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By Susan Spisak
The Outer Banks is truly a special place to our family. At this stage in our lives, the traveling family means me, my husband, and our three golden retrievers. The Outer Banks has such an excellent reputation as being a dog-friendly destination that from the get-go, we knew we wanted to visit the area with “the boys.”
The very first time we visited, we rented a dog-friendly home. We arrived on a Saturday evening in mid-October after a long drive from Northeast Ohio. Oops! The house was occupied. My husband had not read the lease thoroughly; the weekly rental began on Sunday afternoon. After a quick look through an AAA guidebook, we were on our way to a pet-friendly, ocean view motel. Within twenty minutes we were unpacking.
Soon we were walking along the beach, enjoying the warm breeze and pounding surf. What a terrific way to start a vacation! The sun was setting, and the light reflecting off the ocean was gorgeous. Camden, Capone and Brady, our three special “boys”, were able to run along the white sand, expending lots of pent-up energy. (The town where we were staying allowed well-behaved dogs off-leash at this time of year). The boys stopped to wag ‘hello’ to many of the other folks enjoying an evening stroll along the serene beach. The next day, we finally settled in our rental home along the sound. We had a terrific vacation week. We toured all the towns from Corolla to Hatteras, and visited every shop and tourist spot in between. We spent hours every day on the many beaches that line the Outer Banks. At the end of the week, we hated to leave the area.
Since that initial vacation, we have returned to the Outer Banks several times. We stay in the same soundside home. We have gotten set in our ways; there are certain things we must do every single time we visit. One of our favorite spots is the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Since we travel off-season, we only have to share the beaches – for the most part – with fisherman. They are all very friendly, and more than happy to welcome the dogs. Occasionally, we come across other vacationers who are in on our secret – fall is an excellent time to visit the area! It is still warm, but there are far fewer tourists compared to the high numbers in the peak season. It is much calmer, everything is more accessible, and everyone is relaxed and very, very friendly.
Each trip, we expand our outings. Ocracoke Island, with its gorgeous, pristine beaches, is a new favorite spot. Not only for us; the dogs love the wide, spotless beaches. They jog along the shoreline, and jump in and out of the waves. The village of Ocracoke is a fun place to walk around and meet tourists and townsfolk alike. The dogs also enjoy the ferry ride to and from the island.
We have decided to spend every wedding anniversary, which falls in October, on the Outer Banks. We are also going to add an Outer Banks vacation week in the spring, beginning this year, because the feel of the islands has gotten into our blood. Between visits, we refer to the “OBX”, as we affectionately call it now, all the time. We have a “countdown ‘til OBX” going all through the year. We talk about a specific pizza joint, and how we can’t wait to go back, have one of the house pies and talk to Bill, the owner. How we can’t wait to eat the local steamed shrimp. And have eggs on the Nags Head pier overlooking the ocean. Or shop in historic Manteo. Walk on all the gorgeous beaches. Oh, and we talk about sitting on Howard’s rooftop deck on Ocracoke. And we can’t wait for the sunsets in Duck. Just thinking about all the fun we have makes us wish we were going soon. You see, we may not live there (yet), or have our own vacation home there (yet), but we feel like we belong to the Outer Banks. We get it. We understand the laid-back lifestyle. And we enjoy every single minute of the time we are there! And while back in Ohio, we long for our next vacation on the Outer Banks. Even our three golden retrievers understand the word “beach.” Enjoy what you have all year round, and we will see you soon!
Bob and Susan live in Bath, Ohio. They love to treat their goldens to a vacation as all three are therapy dogs working in the Akron Children’s Hospital “Doggie Brigade”. The dogs, along with Susan and Bob, visit various units in the hospital on a bi-monthly basis. They also are active in a NE Ohio golden rescue group, G.R.I.N., and have recently adopted a 6-month-old rescue golden, Bo. Their children are all grown, and they are busy raising their 4-legged kids now!
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Editor’s Note: We encourage essay submissions (800 words or less) by real people describing why they love the Outer Banks lifestyle. Share your thoughts by sending your Word file to threedogink@charter.net
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