DUCK, NORTH CAROLINA | When I lived here 50 years ago, Duck was little more than a backwater that had nothing to offer tourists other than its beautiful beaches. In fact, I do not recall the town even having a restaurant. But today, it is a vibrant community that boasts a strong culinary culture.
On two occasions, my wife Cynthia and I drove there for dinner. Our destination one night was the NC Coast Grill & Bar, an airy spot with an open kitchen that put out superb renditions of local favorites such as oven-roasted oysters and a blue crab dip served with tortilla chips dusted with Old Bay seasoning. As for the cocktails we enjoyed – a blood orange margarita for my wife and a honey almond sidecar for me – they were as deftly mixed as anything I have ever sipped in New York City or San Francisco.
Another evening, we headed to The Blue Point, which is regarded by many locals as the best eatery on the Outer Banks. The cocktails we quaffed here (a barrel-aged Manhattan and something called a Wright Flyer with bourbon, aperol, cardamaro and lemon) were otherworldly, as were the shrimp and grits and the seared sea scallops that followed.
We also lunched at the Village Table and Tavern, which was most notable for its well-chosen craft beer menu, the luscious shrimp Po’ Boy I devoured and the salad Niçoise with fresh, local yellowfin tuna that Cynthia relished. Another thing that we liked about this spot: being able to eat, drink and be merry from a table set on a covered balcony overlooking Currituck Sound.
The Golf Village Cottages at Kilmarlic are an excellent choice for accommodations on a golf expedition to the Outer Banks. There are 18 units in this complex, with each one featuring two bedrooms and two bathrooms as well as a full kitchen, living room and back deck. The abodes, which sleep four comfortably, surround a lighted, 5,000-square-foot putting green. And my place, which was named after Jordan Spieth, also featured a grill and a trio of plasma televisions. Clean and comfortable, they were also convenient to my golf, with the track at Kilmarlic Golf Club only a five-minute drive away and the other courses I played some 30-40 minutes by car.
One thing to keep in mind with the golf cottages, though: they are very self-contained, which means you must bring your own supplies, such as pods for the Keurig coffee maker, half-and-half, sweetener and bottled water. Soap and shampoo, too.
Cynthia and I traveled to the Outer Banks in early November and enjoyed near-perfect weather, with temperatures ranging from the lows 50s in the evenings to the high 60s during the day. Just as pleasing was the utter lack of tourists, who generally flock here in the summer months and make this area quite busy that time of year. The tee sheets during our visit were nearly empty, too, which meant we had the golf courses more or less to ourselves. No round took me more than three hours.
During the summer season, the Roanoke Island Historical Association puts on “The Lost Colony,” a symphonic drama that tells the story of those first English settlers; the birth in 1587 of Virginia Dare, considered the first English person born in America; and the unexplained disappearance of the 117 men, women and children who lived there. Written by Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Green, the production was staged for the first time in 1937 in a theater set on the shores of Roanoke Sound. President Franklin D. Roosevelt attended a performance in that inaugural year, which seemed appropriate considering that the venue was built through his Depression-era Works Progress Administration program.
The pearl of the Outer Banks is the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Established in 1953 with monies donated by philanthropist Paul Mellon and managed by the National Park Service, it protects vast parts of three barrier islands – Bodie, Hatteras and Ocracoke – and runs more than 70 miles. The stretch is so narrow at points that motorists along Highway 12 can see Pamlico Sound on one side of their vehicles and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. Recreational opportunities abound throughout that property, which boasts campgrounds, nature trails and some of the most pristine beaches in the country. The kiteboarders who fly, literally, across the sound are something to behold.
A nice afternoon diversion is a roughly two-hour tour in a specially equipped, four-wheel-drive vehicle of the beaches outside Corolla where the area’s famous wild horses roam. Descended from Spanish mustangs that swam ashore centuries ago where the ships in which they were traveling ran aground on shoals or broke apart on rocks, the equines offer visitors another way to enjoy the beauty of the Outer Banks while appreciating the history of this area. The outfitter we used, Corolla Outback Adventures, provided a first-rate experience.
For more information on the Outer Banks, and to plan a trip here, go to: OuterBanks.org; VisitCurrituck.com.