My husband works in the accounting/auditing field so every April, we try to take a short post-tax season vacation. This year, we took a trip to the Outer Banks. April is a nice time to visit the area because everyone is gearing up for the summer season. Homes are being repaired, seasonal businesses are opening and the weather is warming up. Plus, when we visit in the summer it’s all about the beach, but in the off-season we drive from Kill Devil Hills to Cape Hatteras and take the trolley to Ocacroke. We also visit Manteo, one of my favorites, and have even been known to visit Corolla and Duck.

I love Manteo. I like the atmosphere of the area with the shops and the ships. Below is the Manteo Storm Warning Tower, believed to be one of only five still used today. It sits right near the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse, which officially completed our visits of Outer Banks lighthouses. We’ve climbed many of the others, but sadly this one wasn’t available for climbing when we visited.

It’s always important to know how far you are from the Bahamas.

After Manteo, it was time to visit Ocacroke and Cape Hatteras.

The sunset over Pamlico Sound was amazing one evening.

Post sunset, we caught the Bodie Island Lighthouse at twilight, the perfect time to catch the light turning on.