Outer Banks Vacation Homes

“Our family just returned from vacationing for the 2nd time at the Outer Banks.  Both times we rented #768 Pats Folly and love it.    Of course this year the new additions were added and are simply beautiful.  Master bedroom and bath are outstanding.   The decorating of the interior of the home is beautiful, tasteful, and very cozy.   The owners of this home take great pride in it and it definitely shows.  We don’t even consider looking at another house, this will be where we will continue to vacation in the coming summers.  Thank you for your assistance during the rental process.”

The Fair Family
New Castle, PA

 What better place to be on the 4th of July than the Outer Banks! Catch fireworks on the 4th at any of the locations listed below. Happy Birthday America!

Duck’s Fourth Annual Fourth of July Parade
The parade will be held on Friday, July 4 at 9 a.m., with an after event to be held at the Town Park featuring music by Ruth Wyand & Friends. The one-mile parade route begins at Scarborough Lane and continues down Ocean Way and then Christopher Drive. For additional information, please contact the Town of Duck at 252-255-1234 or at info@townofduck.com

July 4th Festival and Fireworks
Enjoy an annual event of fun and fireworks at Currituck Heritage Park overlooking the Currituck Sound. Activities start at 6:00 p.m. Food concessions are available and the fireworks will go up around 9:00 p.m. Sponsored by Currituck County. Admission is free and a parking donation is requested. For more information about any Whalehead Club 2007 event, please contact Martha Wickre, Events Coordinator at 252-453-9040 ext. 3 or email events@whaleheadclub.com

Fourth of July Celebration
8 pm; Waterfront Pavilion, Roanoke Island Festival Park. NCSA’s Woodwind Quintet, Jazz Ensemble and jazz singer, Becca Stevens, perform an evening of patriotic music to precede and accompany fireworks by the Town of Manteo. Don’t miss this July 4th tradition on the Outer Banks! FREE! www.NCSASummerFest.org (252) 475-1500.

Killer Dunes 2-Mile footrace
The Outer Banks Running Company invites all runners and walkers to exercise their independence July 4, at the second annual Killer Dunes 2-Mile footrace in Jockey’s Ridge State Park, starting at 9 a.m., followed by a free children’s fun run. Proceeds will benefit the Outer Banks Cancer Support Group, the local Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and the running club. Go to www.outerbanksrunningclub.org for more information!

Thanks to our incredible technical team, our guests can view the details of their reservation by simply accessing their Guest Lease Information.  The guest would use their lease number and zip code as their login information to view their reservation page.  The page details specifics about the guest, arrival and departure times, payment history and monies owed, due dates, and their vacation destination.  From this page, they may view their actual lease agreement and print it out.

This information is available from the homepage of our web site and introduced to them when using the site to make online reservations.  This feature will be invaluable to our guests and streamline the reservation process for them as well.

Many interested citizens joined in a forum on wind power hosted at Jockey’s Ridge State Park.  North Carolina State Energy Office representative Bob Leker provided the basics on wind energy in a 30 minute presentation, and then a panel of state and private industry authorities was on hand to field questions.  The Southeastern region of the United States has been late coming into wind power, mainly because energy costs in this region have been low.  With the certain rise in all types of energy, and the excellent wind resources that the coast and mountains offer here in North Carolina, this area is now in a position to see much more interest. The U.S. Dept. of Energy and NC state lawmakers have mandated that 20% of energy production will come from  renewable energy by 2030.

Currently there are two wind turbines in our area – Coquina Beach in South Nags Head and the Outer Banks Brewing Station Restaurant in Kill Devil Hills.  In addition, George Burns, Park Superintendent at Jockey’s Ridge, spoke about plans that are underway to power the park with a turbine.  It’s been three years in the making, but he hopes to see the turbine in the near future.  North Carolina actually was the home of the very first commercial wind turbine in Boone over 30 years ago.  These experts predict it will be at least three years before a large commercial project comes to North Carolina.

A competition offered by JELD-WEN® Reliable Lighthouse Restoration Initiative based on voter opinion as nominated Bodie Island Lighthouse as one of the 12 lighthouse finalists among 49 nominees.  If the lighthouse is chosen as the winner, new JELD-WEN windows and doors will be awarded to replace those in dire need of repair.  In the case of repairs needed for Bodie Island lighthouse, eight windows and a door need to be replaced.

The current Bodie Island Lighthouse is on the Outer Banks in North Carolina located on the Roanoke Sound side of the first island that is part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The Lighthouse is located just south of Nag’s Head, a few miles before Oregon Inlet.

Many of our premier vacation rental homes here on the Outer Banks become pre-reserved one year in advance. For all of our homes, the current guest has first rights to the same week for the following year. These guests have until 12:00 noon on the Monday after the departure date to make the advance reservation. After that time, the week becomes available on a “first come, first serve” basis.

In an article posted on SmarterTravel.com on June 17, 2008 by Sarah Pascarella, “How to snag a waterfront vacation rental”, she states “most popular destinations and desirable homes often sell out a year in advance. It’s never too early to look, especially if having a waterfront location is really important to you,” says Felix Lin, CEO of PickPackGo, a vacation rental booking site. Lin cites the Outer Banks, Myrtle Beach, and Florida as destinations where vacation homes, especially those right on the water, tend to get booked early.

Nags Head, North Carolina, was voted as one of the “Top 20 Island Getaways for Summer” by MSN Travel writer, Timothy Jacob of Sherman’s Travel magazine.

“Nags Head, North Carolina - Legend has it that Blackbeard roamed the waters off Nags Head, and pirates walked the beach at night with lanterns, causing countless ships to run aground. In the 1800s, locals salvaged lumber from these shipwrecks and built Queen Anne–style cottages (nine of which still stand). By 1903, the buzz of the Wright Brothers’ airplane engines at Kitty Hawk (five miles north of Nags Head) sparked an influx of visitors to the island’s great beaches.“

During the final countdown before traveling to the Outer Banks for a long awaited vacation, there are smart options to consider in the planning process.  More than likely, you live within a close proximity to a Sam’s Club or Costco, you can purchase many of the food and supplies you will need in quantity which will provide savings on the total cost of the trip as well as utilize less packaging making you environmentally responsible! 

Have each family that is going take one or two lunch and dinner times to prepare the meals for the whole group.  This way, everyone can plan the menus and shop with lists.  This will cut down on unnecessary purchases and unused food going to waste.

During our peak season, (the months of June, July, and August), the weather is very warm.  Your family will enjoy summer dishes with less meat; which means more salads, fruits, and vegetables.  There are local farmer’s marketing fresh, in-season produce in every town here.  Plus, you will be supporting the local farmers here on the Outer Banks.

Avoid throwing away the food that you do buy, plan to eat your leftovers.  Pack a picnic lunch and take it to the beach with you.  Everyone will enjoy making a day at the beach with everything you need right there at your finger tips.

Even though Eggs are up in price like all staples, but they are still a bargain form of protein compared to fresh fish or meat. Go for pastured eggs or cage-free organic for best quality and humane treatment of chickens.

Plan a weekend full of festival fun by spending the whole weekend on Ocracoke Island for the 9^th Annual Ocrafolk Festival which begins on Friday, June 6, and runs through the weekend.  The festival takes place at the intersection of Howard Street and School Road, just off of Highway 12.  Prepare to enjoy a celebration of music, storytelling, and artistry known as a “a feast for the senses” from clogging, guitar-pickin’, painting, basket weaving, and much, much more.

According to an article written by Sundae Horn, “ The Ocrafolk Festival begins on Friday, June 6, and runs through the weekend” on June 2, 2008,  ”Kim Mosher lives on Hatteras and has participated in six Ocrafolk Festivals. She’s the illustrator of the children’s book, “Pelican and Pelicant.”  Her artwork, inspired by the birds and sea creatures of her island home, is drawn with colored pencils, which, as she says, “takes a really long time.” … “Joy Hannan-Copanezos has been attending the festival for years. She makes jewelry, both sterling silver and 14-karat gold, using semi-precious stones. Mermaids are one of her specialties…Hannan-Copanezos says she loves the festival’s music and storytelling.”

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Friday, June 6th Events

6:00 PM –“Meet the Performers” Potluck at the Ocracoke Community Center.
Open to the public (bring your favorite dish).

7:30 PM – Ocrafolk Festival Live Auction Fundraiser at the Ocracoke Community Center. This great live auction will feature must-have donations from regional artisans and businesses. All proceeds go to support this year’s event.

9:00 PM — Baby Dee and Free Moustache – After the auction, sit back and enjoy a new Ocracoke supergroup with Bob Ray, Kevin Hardy, Matt Sheehan, Robert Rayborn, Jason Burdo, and Theresa Ray. Old-time country with an open attitude!

Saturday, June 7th Events

10:00 AM to 6:00 PM — Artisans and craftspeople from Coastal Carolina and beyond. Along School Road and Howard Street.

Silent Auction all day Saturday (next to Deepwater Pottery)

Live Oak Stage
(Rain site Ocracoke School Gym)

10:00 AM – Ocrafolk Sampler
10:45 AM – Ruth Wyand
11:30 AM – Martin and Friends
12:15 PM –Barnraisers
1:15 PM – Warren, Bodle & Allen
2:00 PM – Green Grass Cloggers (w/Molasses Creek and Rodney Kemp)
3:00 PM – Coyote/Noah Paley
4:00 PM — Donald Davis
5:00 PM — Molasses Creek w/Gerald Hampton, Lou Castro, and friends

Howard Street Stage
(Rain site Deepwater Theater)

9:30 AM – Ocracoke Jazz Society
10:30 AM — Donald Davis
11:00 AM – Skye Zentz w/ Kathleen Fogarty
12:00 PM – Michael Stanwood & Fiddler Dave
12:45 AM — Philip Howard “Ocracoke Stories”
1:15 PM – Anne Haley
1:45 PM – Songwriters’ Circle with Anne Haley, Catesby Jones, Marcy Brenner,  Noah Paley, Skye Zentz, and Phil Kelly
2:45 PM – Phil Kelly
3:30 PM – Catesby Jones

Deepwater Theater Family Stage (Outside)
(Rain location Ocracoke School)

9:00 AM — Clyde Jones Chainsaw Critters (kids and adults come help design them!)
10:30 AM – Louise Kessel (little kids stories)
11:00 AM – Fish printing (Outside)
12:00 PM – Drum making workshop with Jubal Creech (Outside)
12:00 PM – Harmonica workshop with Bob Zentz (Inside)
3:00 PM – Clogging workshop

Saturday, June 7th Evening Events

8:00 PM — Traditional Ocracoke square dance at Ocracoke School Gym (Easy to learn and open to all!)
9:00 PM – Mallomar British Invasion Band (Deepwater Theater)
9:30 PM – Katy Mitchell (Deepwater Theater)
10:00 PM – Open mike hosted by Skye Zentz (Ocracoke Community Center)
11:00 PM – Hootenanny Jam hosted by Bob Zentz, Kevin Hardy and Wes Lassiter

Sunday, June 8th Events

Live Oak Stage
(Rain site Ocracoke School Gym)

9:30 AM — Gospel Sing (Morning Rain Location at Ocracoke Community Center)
12:00 PM – Donald Thompson
1:00 PM — Ocrafolk Opry with Sundae Horn, Capt. Rob Temple, Jamie Tunnel, Paul & Jim Wynn, and Jule Garrish
2:00 PM – Scuttlebutt (Bob Zentz & Rick Lee)
3:00 PM — All Star Jam Finale

According to a release posted by Cathy Keefe of Travel Industry Association (TIA), gas prices are not likely to affect the travel plans of most Americans.  Six of ten (59%) Americans who are currently planning a trip with their car, truck or SUV this summer will not change their travel plans even with additional increases in the price of gas, according to the closely watched travelhorizons™ survey co-authored by the Travel Industry Association (TIA) and Ypartnership. 

“The data confirm, once again, that vacations are a non-negotiable part of contemporary life, even in challenging economic times,” said Peter Yesawich, Ypartnership’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. 

Roger Dow, TIA’s President and Chief Executive Officer, said the survey results indicating $12.1 billion of the tax rebates will be spent on trips underscores travel’s importance to the overall economy.  “These survey results prove that travel is a multi-billion dollar shot into the arm of the American economy,” said Dow. “It is time for policymakers to do their part by improving America’s infrastructure, developing a more efficient and reliable air travel process and passing the Travel Promotion Act.”
Among the 41% of respondents who stated their plans would change if gas prices rise further, the greatest percentage would simply drive a shorter distance to their vacation destination. Other expected outcomes include people taking fewer trips and spending less money on other aspects of vacations as revealed below:

• 38% would drive a shorter distance;
• 36% would take fewer trips and/or cancel a trip;
• 30% would spend less on souvenirs and shopping;
• 27% would spend less money on meals/restaurants and/or less on entertainment;
• 23% would spend less on hotels;
• 21% would spend fewer nights away from home;
• 20% would select another vacation destination.

The survey revealed that 74% of households are expecting to receive a tax rebate check as part of the economic stimulus package approved by Congress. Among those planning to use the money to take a trip, just under half (46%) plan to stay in a hotel, motel or bed and breakfast, one out of four (25%) plans to take a trip by air, 11% plan to visit a theme park, 5% plan to stay in a timeshare and 3% plan to take an international trip. 

Among adults not planning to use their tax rebate to take an overnight or day trip, the most frequently mentioned uses include: 

• Put in savings account, mutual fund or otherwise invest (29%);
• Spend on home necessities such as food, utility bills, etc. (24%);
• Pay down a credit card balance (23%);
• Pay down debt other than a credit card balance (18%);
• Spend on dining out or other forms of entertainment (6%).
• Only 4% indicated they would use the rebate to make a home mortgage payment and/or home or apartment rental payment.

travelhorizons™ is a quarterly survey of U.S. adults co-authored by the Travel Industry Association and Ypartnership. The national survey of 2,233 U.S. adults was conducted during April 2008, and the estimated margin of error is +/-2.05 percent at the 95 percent level of confidence.