Over the last few years, my family started taking vacations down to the beaches of North Carolina. Apparently when you live in the cold and land-locked state of Wisconsin, you get the urge to travel south and get some Vitamin D!
Luckily for me, we’re always invited to tag along. It’s a win-win, we all get family time at the beach, and its a quick drive down from DC for me.
This summer my parents went all out and planned 2 weeks at the beach: one in Corolla and another in Topsail. Eager to check out both beaches, Sam and I finagled our time away from work so we could get maximum beach/family time. My sister, Devan, had flown in (surprise Mom!) from Sydney, Australia, so I wanted maximum time with the family all together.
Hosting the family in DC, the perfect halfway point on their road trip.
Week 1: COROLLA, NORTH CAROLINA
Corolla is one of the northernmost towns in OBX, close to the Virginia state border. For this reason, it feels quieter and more secluded, which why my parents love it. In northern Corolla, some neighborhoods are located on the sand, only accessible by 4×4 vehicles, and home to wild horses. We stayed in Corolla for Christmas a few years ago, and it was a complete ghost town, in the best way. During the summer, not so much. The Outer Banks gets quite crowded in prime summer season.
This year we stayed in a beautiful house, located right at the beach and with it’s own pool. It was a real treat. We went back and forth: beach, pool, beach, pool, beach. I went a little overboard with my sun time on day 1, and was bright red the rest of the trip, but other than that, it was perfect. Within a few days we already checked off the essential OBX to-do list items: Beach, Duck Donuts, and the Wright Brothers Museum (selfie stick and all.)
After a week of beach bliss in Corolla, the family packed up the house and hit the road. We caravanned 4 hours south to North Topsail Beach, the northernmost town on Topsail Island. Topsail had a completely different vibe, so I’m writing a separate post with those photos in a few days – stay tuned!
Peace out, OBX
reidmore 
Awwww, so sweet. Wish we’re back in the obx with all y’all!
Laura Reid
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