Hedgehogs4 Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 We are going to celebrate the end of the school year with a week at the OBX, Corolla. I have heard that the water may be too cold for the kids to swim, but of course my son is dying to go boogie-boarding and swimming in the ocean. What can we expect? Our dates are from Memorial Day into the first week of June. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Hmmm...I've gone swimming at the OBX that time of year and don't remember the water being particularly cold. Of course, I'm old now so my memory might be bad, lol. I say let your ds boogie-board. If it's too cold for him, he'll come in. If not, he'll keep on. BTW, my grandfather was born in Corolla, and my g-grandfather was the last lighthouse keeper at Ocracoke. :-) And I have a big OBX sticker on the rear window of my car.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehogs4 Posted February 13, 2011 Author Share Posted February 13, 2011 bump... thanks! anyone else? Any recommendations for things to do there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margo out of lurking Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 We were at Ocean City, NJ at the end of June last year. The water was cold for me, but it didn't faze my son or the other kids we spent the week with. So I'm guessing it certainly won't be too cold at OBX four weeks earlier. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewellsmommy Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 We visit the aquarium in Manteo and the Wright brothers' memorial in kittyhawk. We didn't get to it before but next time we will go kiteflying on the big sand dunes park. I can't help about the water because we went in September last time. It was just past "prime" season. It is much cheaper this way and the water is very nice. Just a thought for the future. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 (edited) We are going to celebrate the end of the school year with a week at the OBX, Corolla. I have heard that the water may be too cold for the kids to swim, but of course my son is dying to go boogie-boarding and swimming in the ocean. What can we expect? Our dates are from Memorial Day into the first week of June. We were in Corolla during the second week of June last summer and I thought the water was great--not exactly bathwater, but definitely very comfortable. DH thought it was chilly, but his idea of a perfect vacation is Miami in August, so take that with a grain of salt :D We loved Corolla, BTW. We got to see tons of dolphins, and a huge sea turtle came up on the beach and laid her eggs in a dune, then went back out to sea. We got to watch the whole thing :001_wub: And my aunt and uncle watched the wild horses come right up to the fencing that separates their space from the main beach, though we missed that experience. We're headed back in August/September next summer! Edited February 13, 2011 by melissel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lainey Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 We always go in September, so can't answer about the water temp. We love going to Jockey Ridge, the aquarium, Wright Bros. and the lighthouses. We haven't gone yet, but there is a ferry that goes over to Ocracoke that we would like to do sometime. You can take tours to see the wild horses in Corolla. Have a great time!! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewellsmommy Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 bump...thanks! anyone else? Any recommendations for things to do there? If you wanted to do the aquarium in Manteo, I would suggest looking at the AZA association list and seeing if their is a zoo or aquarium in your area that is also on that list. If there is, then you might think about purchasing the family membership for $60 in Manteo. It would be $28 just to get in for the day for the whole family anyway. We bought the membership and went twice while down there and then the reciprocal agreement allowed us to go the VA Living Museum and the Norfolk zoo for free. Both of these are close to home, so we used it throughout the year. It was well worth the extra bit for the membership because of that. Plus we got the discount in the aquarium gift shop. Just an idea. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 If you wanted to do the aquarium in Manteo, I would suggest looking at the AZA association list and seeing if their is a zoo or aquarium in your area that is also on that list. If there is, then you might think about purchasing the family membership for $60 in Manteo. It would be $28 just to get in for the day for the whole family anyway. We bought the membership and went twice while down there and then the reciprocal agreement allowed us to go the VA Living Museum and the Norfolk zoo for free. Both of these are close to home, so we used it throughout the year. It was well worth the extra bit for the membership because of that. Plus we got the discount in the aquarium gift shop. Just an idea. :001_smile: Oh, great suggestion! We did that--we're members of a small local zoo here in NJ that gave us reciprocal privileges. http://www.ncaquariums.com/roanoke-island Right up the road from the aquarium there's a living history farm that we wanted to go see as well, but we didn't make it. http://www.currituckbeachlight.com/islandfarm/ There's also the Wildlife Center just a few minutes from Corolla, on the main highway: http://www.ncwildlife.org/Education_Workshops/Outer_Banks_Center.htm They offer classes and workshops that you can register for: https://ncpaws.org/reservations/corolla/CalendarView.aspx They also have a nice little visitor's center, and the lighthouse is right next door. There's also a pirate adventure cruise: http://www.piratesobx.com/home/homeindex.html And of course the Wright Brothers memorial: http://www.nps.gov/wrbr/index.htm I so wanted to put together some lesson plans and a lapbook on the Wright Brothers, Blackbeard, the wild ponies, and the lighthouses, but I never did get around to it. We mainly just read a few books together about them. Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraciebytheBay Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 We go to OBX (Corolla!) every year during the second week of May. We always go swimming. Yes, it's chilly, but you get used to it quickly. The kids say that once your feet are numb, you're ready to get all the way in. : ) Have you booked your house yet? If you want some ideas on different neighborhoods or grocery stores, I'd be happy give you some. Be sure to bring flashlights. Every night, we go "crabbing"! At about 9 p.m., go down to the beach and take a walk. If you shine your flashlight on the sand, you will see hundreds of crabs (the size of a quarter up to the size of a piece of bread) going down the water to eat. Last year was a great year to see dolphins. We get an oceanfront house, and we could see pods each day from the house. One day we saw a shark (out pretty far, not where swimmers were) which was pretty cool. We have a family contest each year to see who can spot the weirdest/grossest/coolest things on the beach. Another contest is who can see the largest flock of pelicans! Last year's winner saw 28 (the average is about 8). Geesh, I am rambling here! Just typing this made me soooo excited to go on vacation! Only three more months. : ) Let me know if you'd like any more information. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 We go to OBX (Corolla!) every year during the second week of May. We always go swimming. Yes, it's chilly, but you get used to it quickly. The kids say that once your feet are numb, you're ready to get all the way in. : ) Have you booked your house yet? If you want some ideas on different neighborhoods or grocery stores, I'd be happy give you some. Be sure to bring flashlights. Every night, we go "crabbing"! At about 9 p.m., go down to the beach and take a walk. If you shine your flashlight on the sand, you will see hundreds of crabs (the size of a quarter up to the size of a piece of bread) going down the water to eat. Last year was a great year to see dolphins. We get an oceanfront house, and we could see pods each day from the house. One day we saw a shark (out pretty far, not where swimmers were) which was pretty cool. We have a family contest each year to see who can spot the weirdest/grossest/coolest things on the beach. Another contest is who can see the largest flock of pelicans! Last year's winner saw 28 (the average is about 8). Geesh, I am rambling here! Just typing this made me soooo excited to go on vacation! Only three more months. : ) Let me know if you'd like any more information. :) Oh, it was definitely not "numb feet" cold when we were there last year (week of June 5, I think)--not even close. Probably you'll get temps somewhere between the two! And I forgot all about the pelicans! We were oceanfront last year too, and we loved seeing them fly overhead all day long as we sat on the balcony :D It really was a great vacation and a great time of year to go--not too hot, but not too cold. Not a lot of people, but enough to feel sociable. Not a lot of traffic, no lines anywhere. I'm worried that end of August won't be as great a time as early June was for us, but we have PS-based family going, so we had to accommodate *sigh* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehogs4 Posted February 15, 2011 Author Share Posted February 15, 2011 WOW! Thanks for all the info and suggestions! I love them all... We have booked a fantastic, huge, house just off the beach that also has a pool and hot tub and are going with 3 other homeschooling families / very good friends. I hope we still are friends at the end...no...really I couldn't be more excited. The kids are going to have a BLAST. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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