Santa arriving in Duck 2014.
Suddenly the holiday season is upon us. Like the rest of the country, Santa keeps popping up in a number of places, there’s some great celebrations to check and there are a couple of things done in a way that is truly an Outer Banks original.
The holidays really are about kids and one of the best places to stop by for a visit with the “fat jolly old elf” is at Kitty Hawk Kites in Nags Head. Hangin’ with Santa is always a lot of fun and the folks at the kite store make sore there’s plenty of cookies and hot chocolate. Hang around until Saturday evening for Kites with Lights at Jockey’s Ridge State Park as huge kites soar into the night sky with an array of light attached.
Thanksgiving weekend is also when Elizabethan Gardens begins their annual Winter Lights festival. An absolutely beautiful array of lights illuminates the trees and paths of the Roanoke Island formal gardens.
Some traditional Outer Banks holiday celebrations are on tap for the following week.
The 27th Annual Festival of the Trees will be at the Outer Banks Brewing Station December 3-5. A great way to keep the Christmas spirit with wonderfully decorated trees and donations to Outer Banks Hotline.
The Maneo Tree Lighting is a not to be missed small town event. Friday December 4, the evening features choral music, lots of hot chocolate, a burning yule log and a great community spirit.
The following day the town of Duck lights their Christmas Tree—which is unique in it’s own way. It’s a crab pot tree with the ceremony taking place on the town green. Santa, of course, makes an appearance, coming into town in a fire truck. The Duck Santa may be the best around.
Kitty Hawk Kites
November 27
Hangin’ with Santa
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Saturday
Hangin’ with Santa 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Kites with Lights- Jockey’s Ridge State Park
4:00 p.m.
Elizabethan Gardens, Roanoke Island
WinterLights
November 28
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
December 2-5, 9-12, 16-19, 23, 26,30 (Tuesdays thru Saturdays) January 2,8,9,15,16,22,23 (Fridays and Saturdays)
252-473-3234 or www.elizabethangardens.org.
Festival of the Trees
December 3-5
Outer Banks Brewing Station, Kill Devil Hills
Manteo
Tree Lighting
December 4
Christmas Parade
December 5
Parade begins at 10:30 a.m.
Duck
Duck Yuletide Celebration
December 5
3:00 p.m.-5:00p.m.
Click here to learn more about our Holiday Rentals in Outer Banks!