What Do Y'all Do in the Off-Season?

One question that summer visitors almost always ask Outer Banks locals is, “What do you do in the off-season?”

Maybe it’s hard for city-dwellers to imagine these remote barrier islands as anything other than a summer vacation wonderland, but the truth is that the Outer Banks is a joy all year round, and the locals love the fall, winter and spring (maybe more than summer).

There was a time, decades ago now, when Outer Banks activity really did come to a screeching halt the Tuesday after Labor Day. Restaurants, shops and attractions on the barrier islands shut down, and the beach communities were practical ghost towns until the following Memorial Day weekend. But all that has gradually changed over the years as the population of the beach towns has grown.

Prior to 1975 there were fewer than 10,000 residents in all of Dare County, and most of them lived on Roanoke Island or the mainland, so there just were not enough people here to warrant keeping the beach-town businesses open. As the population grew (to 17,000 by 1985, 25,000 by 1995, 33,000 by 2005, 35,000 by 2015), more businesses began staying open longer throughout the year.

Now that the Dare County year-round population is hovering around 38,000 (closer to 40,000 when you add in Ocracoke and the Currituck Outer Banks), we have all the year-round resources of any small city. Shops, restaurants, grocery stores, recreational outfitters, medical centers and businesses of every sort are open all year, mainly in the most populated Dare County area from Southern Shores through Nags Head and Roanoke Island, but also in the smaller areas like Corolla, Duck, Hatteras Island and Ocracoke, to serve the year-round population.

And visitation patterns are changing. Many visitors have discovered the wonders of fall on the Outer Banks, so many more businesses stay open to accommodate them as well. Not only are there more accommodations to choose from, but the rates are also more affordable. Restaurants, shops and recreational outfitters stay open longer for the off-season visitors and the locals who finally have time to enjoy them. More visitors are also opting to spend their holidays here – Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, even Valentine’s Day – so you would be surprised how much activity there is on winter holidays.

Still, the number of visitors drops way down after Labor Day and the start of school, and everyone who lives here takes a collective deep breath. There’s this feeling that in getting this beautiful place almost to ourselves for eight months, we’re getting away with something that’s slightly unfair. But we get over that quickly and enjoy it!

For the most part, a local’s off-season life includes all the same things as lives everywhere else: school, work, volunteering, chores, staying healthy, socializing and recreation – but we do it all in a beautiful natural paradise that was built for vacations.

One of the best things about the Outer Banks off-season is the weather. September and early October, which we call locals’ summer, are still warm, both the air and the water temperature, and the humidity drops way down. People are still swimming and wearing bathing suits and flip-flops weeks Labor Day. Late fall, winter and early spring are typically very mild thanks to the warming qualities of the nearby Gulf Stream.

So, what do we do for fun in the beautiful off-season weather?

Go Out to Eat

For the most part, locals leave the restaurants and bars to the visitors in the summer. We still dine out, of course, but it’s far less in the summer because the restaurants are so busy. In the fall, locals flood back into the restaurants. Many restaurants stay open year-round now, or almost all year-round, to accommodate the growing local population and the growing numbers of spring, fall and holiday visitors. Others close for only a couple of weeks or a month or so in January or February, and a few close all winter, from around Thanksgiving through Easter.

Walk and Hike

The Outer Banks is full of places to hike and walk, but they’re way more enjoyable in the off-season without the heat, humidity and mosquitoes of summer. We have four areas of maritime forest with amazing hiking trails — Kitty Hawk Woods, Nags Head Woods, Buxton Woods and Springers Point Preserve on Ocracoke — not to mention trails in Jockey’s Ridge State Park, Run Hill State Natural Area, Pine Island Audubon Sanctuary, Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge and more. And, of course, the beach. You can always find your own private stretch of beach to walk in the Outer Banks off-season.

Build Bonfires

Nothing says fall quite like putting on a sweater for the first time in months and gathering around a bonfire. And the best bonfires are beach bonfires. The Town of Nags Head and Cape Hatteras National Seashore are the only places that allow bonfires on the beach as long as you follow certain regulations. Apply for a free online permit (if it’s not too windy, you’ll get one), gather up wood and fire-making materials, and don’t forget to bring beach chairs, blankets and marshmallows. Go to nagsheadfirerescue.com or nps.gov/caha/planyourvisit to get a permit.

Camp

Whether you’re tent camping or RVing, the Outer Banks has dozens of campgrounds that make it easy to spend time nestled in nature. Believe it or not, many northern Outer Banks locals get their fall camping fix on Hatteras Island (which has close to 17 campgrounds) and Ocracoke Island (which has three). These islands are very close by but so different in vibe that they feel a long way away. The National Park Service campgrounds at Oregon Inlet, Buxton, Frisco and Ocracoke, situated right behind the dune line, are the closest you can get to camping right on the beach.

Go to Festivals

Fall is festival season on the Outer Banks. The big fall festivals are where the locals gather and reconnect after the busy summer. Some of the favorites are the Throwdown Surf Classic, OBX PrideFest and Day at the Docks in September; Duck Jazz Festival, Oink N Oyster Roast, Which Craft Surf Festival, Outer Banks Seafood Festival, Outer Banks Brewtag, Crabdaddy Seafood and Wine Festival at Sanctuary Vineyards and Bluegrass Island Music Festival in October; Festival Latino de Ocracoke in November and so many more. Locals also love First Friday, the street party held in Downtown Manteo every month from April to December.

Celebrate Holidays

Outer Banks residents go big for holiday celebrations, and visitors have come to love these fun events. Thanksgiving brings seafood buffets in local restaurants, several family-friendly turkey trot races, the Big Currishuck Crab and Oyster Festival at Sanctuary Vineyards and Kitty Hawk Kites’ much-loved Kites with Lights kite show on Jockey’s Ridge. Christmas brings the super-popular 12 Bars of Christmas, the Shuck Hatteras Oyster Festival and the light-show spectacle of WinterLights at Elizabethan Gardens. Every town has some sort of holiday celebration, the biggest being the Town of Manteo’s tree-lighting ceremony, delightful Christmas parade and a much-loved holiday home tour. Corolla celebrates with Christmas in Corolla and the Whalehead Christmas Craft Village. The biggest New Year’s Eve event is Midnight Magic in Downtown Manteo, complete with fireworks. After a quiet winter, all the locals come out of hiding for the huge St. Patrick’s Day parade in Nags Head, the official start of spring and always a big time.

Gather for Good Causes

The Outer Banks is one of the most generous communities you’ll ever encounter. People here rally around good causes, whether it’s by holding a fundraiser for an individual or working with a nonprofit to help people, pets, wildlife or the environment. Many of the local festivals and events benefit nonprofit organizations, so coming out to have fun is beneficial for that group. The off-season is chock-full of fundraisers of every sort, from galas to 5Ks and fun runs to school fairs and bake sales to church-sponsored events. Often a local restaurant will host a pop-up fundraiser for a local family in need, with live music, an auction or raffle and a portion of food and drink proceeds benefitting the cause.

Soak up the Arts

The cultural arts community here is ever-growing. Poetry readings, book signings, art exhibits, musical performances and more are commonplace. The Outer Banks Forum hosts several cultural arts performances a year, and most of the attendees are locals. Dare Arts hosts art exhibits, classes and workshops, and they now offer the Outer Banks Film Festival in the off-season. Surfalorus Film Festival and Outer Banks Environmental Film Festival are also held here in the fall. College of the Albemarle’s Dare campus hosts continuing education classes in the arts. Mustang Music Outreach offers musical lessons. Theatre of Dare, the local community theater group, is going gangbusters at its permanent home in Kitty Hawk, with locals coming out to perform in or watch their seven or eight annual productions, held year-round.

Bird and Wildlife Watch

Whether you’re an amateur birdwatcher or a serious birder, the Outer Banks is one of the best places in the world to see a huge variety of birds, in the summer, yes, but especially in the fall, winter and spring. This area is right along the Atlantic Flyway, a major migration route, so the number of wintering waterfowl you can see here is astounding. Pea Island National Wildlife alone is a haven for more than 265 species of birds, and many locals take winter walks around the impoundment at Pea Island to see the variety. Locals also love exploring Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in the fall, especially to look for black bears. Wings Over Water Wildlife Festival in October and WOW Encore in December are well-attended by locals and visitors.

Fish

Many locals live here because of the great fishing. Surf fishing hits its peak in the fall months, drawing droves of year-round residents and visitors, and then is good again in the spring. Hatteras Island is the epicenter of fall surf fishing for red drum, but Ocracoke is popular too. Fall surf fishing tournaments are hugely popular in Nags Head, Hatteras and Ocracoke. Offshore fishing is also better in the fall than in the summer, and bluefin tuna fishing is a huge draw in the winter.

Surf

Just like the fishermen live here for the fish, surfers live here for the waves. Fall is the prime season for surfing. The waves are better, especially when offshore hurricane swells are rolling into shore, and the water is still pretty warm in the fall. Lots of die-hard locals surf all winter and spring as well. Two of the favorite surf contests, the WRV Outer Banks Pro and the ESA Easterns Surfing Championships, are held at Jennette’s Pier in September.

Catch the Wind

You’ll see plenty of kiteboarders, windsurfers and wing-foilers out on the water in summer, but fall and spring are actually windier months for these sports (some people aren’t afraid to catch the wind in winter either). These sports are practiced mostly on the sounds, where the water is warm well into December, but also in the ocean.

Play Golf

Golf is a year-round sport in the mild Outer Banks climate. There is a lot of play going on in the summer, but more locals are out there in the fall and spring when it’s not as hot. And there are plenty of warm winter days when you’ll find locals out on the fairways and greens. The region has nine local golf courses: Nags Head Golf Links in Nags Head, Sea Scape Golf Links in Kitty Hawk, Duck Woods Country Club in Southern Shores, The Currituck Club in Corolla, Kilmarlic Golf Club and The Pointe Golf Club in Powells Point, Holly Ridge Golf Course in Harbinger, The Carolina Club in Grandy and Eagle Creek Golf Club in Moyock. Fundraising tournaments are frequently held in the off-season.

Play Tennis and Pickleball

More and more Outer Banks locals are picking up tennis, with Outer Banks Tennis Association leagues, Pine Island Racquet & Fitness Center and WestSide Athletic Club being the heart of the action. As it is everywhere, pickleball is popular here too. The OBX Pickleball Group organizes activities and tournaments. Fall and spring are very popular months for these sports.

Go to Ocracoke

Northern Outer Banks locals consider going to Ocracoke Island a vacation, even though it’s only about 60 miles south of Nags Head. The little island south of Hatteras, accessible only by ferry or private boat or plane, is a hallmark of the simple life, and it’s easier to relax there. You don’t need your car as the village is walkable, bikeable or golf cart-able, the ocean water is warmer longer, the fall and spring surf fishing is fantastic and it just seems easier to tune into life’s pleasures on this small island. It’s a popular destination for Outer Banks residents in fall and spring, especially for families at spring break.

Staycation

Plenty of Outer Banks locals take advantage of the off-season lull to travel, but just as many use their vacation time for a fall staycation. Whether they’re entertaining visitors or just taking time off, when you live where everyone else gets away, a day (or three or seven) off can be a true staycation with beach or boat time, biking to dinner, dining with a sunset view and all the trappings of a real vacation.

What’s the winter like?

This is another question that visitors frequently ask locals. The winter is much quieter, with minimal traffic and long stretches of solitary beach. The weather is up and down – it can be warm and mild or cold and blowing a gale. The temperature rarely falls below the 30s here, but the wind chill can make it feel much colder. Nor’easters are common in winter, whipping the ocean up into a froth and eroding the beach and dunes. But when the winds die down, it makes for some of the best beachcombing of the year. It rarely snows on these islands anymore, but we get an occasional dusting. March, with its signature cold winds, often feels more wintry than January.

Locals, especially those who work in the tourism industry, use the winter months to rest, recharge and plan for the upcoming season. People definitely hunker down a little more, but mostly life goes on as normal. Though some restaurants are closed, plenty are still open, and shops offer great deals on their out-of-season merchandise. Indoor gyms and yoga studios fill up with locals looking to get fit for the next season. And the Atlantic Ocean is never too cold to enjoy a cold plunge – a New Year’s Day tradition for many as well as an annual fundraiser for Special Olympics North Carolina in March.

What about hurricanes?

With these islands situated well beyond the mainland in the Atlantic Ocean, it’s no secret that the Outer Banks is positioned in the path of hurricanes. Visitors often wonder why people would choose to live out here in this precarious position. Sometimes we wonder that ourselves, especially when hurricanes like Gloria, Bob, Floyd, Isabel, Irene, Matthew, Florence and Dorian come barreling our way and cause severe damage to property and harm to people.

Storms are a part of life on the Outer Banks. The geography of these islands has been shaped by storms and hurricanes for centuries. Hurricanes are the bad we take with the good, the fearsome chaos amidst the awe-inspiring beauty. We live knowing that what we have built up could all be destroyed in one storm, but it’s a risk we take to live in a place we love.

The local counties and towns have well-coordinated emergency management teams designed to keep people safe. In hurricane season, June 1 to November 1, locals are advised to have a hurricane kit ready at all times. When hurricane and storm surge warnings and watches are issued, county emergency management teams begin an evacuation system that gets people off Ocracoke and Hatteras islands first and then off all the islands. Some locals stick out storms and some decide to leave, not willing to risk seeing damage firsthand and being without water and power for days.

What do you do in the off-season? Locals tell us in their own words.

John Wright, general manager at Sanctuary Vineyards, Jarvisburg

We book weddings that run until November then host a few major events in late November and early December, so it’s at least mid-December before I start to cool off. Off-season is a time for pruning, which takes two to three months, and it is a quiet and contemplative job that is pretty solitary. I may take a trip if we finish pruning ahead of schedule.

Katrina Stone, owner of AR Workshop, Kill Devil Hills

I try to enjoy the places that are so busy during the season.

Daryl Law, assistant manager/director of communications, Jennette’s Pier, Nags Head

I fish for red drum, attend high school sports events and keep up with certain college teams. We travel a little, and fishing down south on Hatteras Island is typically worth the drive. 

Dawn Eskins, owner of Studio 12, Swept Away Café, Avon

I work up ideas for new classes and studio projects.

Capt. Jay Cudworth, owner of Paradise Dolphin Cruises

I like to duck hunt.

Dan Hardy, general manager / president Joe Lamb, Jr. & Associates

We get ready for the next season. I do get to relax more and try to travel whenever possible.

Holly Setnikar, baker/owner, Holly’s Creative Confections

I spend a lot more time with the kids and helping them with school.

Meg Puckett, director of herd management at Corolla Wild Horse Fund, Corolla

My life doesn’t change all that much in the off-season. Believe it or not, horses don’t really understand the concept of relaxing for the winter. It’s busy in a different way than summer is, but there’s always something to do. 

Kenneth Hyman, owner of TRiO Restaurant & Market, Kitty Hawk

We take the winter to complete repairs, start new projects, make improvements ... and recharge.

Pam & John Buchholz, owners of Atlantic Inn Hatteras

We leave the inn together at the same time! We spend a lot of time at the beach, eating out, hanging out with our dogs, catching up with friends and traveling to see family. It’s also the time that we do any major repairs or improvements to the inn, as we don’t have to worry about disturbing guests or making a mess.

Kathryn Holton Stewart, goldsmith and managing owner at Silver Bonsai Gallery, Manteo 

I enjoy creativity, spend a little more time playing games with our family and friends and enjoy my horses. 

Jamie Anderson-Silver, owner of Downtown Books in Manteo and Duck’s Cottage Books & Coffee in Duck

I get ready for the next season … breathe ... and try to get off the beach.

Jeff and Nareina Keznor, owners of hattiebuilt boutique, hattiebuilt Jeep Rentals and Cape Cork & Bottle, Avon

We work very hard for eight months out of the year in order to spend our off-season with our two daughters, their husband and boyfriend and our granddaughter. We try to plan one or two really nice vacations a year with them and our parents. Those trips are filled with memories, and we look forward to many more of them.

Buddy Byrum, owner of Buffalo City Distillery, Point Harbor

In the fall and winter I hunt deer, bear and ducks at our Hyde County farm.

Brian Klauser, owner of Ocean Air Sports, Avon

I catch my breath, get kite sessions on nice days, travel and get ready to do it all over again.

Meghan Agresto, site manager at Currituck Beach Lighthouse, Corolla

Every off-season has been different because of growing kids who have been in school and helping run a school that I started (which is in full swing in everyone else's "off-season"). I also do research for the Currituck Beach Lighthouse, which can involve some travel to different branches of National Archives and then trying to make that information available to history-lovers. I travel to New Mexico to see my dad. I have gone duck hunting a couple of times (but not going to make a thing of it), and I even bought myself a small skiff that I like to take out. If I can find any time in between doing all that, I like to go see friends.

Stacey Walters, owner of Sweet T’s Coffee, Beer & Wine, Duck

In the off-season, Sweet T's is open, so I'm working, planning for the next event or season. In my time away from the shop I enjoy visiting friends and family, singing and playing music in my church, Grace Lutheran by the Sea, and shopping!

Amy Howard, owner of Village Craftsmen, Ocracoke

I visit with neighbors and walk the beach.

Meghann Pauls, owner of Mike Dianna’s Grill Room, Corolla

I see my family and friends, attend and take my kids to all their functions and try to travel as much as possible.

Jennifer Kidwell, staff member at Village Craftsmen

Anything we want!