Ok, by nights in Rodanthe, I mean days in Rodanthe. Also, by days in Rodanthe, I mean an afternoon in Rodanthe. Afternoon in Rodanthe isn't quite as catchy, but here we are. Let's begin.
On this particular day, we both had to work in the morning. It was a beautiful Carolina blue sky day, so after work, we decided to take a trip down south and visit the Tri-Village area most commonly referred to as Rodanthe. I consider Rodanthe to be the gateway to the southern beaches. In my opinion, the southern beaches are the best in the entire Outer Banks. They are less commercialized and more remote. Less crowded and more charming. However, there are fewer amenities there so keep that in mind.
First a little logistical info. Rodanthe is the first village you come to after leaving Nags Head and heading south. You'll cross the Basnight bridge over Oregon Inlet and find yourself on the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge. Just over the bridge is one of my favorite spots on the entire Outer Banks.
The rugged beauty is perfect. There is absolutely nothing but dunes and highway. If you're lucky enough to be the only car on the highway (this is rare during the high season) it seems other worldly. Travel this remote stretch and eventually you'll come to Rodanthe. Rodanthe is the first in a string of small villages often referred to as the Tri-Villages. The other two villages are Waves and Salvo. It's hard to tell where one village stops and another starts so they are often all referred to as Rodanthe. So now that's out of the way, here is how we spent our afternoon in Rodanthe.
First stop: the Salvo Day Use area. To get here, drive to the end of the Tri-Villages and keep going south on Highway 12. Just outside Salvo, you'll see the sign on your right.
It's a nice sound side beach area with parking, picnic tables and even park grills. If you're lucky, you'll get to see kite surfers and windsurfers doing their thing. We didn't get that fortunate on this particular day but it was still a great spot for a picnic and to launch our bikes. We chowed down on good ol' peanut butter sandwiches and enjoyed the bright sunshine. Then we set out on our bikes. The day use area makes the perfect place for this as it is the end of the bike path, or the beginning. Life is all about perspective right? For today's activity it was the beginning. Look for the sidewalk leading through the bushes near the road. Then take off!
First stop: the Salvo kitties. I won't share the specific location but message me if you'd like details. . There is a semi-feral colony of cats here that are fun to visit. Bring food if you'd like.
They are taken care of by volunteers and are very safe. Let's keep it that way. And, let's keep biking on our afternoon in Rodanthe, time's a wastin'!
I feel like I would be remiss if I didn't mention the wind. The wind and the Outer Banks go hand in hand. It's almost always windy here. It's part of it's rugged charm. If you are expecting the real Outer Banks to be like the tv show Outer Banks you will be very disappointed. But if you're up for some of the most beautiful beaches, wind/water sports, great fishing, etc. Come on! It's just nothing like it looks in the show. And the wind. It's relentless at times. Especially on bikes. Yes, that's how we got here so lets get back to there. Where? On the bike path in Rodanthe after we visited the cats, of course.
Next stop: Camp Hatteras Campground. This one has sentimental value. My family stayed here frequently when I was a child.
We have not stayed here since purchasing our camper, but is definitely on the list. There is an ocean front side and a sound front side and both look great! It is fully paved and each site is paved as well.
It looks like a great spot to enjoy Rodanthe. And I have fond memories of family vacations here. It's worth cheking out if you're in the area.
Next stop: Waterman's Bar and Grill.
All that riding worked up a thirst so this was the perfect stop. This is a sound front casual restaurant with oustside seating. We stopped in for a beer. They have a small selection of Carolina Brewery Beers. Mr. had the Kolsch and I had the IPA. Highly recommend.
We sat outside and enjoyed more sunshine. . Then, time to go. Onward and Upward!
Back on the bikes. We rode through a few more neighborhoods and played "if I lived there I would..." Eventually we headed back to the truck and loaded the bikes back up.
A few more suggestions: find the Nights in Rodanthe house. This is a small island, it's really not hard to find. It's sort of near the traffic circle at the end of the new bridge as you enter Rodanthe. But it's more south than the traffic circle. Now that's enough hints. Seek and ye shall find. The address is easily attainable online but what fun is that.
I would also suggest seeing how many signs you can count with the word "Chicamacomico" on it.
Every time you see one have everyone in your party attempt to pronounce it. Good times.
There are a few cool shops, a Dollar General for necessities, several restaurants, and many other things we didn't get to this time. But that's just another reason to spend another afternoon in Rodanthe, or maybe next time a few of our own Nights in Rodanthe. See what I did there?
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