wifi and a TV so you don’t have to! You have your own separate backyard with a swing, and they even have chickens on the property. It’s seriously a little slice of heaven here!
Our Favorites About The Kitty Hawk Treehouse
The best part? The beach is just 10 minutes away! The hosts also leave you with your own surfboards, bikes, skateboards, beach chairs and towels to use while you stay. So you don’t have to think about packing those extra fun things! I thought this was such a thoughtful and cool touch that we all enjoyed.
The kitchen is stocked with everything you could need to make meals. There is so much storage in the cabinets as well. If you were planning a longer vacation, there is room for everything to be put away! Honestly the next time we visit the Outer Banks, we’ll likely be staying here for at least a week. We loved it so much!
The treehouse is on stilts in case of flooding, so the hosts made this super cool hangout area underneath it! There are picnic tables, hammock swings (which my kids loved), and an outdoor shower + bath. We spent a lot of our time chilling + playing under there and my kids had an absolute blast! My son is 10 and has already asked to go back. So it’s definitely a place for the entire family no matter how old or young your kiddos are!
Last but definitely not least, don’t forget to sign the guest book on your way out! Oh, and look for our family in there!
The Kitty Hawk Treehouse seriously goes above and beyond to make your stay incredible, and being less than 2 miles from the ocean – I promise it will be. It truly made our vacation a fun, family adventure! If you need more evidence to prove how amazing this Outer Banks tiny home is, check out my Instagram post on it as well as The Kitty Hawk Treehouse’s Instagram.
Things To Do at the Outer Banks : Food
Okay now that we know where to stay at the Outer Banks, let’s chat things to do at the Outer Banks! Our family did a lot of eating on this vacation. We seriously never found a bad place. We love trying new places on our vacations, as well as those tried and true family traditions.
Our favorite place that we ate at on this trip was Rundown Cafe! They have delicious burgers and drinks. I got my signature/go-to vacay drink here, a Mai Thai. It was so delicious. There is a quarter food machine next to their pond outside for you to feed the koi fish. And they sell art! It was such a fun and delicious OBX restaurant. We also loved Single Fin Thai Sushi, it was the best sushi I’ve ever had! Another place we loved was Off the Wall Tap House. Everything there is amazing, you really can’t go wrong.
Things To Do at the Outer Banks : Beaches
Corolla Wild House Beach
Our favorite non-food related thing to do at the Outer Banks is visit the Corolla Wild House Beach. This beach is gorgeous and there are wild horses! They offer guided tours, but we drove our car in for free and parked in front of a wooden gazebo that we had all to ourselves. We got to see the horses and the kids climbed hills, caught crab and of course ran in and out of the water. We packed the back of our Bronco with blankets and pillows and stayed to watch the sunset. It was such a fun time for all of us. We stayed long past sunset and didn’t leave until the tide started coming up a little too high for our liking. 10/10 recommend this beach for an OBX family vacation. For tips to checking out this beach + the wild horses head here!
Jockey’s Ridge State Park
Another place we visited was Jockey’s Ridge State Park sand dunes! I captured a golden hour elopement here so I may be a little biased, but this state park is so pretty. The vibes are immaculate and so boho. It’s only a 20 minute drive from The Kitty Hawk Treehouse. They have lots of short trails for the kiddos and it’s such a quick walk into the vastness of the dunes. There is also an area for bathrooms and snacks, so if you do have kids with ya you don’t have to worry about snack or potty breaks in the middle of the park. Jockey’s Ridge is so so gorgeous and I can’t wait to share the elopement I captured here with you guys!
If you didn’t know I’m a Southern California elopement photographer. So if you’re looking for someone to capture your beach elopement, I’m your girl! To check out some of my other elopements head to the blog and reach out if you wanna chat about your dream elopement!
Other Ideas of Things To Do at the Outer Banks
Some of our favorite towns to visit at the Outer Banks are Duck, Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, and Nags Head. Everything in the Outer Banks is a great thing to do at the Outer Banks, but if you need some ideas… I got you! It’s major beach town vibes everywhere so a lot of the best things to do at the Outer Banks have to do with beachy vibes. Some of our favorites are hang gliding, lots of good seafood, fishing, and crabbing. If beachy vibes aren’t 100% your thing there are also so many cool restaurants with indoor and outdoor live music, shopping in Duck, NC, and Duck Donuts (some of the best donuts!). Every time we visit OBX, we have to stop by and get Duck Donuts.
Road Trippin’?
Taking a road trip to the Outer Banks? Let’s chat things to do on your way to the Outer Banks! Quick Note: these recommendations will be for those coming from the Virginia Beach area or those that have to travel through the Virginia Beach area and take that route. There are tons of antique shops on the way. My son LOVES walking around these shops as a family, so of course we had to stop at a few on our way. There is also a waterpark on the way and monster trucks! Click here for more info on how to ride the “Grave Digger” monster truck. Click here for more info on the waterpark!
I hope you have the best family vacation to OBX! I’m always here providing as much family fun + family vacation tips + tricks as possible. So head to my blog for even more! Comment below if you have ever been to any of the places I suggested or what your favorite thing to do at the Outer Banks is. I’d love to hear what you love doing in OBX!
