A Special Supplement to The Coastland Times
Take advantage of your days off By Gregory Clark greg.clark@thecoastlandtimes.com
Living and working on the Outer Banks can mean watching others have fun while you spend your time working. That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the same activities that others travel hundreds of miles to enjoy for their vacation. A key to your mini-vacation is to take advantage of your days off. Turn off your cell phone, this is your time. Think about what you would do if you were on vacation. Then plan a couple of activities that will allow you to enjoy the Outer Banks. The choices are endless. For me, a couple of days off allow me to enjoy a few of things I might do if I had traveled the long distance. Being of a certain age, swimming and fishing no longer interest me as they once did, but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy myself. My first venture would be a stroll down memory lane. Something every family beach vacation included when I was a kid was a trip to a miniature golf course. And there are plenty mini golf courses to choose from. For me it is an enjoyable way to spend an hour, testing my skill against others and the well-placed obstacles in your way. Grab your spouse, a friend or perhaps a neighbor with kids (that’ll provide you with the cover to pretend you are doing it for the kid!) In fact, there is something compelling,
something all-American about playing miniature golf – and it’s fun. Next I’d splurge a little. Book a sunset cruise on the Downeast Rover. The 55-foot sailing boat leaves from the Manteo waterfront and sails Roanoke Sound. When my wife and I sailed on her, we took a bottle of wine and some cheese and crackers. We sat back and enjoyed the summer breeze. The cares of the day quickly left and a sense of relaxation you can only feel under sail carried us toward an Outer Banks sunset. Annie got to steer the boat, conversations with fellow passengers ensued as dolphins frolicked, or appeared to frolic, in the boats wake. An hour on the water is worth every penny. I would complete my mini-vacation with an evening out under the stars. We would head to South Nags Head and a night at Fish Heads on the Outer Banks Pier. Outdoor seating, a shrimp basket and a bottle of a favorite brew as the sound of surf breaking along the shore resonates in the background. The pier is old, Outer Banks old and reminds me of earlier days; why I moved to the Outer Banks and why I never left. This would be my mini-vacation. My staycation. It doesn’t have to be yours. There are so many things you to do on the Outer Banks. My advice is for you to turn off your cell phone, CONTRIBUTED PHOTO pick an activity then go do it. Children descending the steps of the Bodie Island Lighthouse on Cape Hatteras National Seashore.