Summertime is always a great time to visit the outer banks. A stretch of about 200 miles of the Atlantic coast with tens of islands and great beaches to chill and relax. This time we chose a different type of vacation. It was Nili’s mom’s birthday and we decided to fulfill a childhood dream and visit Shackleford Banks, a place where wild horses have been living for over 500 years!
We rented a house on Harkers Island, about 25 minutes drive from Beaufort, where we would take the boat to Shackleford Banks. Harkers Island is small and quiet, but beyond sitting at the beach, there is not a lot to do there, and not many food choices as well. Beaufort, however, is thriving. This town was known as the pirate town back in the day, and you can still feel that to some extent- from the lettering on the signs to the pirate boat tour you can take (now a bucket list item when our kids are older). Definitely a call for a bottle of rum!
We took the boat to Shackleford Banks through a somewhat rough sea. It’s a 20 minutes ride and they land you directly at the beach, right in front of the horses. I’m guessing you are asking yourself how the horses ended up over there? Well, they were brought by the first Spanish travelers who discovered America back in the late 1500s. After a shipwreck, the horses swam to safety and made Shackleford Banks their new home. For about 400 years no one really moved them out. They thrived on the island and during the 60’s the national science department decided to support them. They do it with almost no intervention (aside from some birth control to control the population) since these horses are considered to be a national treasure. You can’t touch or feed them and the law states you have to stay at least 50 yards away from them if possible.
After watching the horses we went to the Atlantic side of the island and collected tens of beautiful seashells in all colors and shapes before heading back to Beaufort and were greeted by a dolphin that was swimming pretty close to shore.
Upon our return, we had lunch at a very good mexican restaurant called Mezcalito – our boat captain to Shackleford Banks rightfully raved about their margaritas. Highly recommended.
The next day we drove to the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. It’s very beautiful with tons of activities for both adults and kids. Our kids got to pet stingrays and a baby alligator as well as help train birds to collect tips to support the aquarium.
It was a very fun trip!