I'd been wanting to go ever since I discovered it about four years ago. We had actually planned to go then, but life happened and it got postponed. Recently, we received our Southwest Airlines Companion Pass, which means I can fly free anywhere Eric goes. At this point, Amalia is still free as a "lap child." We can take her car seat and if there is an empty seat on the plane, it's 3 seats for the price of one!
So, armed with the Companion Pass and a free night at a Marriott (also courtesy Eric's obscene amount of travel for work), we set out. We were also blessed that Eric was able to take a few days from work. I was delighted that it actually WAS free from work...no emails or calls or research, oh my!
Travel Day
We flew out Friday afternoon from MDW to ORF (Norfolk, VA)
and settled in to a hotel near the airport (Residence Inn by Marriott) for the night. I must digress briefly. There are people who stay in hotels for months at a time. Months. Our refrigerator had a social calendar on it. The hotel actually hosts social events three times a week for it's guests, like pizza parties and Mexican night. I'm not sure if I should feel depressed for those people, or glad for them that they can be outgoing enough to make friends at their hotel. Back to our vacation, though...We highly recommend two-room-suites for traveling parents, especially if they are free. Amalia went right to sleep, which was a shocker, because she had recently protested strongly when our plans required her to sleep anywhere other than her crib in her room.
Day 1
We enjoyed breakfast early the next morning at our hotel before setting out. Amalia was delighted that they had bananas as well as guests on hand to admire her.
After breakfast, we headed to Kill Devil Hills where we would stay the next three nights. It was a nice enough drive, but I was disappointed that the highways couldn't be any closer to the coast. (I like my LakeshoreDrive) It took about an hour and 40 minutes to get out to the Outer Banks, although it seemed that during the high tourist season it could be much worse. The bridge across the sound was especially pretty. We took a quick video (warning: this is not the type of video that goes viral)
Our hotel at Kill Devil Hills was the Best Western Ocean Reef Suites. We would highly recommend it, except to the most discerning traveler who would expect their cheap ocean front hotel in hurricane territory to be frequently remodeled and be sand-free. Here is the view from our room(s)!
From the front of the hotel, we could see the Wright Brothers, Memorial and the spot where Wilbur and Orville made history. We would explore that the next day. First, we had some fun on the beach. The weather was a tad cool. When the sun decided to peek out from the clouds it warmed up very quickly. The ocean water was actually warmer than the air some of the time we were there! The waves were very rough, so I had fun playing in them for awhile, but was quickly worn out. It would not have been much fun (or safe) for kids or poor swimmers. I'm not sure if that is normal for the area or not. Amalia loved exploring the sand!
We also enjoyed the heated pool at our hotel. Amalia nearly made herself sick laughing. Water is very funny if you're 14 months old.
After we washed off the sand, we headed to enjoy what we really came for...seafood. Our pick that night was the Outer Banks Brewing Station.We're not really beer drinkers, but Eric enjoyed fried flounder with his root beer and I had a crab cake sandwich and very sharp ginger beer. Amalia shared. Great meal, definitely overpriced (and we're used to city prices). Good selection of standards for the less adventurous (which is not us).
Day 2
We woke up excited to scratch another item off my list- (well, ok, I was really the only one excited. Amalia woke up confused and Eric woke up in his usual state of Eric). Day 2 was #75 Go Fishing.
We had an early breakfast and bundled up to head down to Jenette's Pier in Nag's Head. They have a blanket fishing license, so we just paid a fee for me to rent a rod and tackle (Eric says it's called that, but honestly, I'm not sure what "tackle" is...) They handed me this fishing pole and a small container of shrimp to use as bait. We explained that we didn't know anything about fishing, hoping to get some tips or direction. The clerk mumbled something about debris from the old pier being underneath at a certain point and gestured out towards a spot he thought I should head.I must digress again. I was perplexed by several accents I heard on this trip. I'm certain I heard more than a handful of Australians, but there was this other accent that didn't even sound like English-I'm assuming the native accent mixed with a few drinks. It made me think fondly of my dear friend, Tabby, whose accent always makes me laugh. ("git a swig uh warrrrduhr frum da spihgut" translates to "drink from the water fountain")
Anyway, back at the pier, after I pretended to understand the clerk, we headed out to find a spot. Everyone else had a lot more facial hair than me, and they seemed to know what they were doing. I shoved the shrimp on the sharp hook thing and Eric showed me how to loosen and tighten the line on the rod. I managed to cast it in, though awkwardly. I think I did pretty well for about 20 minutes or so before I got it stuck on something below. With some help, we broke the line to get unstuck. I should mention here that it was very windy and very cold because the sun hadn't made an appearance yet. Fine for a dedicated fisherwoman, but Amalia was getting cranky, so we decided to take a break and come back later. My rental was good all day. We put her in her carseat and she fell asleep before we left the parking lot! Plumb tuckered out!
We took the opportunity to drive around and look at the area. When she started to wake up, we headed to the Wright Memorial and Museum for some indoor fun. Here are Eric's reflections on that stop.
[Eric]: I remember reading books about the Wright brothers from a very young age--probably right after the Dr. Seuss stage--so I've had a mental picture of Kill Devil Hills and their early gliding experiments. To finally see where it all happened was really exciting. The visitor center is a modest building that probably dates to the 50th anniversary of the first flight in 1953. Most of the exhibits are pictures and some carefully made full-size replicas of original stuff (a glider, the Wright Flyer, the wind tunnel). I specifically enjoyed seeing some of the data tables the brothers compiled from testing various airfoils in their wind tunnel. Back when I first read about the tables I didn't really know anything about math or physics, and I hadn't spent so much time working in Excel. (Not to imply that I know much about math or physics now). After seeing the exhibits, we went outside and saw the markers that showed the takeoff and landing spots for the first four flights. The first flight was surprisingly short, but Wilbur made it over 800 feet on the last run before a gust of wind wrecked the plane.Ok, time for more shellfish, so we went to the Awful Arthur's Oyster Bar, which was nearby. We enjoyed a tray with an assortment of steamed shellfish that was wonderful, although I think in hindsight, crab and shrimp are best steamed, but oysters should be fried. I'm not a big fan of fried foods, but fried oysters are just soo good. Amalia loved her clam chowder. We were disappointed with the "kids" menus on this trip. We're just now at the stage where we need to actually order her something and the only options at most places are a grossly overpriced pb&j or something deep fat fried...or applesauce. Amalia was full and tired again, so we took her back to the hotel where she enjoyed a nice long nap. Fortunately, while she napped, the sun warmed up things rather nicely and we headed back to the pier to finish #75. Amalia was much more agreeable (see pic).
Of course, I caught many fish. Below, you can see the 60lb black drum that I caught.
Day 3
[Eric]: – Amalia was up before the dawn (she was in the west bedroom, so no way of knowing when dawn was), so we puttered around the hotel for a while before a stroll on the beach. She had been resisting morning naps, but running around in the sand is tiring and she eventually dozed off for a bit. When she woke up, well rested, we drove to the far west side of the island (about 10 blocks) to an area managed by The Nature Conservancy, Liz’s old employer. This reserve had some nice hiking trails and provided some much needed exercise for the three of us. Amalia split her time hiking and being carried, but I maximized cuteness by setting her down when I heard other hikers coming. One older group especially was impressed (their exclamations crescendoing as they came into view) and allowed that if someone so young could handle the trail they should all stop their griping. I was so proud.
The rest of the day included more beach time, more pool time, and a trip to Austin Fish Market for some steamed crabs. Eating crabs is very tiresome work! We packed two away (on ice) to take back to Chicago with us and they became a delicious bisque last night. 
Day 4/ Trip Home
We had a good chunk of the day before we headed back to the airport, so after breakfast, we enjoyed another walk on the beach, allowed Amalia another morning nap, and packed our things. Then, we went for one last little walk at the Wright Memorial so we could fly our kite. The rest of the trip home was rather uneventful. Amalia did not enjoy the flight, but we made it home anyway. 
there is a little landing strip at the Wright Brothers Memorial site! We saw several plans take off and land during our time there. Here is a little Beechcraft!
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