At last! It must be Spring because Easter Weekend has arrived. And with it has come a full plate of events and activities. Since I've already invoked the plate as metaphor, let's begin with a rundown of Easter brunches, buffets and dinners.
Duck
The Blue Point is currently accepting reservations for Easter brunch (served from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.) and dinner. Call (252) 261-8090 to secure your spot.
Aqua Restaurant will be serving Easter Brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. along with a variety of activities for the kids, including face painting, hidden treats, bean bag toss and pictures with the Easter Bunny! Call (252) 216-9700 to reserve your seating! Click here for the menu and prices.
Kill Devil Hills
Peppercorn's is serving its Easter Breakfast Buffet from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Oceanfront dining AND the Easter Bunny! The buffet is $13.99/adults and $7/children younger than 12. See the menu here.
Nags Head
Kelly's is serving their Easter Brunch Buffet from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The menu can be viewed here.
Pamlico Jack's Easter Brunch will be served from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Prices are $23.95/adults, $19.95/seniors, $9.95/children age 12 to 5 with children younger than 5 eating free. Click here to view the menu. Call (252) 441-2637 to reserve your table.
At Owens' Restaurant the meal of the day is Easter Dinner served from 5 to 9 p.m. Reservations are recommended. and you can reserve your seating by calling (252) 441-7309.
From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Basnight's Lone Cedar Café will offer guests an Easter buffet with an emphasis on fresh ingredients and local seafood. Check out the menu here. Buffet prices are $21/adults, $11/children aged 6 to 12 with children age 5 and younger eating for free. Reservations are recommended - call (252) 441-5405 - but walk-ins are welcome.
Easter Egg Hunts, Kites, Sea Turtles and a 5K
Join the Kitty Hawk Kites crew this weekend as they celebrate Easter Weekend and the beginning of a new vacation season on the Outer Banks with the Fly Into Spring and Easter Eggstravaganza. The Fly Into Spring kite festival will take place Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Jockey's Ridge State Park in Nags Head, home of the largest living sand dune on the East Coast! The Easter Eggstravaganza will take place at Jockey's Ridge Crossing Shopping Center, just across the street from the great dune. Easter egg hunts, organized by age groups, will be held both Friday and Saturday starting at 11 a.m. Other activities include pictures with the Easter Bunny from 12 to 1 p.m. and Yo-yo "schools" all weekend from Corolla to Nags Head. A Yo-yo competition will be held Saturday at 3 p.m. at Kitty Hawk Kites' Jockey's Ridge location.
The Easter Bunny will preside over a traditional egg hunt in Currituck Heritage Park in Corolla on Friday, April 18 from 1 to 3 p.m. Activities will include balloon art, face painting, egg and spoon races, bean bag toss, pony rides and a jellybean counting contest! Snacks and refreshments will be available for purchase. Admission and parking are free.
Not to be outdone, this Saturday's Elizabethan Gardens' Easter Eggstravaganza features an Easter egg scavenger hunt, photo opportunities, a bake sale, an egg roll on the Great Lawn, story time, educational crafts and games, an Easter bonnet and hat contest and much more kid-friendly fun. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is Free/Members and Friends; Standard Admission Fee/Non-members. Children younger than 5 are free with a paying adult. For more information call (252) 473-3234.
The North Carolina Aquarium's Sea Turtle Egg Hunt is far more than just any old egg hunt! Children aged 3 to 7 will take part in a sea turtle program, come face to face with a loggerhead turtle and make a craft to take home before embarking on a hunt for treat-filled eggs! The event will be held rain or shine in two sessions Saturday, April 19 - the first from 9:30 to 11 a.m. and the second from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Pre-registration is required. Admission is $10/NC Aquarium members; $13/non-members.
The Hoppin' 5k Fun Run & Egg Hunt set for Friday, April 18, is a fundraiser for Christine Walker and her fight against breast cancer. Although the registration period has passed, feel free to show up at College of the Albemarle in Manteo to cheer on the runners and support the cause. The event begins with the 5K at 8 a.m. and includes an egg hunt at 10 a.m. followed by the presenting of shirts, medals and awards to race participants.
Duck's Cottage in Duck is going to Go Big for the Kids! this Easter weekend. From April 18-21 the bookstore and coffee shop will donate one dollar from every large drink sold to Food For Thought, an Outer Banks charity providing shelf-stable weekend meals for qualified Dare County school children who would otherwise go hungry on the weekends. What's more, Duck's Cottage will match all monies raised!
Other Happenings
Saturday, April 19 sees the inaugural running of the Outer Banks Duathlon, organized by Outer Banks Runcations. The 20-mile course, open to all ages and skill levels, starts at 7 p.m. and will take runners through South Nags Head and portions of the Pea Island Wildlife Refuge (including the Bodie Island Lighthouse and Oregon Inlet). A 5K run will be held on the beach at Jennette's Pier. Pre-registration is required. The entrance fee is $55/individuals and $115/relay participants. Fees include the catered post-race party and finisher awards for all participants. For complete details visit the Outer Banks Runcations website.
If you've been looking for a great time to introduce the family to the history of powered flight, you'd be hard pressed to find a better opportunity than this weekend. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both Saturday, April 19 and Sunday, April 20, admission to Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills is free. That's right, FREE! It's all part of the National Park Week's opening weekend celebration. Make your plans now for a fun-filled, educational day with the family at the site where history was made.
Outer Banks Bike Week returns this weekend for its 12th action-packed year, kicking off Saturday, April 19 at 8 a.m. Events and activities are scheduled all up and down the beach for the entire week, so you'll have no problem getting your personal quota of entertainment, great food, exciting events and special attractions. With a schedule full of bike shows, poker runs, guided tours, party nights, tattoo and bikini contests, live music, a pig pickin' and more, it's far too much to cover here. Visit the website for the full schedule of events and activities. Vaa-rooom!
This Tuesday, April 22 from 10 to 11 a.m. Flying Smiles Kites and Twiddy & Company Realty are sponsoring the Annual Fun Fly Festival at Whalehead in Corolla. It's the perfect, fun-for-the-whole-family opportunity to learn how to fly several different varieties of kites! Bring a kite or make your own paper kites on-site. Admission and parking are free.
Outer Bankers, as a group, are among the most environmentally sensitive folks you'll find. Living here on the edge of the continent, only a few feet above sea level with an economy dependent on tourism and the seafood industry, we don't have the luxury of turning a blind eye to climate change, the potential for rising waters and more violent storms and the effects of pollution on ourselves and the natural world around us. The 1st Annual OBX Cares/Earth Day 2014, being held Tuesday, April 22 from 2 to 8 p.m. at Outer Banks Brewing Station in Kill Devil Hills, is a day dedicated to Earth-friendly sustainability and animal rescue in Dare and surrounding counties. All proceeds benefit Feline Fix Foundation, The Outer Banks SPCA and The Ability Friends Project.
This week you have a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to Kitty Hawk Surf Co. & a $35 gift certificate to Tortuga's Lie!
For more information about Kitty Hawk Surf Co., check out their website.
For more information about Tortugas' Lie check out their website.
Last Week's Winner
Congratulations to Jane Belote!!!
You won a one-night stay at Tranquil House Inn & dinner for two at 1587 Restaurant!
For more information about Tranquil House Inn, check out their website.
For more information about 1587 Restaurant check out their website.
About the Author Michael Lay
Michael Lay is a local graphic designer, artist, photographer and writer. He lives in picturesque downtown Manteo, NC, and is the manservant of two beautiful and willful feline princesses, Sophie and Sassy. You can contact Michael at mike.lay@oneboat.com.
