Since 2001 my family has been vacationing on Ocracoke Island. Ocracoke is the southern-most outer bank island in North Carolina and is only accessible by ferry. It is truly a magical place. In my opinion, this was by far, the best year yet. We rented a different house that was a perfect fit for our family! It is a such a wonderful week filled with beach days, low-key dinners out, games and books in the evening and pure relaxation. Well, mostly relaxation. Traveling and vacationing with a 17-month-old was new for all of us! Madison was amazing. She was flexible, fun and generally a delight to vacation with! I have lots of posts I'd like to make, but I wanted to introduce you all to what an amazing place Ocracoke is and see where we ended up.
To get to Ocracoke, you can either drive down the Outer Banks, starting at Nags Head down to Cape Hatteras. From there it is just a 30 minute ferry drive. However, we prefer less driving time and a longer ferry ride. So, we drive to Swanquarter and take the ferry (2.5 hours) to Ocracoke.
Options on getting to Ocracoke!
*This isn't my picture, but this is the typical ferry that shuttles us from Swanquater to Ocracoke*
The ferry dock - I love how simple it is!
The view from the ferry - it is so gorgeous
Maddie looking out...
The back of our rental - Anticipation! The house is "sound side." There are NO houses on the ocean in Ocraocke. This is the first year we have been on water and it was amazing. We were able to take kayaks out and lounge with a great view. The sand was filled with hermit crabs and shallow to the end of the docks.
Daytime view from our deck
Evening sunset - that little house at the point created a perfect backdrop. I felt like a movie should be filmed in the house!
Evening sunset - with my parents on the dock.
It stormed one day and it was really fun to watch the clouds roll in across the sound. Kate was able to snap some amazing pictures on Ryan's camera!
The beach at Ocracoke - quiet, gorgeous, clean - it really is the best around
The only "downfall" to the beach at Ocracoke. It is a LONG trip from the parking lot to the oceanfront. Long might be an exaggeration - but it sure feels like it. We rent a cart to transport beach chairs, coolers, boogie boards - and then we still end up carrying bags (or in my case a baby this year). The way down isn't too bad, but the way back is exhausting!
Our family photo. Thanks family for such a wonderful vacation. Can we go back next week?
Looks like you guys had a great trip! Those pictures of the sunset are so beautiful...it's obvious there is a high quality camera involved :)
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