Sweets, Snacks & Spirits: Where to Find the Best Edible Gifts on the Outer Banks

Are you still scurrying around looking for holiday gifts? Are you one of those people who hasn’t even started shopping yet? Not to worry! There’s still time,  and if you are on the Outer Banks, you can find a gift for everyone on your list in the huge assortment of shops and stores from Corolla to Ocracoke. 

If you’re in need of gift ideas, you can’t go wrong with food and drink. Anything consumable is the ultimate crowd-pleaser. And here on the Outer Banks I know just where to get the best beers, wines, coffees, snacks, sweets and specialty foods. If you’re here or coming here, these are a few of the great places (but not all of the great places) to get edibles (no, not those edibles, this being N.C.) for your loved ones around the holidays or any time of year.

Sweets

For the sweet teeth in your gift-giving orbit, all the flavors at The Fudgery in Corolla, Duck and Nags Head (see photo above) and at Scotch Bonnet Fudge in Hatteras make it easy to give several types of fudge without having to spend one minute over a hot stove. Other places to get fudge and chocolates include Big Buck’s in Corolla, Kitty Hawk and Manteo, Candy & Corks in Duck, Mom’s Sweet Shop in KDH, Forbes Candies in KDH and Nags Head, Outer Banks Olive Oil in Nags Head, Laughing Lollipop in Manteo and Ocean Gourmet and Treasures in Salvo.

Photo: Big Buck’s Ice Cream is having a promotion right now with their online ordering. You can get free shipping on one of their famous three-layer ice cream cakes and free shipping when you buy $40 or more of their gourmet handmade Belgian chocolates! Just go to bigbucksobx.com and use the code SAVEBIG23.

Snacks

For the carnivores on your guest list, Beef Jerky Experience in Corolla and Kitty Hawk makes the shopping easy. They have a huge variety of jerky styles and flavorings. For those who like savory snacks, nuts and nut mixes are traditional holiday favorites, and you can get those and other snacks at Try My Nuts in Corolla, Duck, KDH and Avon. You can find the beloved Mackeys Ferry Peanuts and other snack foods at Something or Other Treats & More in Manteo. Popcorn, both salty and sweet, is always a hit with all ages, and Outer Banks Popcorn Shoppe in Corolla and Duck has so many choices. For your charcuterie fanatics, Sophisticated Charcuterie in Kitty Hawk and Vine & Board in Duck have all the snacks and accessories you could want.

Gourmet Foods

Some people would rather have fancy salts and oils and spices to cook with more than snacks to munch on, and there are good things available for them as well. Gourmet olive oils and vinegars (and many other gourmet surprises) can be found at Outer Banks Olive Oil in Duck, KDH and Nags Head, Ella’s Olive in Duck and the Gourmet Olive in Manteo. The Spice and Tea Exchange in Duck and Island Spice and Wine in Avon are great places to find spices of every variety. For gourmet food gifts galore, fun places to shop are Tommy’s Market in Duck, Wee Winks Market in Duck, TRiO Restaurant and Market in Kitty Hawk, Conner’s Market in Buxton and Village Market Red & White in Hatteras.

Photo: Tea lovers love the teas and accessories at Moonraker Tea Shop in Ocracoke.

Coffee and Tea

Bags of coffee are a universal need in most households, and these are some of the best places to find them on the Outer Banks. In Corolla, look to Outer Banks Coffee Company and The Kind Cup. In Duck, Duck’s Cottage Coffee and Books and Treehouse Coffee Co. are the places to go. In the central beaches and Manteo, look to Ashley’s Espresso Parlour, Morning View Coffee or Front Porch Café.

If you’re looking for teas, one of the best places on the whole Outer Banks is Moonraker’s Tea Shop in Ocracoke. They have a huge selection, and they’re open for a few more days until they close for the season. Other great places for teas are The Spice & Tea Exchange in Duck and Abbi’s Teas and Things in Nags Head.

Beer, Wine & Spirits

If you like to give local gifts, beer from a local brewery is an awesome gift. You can run around to the local breweries — Northern Outer Banks Brewing and Whalehead Brewery in Corolla, Outer Banks Brewing Station and Swells’a Brewing in KDH, Lost Colony Brewery in Nags Head and 1718 Brewing in Ocracoke — for growlers or crowlers (or in some cases bottled and canned beer). But you can also head to a one-stop bottle shop or beer/wine store and get several types of local beer plus tons of other microbrews all in one place. Check these places for top-notch selections of beer and/or wine: Corolla Wine Cigar and Gourmet in Corolla, Brew Thru locations from Duck to Nags Head, Sweet T’s in Duck, Tommy’s Market in Duck, Growlers To Go in Duck and Kitty Hawk, Wee Winks in Duck, TRiO in Kitty Hawk, Chip’s Wine & Beer in KDH, Beach Road Bottle Shop in KDH, Breeze Thru in Avon and Zillie’s and Ocracoke Variety Store in Ocracoke.

Photo: TRiO in Kitty Hawk is the place to find the widest range of imported beers and wines.

For locally made spirits, there are two distilleries on the Outer Banks. Outer Banks Distilling in Manteo has a fine selection of rum available for tasting and purchasing at their distillery building in downtown Manteo or at local ABC package stores (look for their brand name, Kill Devil Rum). Buffalo City Distillery in Point Harbor crafts vodka and whiskey and flavored vodkas and whiskeys.

Locally made wine is available from Sanctuary Vineyards in Currituck, and trust us, these wines are sophisticated and tasty, not the sweet muscadines that people expect near the coast. You can taste and buy them at the Sanctuary Vineyard tasting room in Jarvisburg or at locations of The Cotton Gin stores in Corolla, Duck and Nags Head.

Finally, if you’ve got people on your list who are running around in circles and stressed at this time of year (like me), do them a huge favor and look to the edible gifts at House of Hemp in KDH. And if your pet is stressed from all the Christmas chaos, stop by Holistic Pet Shop in KDH. They’ll love you for a packet of CBD gummies that will help them chill out and enjoy the holidays.