An Ocracoke Reunion ( continued )

Our love for Ocracoke started with spartan camping trips on the island when my husband and I were dating. We spent long days fishing in the ocean’s surf or on the Pamlico Sound and quiet nights by a campfire listening to waves crashing on the shore. That’s all it took to be completely hooked.

It was inevitable that we would get married on the island. I looked around in my hometown for a place to tie the knot, but I could not get Ocracoke Island out of my head. The island perfectly suited the style of event we wanted – simple, intimate, relaxed and unstressful – and we wanted to share this special and secluded place with all the people we loved. We were positive that our friends and family would be just as charmed by Ocracoke as we had been.

At first, we were a little worried that many guests would not make the effort to get to the island, which is admittedly a little off the beaten path; the island is remote and accessible only by ferry and private plane. And we were a little worried about there being enough services and accommodations and daily activities for all our guests. But with a little planning, all of our fears turned out to be unfounded. Ocracoke, we discovered, is the ideal place for a group gathering.

The Wedding

Our wedding was a wonderful reunion of family and friends, held over an exceptionally warm mid-September weekend. It far exceeded our expectations, mainly because of the tranquil aura of Ocracoke Island. Everyone was relaxed and in their happiest, holiday frame of mind all weekend.

One hundred and twenty-five guests traveled to the island for our event, and not one of them complained about the extra effort of getting there. In fact, everyone considered the long and scenic journey as absolutely essential for easing into Ocracoke time, which is a slower pace and a happier state of mind. They all enjoyed the nontraditional means of travel. Some friends came by private planes and landed on the small, oceanfront airstrip. Everyone else arrived by one of three ferries, two from mainland North Carolina and one from Hatteras Island on the Outer Banks.

By Friday afternoon of our wedding weekend, Ocracoke Village, year-round population less than 700, was teeming with our family and friends. The island village is so small (only 10 percent of the island is developed) that it was not hard to find anyone. I strolled the village streets arm in arm with my college girls and bumped into long-lost cousins in the coffee shop. I met new in-laws in a village café, and laughed to see old high-school buddies celebrating early on the balcony of their hotel. My husband reunited with old friends on the water, both of them in their boats happening upon the same fishing hole at the same time. I lolled in Adirondack chairs in the garden with all four of our grandmothers and waved to wedding guests who were riding their bikes around town.

For our wedding events, we rented an entire inn for a long weekend. Our immediate family members stayed in the inn’s rooms and we held the rehearsal dinner, rehearsal party, ceremony and reception in the common areas and on the lawn of the inn. The inn was not big enough for everyone to stay in, so we rented blocks of rooms at nearby hotels and bed-and-breakfast inns. The good thing about Ocracoke is that every inn, every restaurant, every activity, is within walking distance. No matter where our guests stayed, they could walk or bike to our wedding events and to anything else they wanted to do.

During the downtime, Ocracoke offered plenty to keep our guests entertained. It was a gorgeous weekend, so most people went to the beach. On Ocracoke, the oceanfront is undeveloped and the beaches are pristine. In fact, the beaches were ranked as the number two beaches in the nation by Dr. Steve Leatherman in 2005. Other guests went fishing on a charter fishing trip we had lined up. Many people spent the time on bicycles, which is undoubtedly the favorite pastime in Ocracoke Village. The village streets are narrow, but traffic moves slowly and you can bike the entire village. A bicycle tour will take you past the 1823 lighthouse, tons of quaint shops and wonderful eateries, and the charming island architecture.

Everyone who came to Ocracoke Island for our wedding still tells us, nearly ten years later, that it was the best wedding they’ve ever attended. We know it’s not the food or the band or the flowers that stands out in their minds. The island has a distinctive charm that captured everyone’s heart.

The Reunions Continue

Since then, my husband and I have had many more reunions and celebrations on Ocracoke Island. In the uncertain times of Y2K, we decided that if the world was indeed going to blow up at midnight on January 1, 2000, we wanted to go down on Ocracoke. We rented a house on the island and spent New Year’s Eve with my parents, my sister and her family, and several friends. We cooked a fancy dinner in the house kitchen and celebrated in a quiet style with sparklers and a champagne toast at midnight. We went for walks on the beach and poked around the village cemeteries, even though it was freezing cold, and made an effort to watch the sunset every night. I don’t remember many New Year’s Eves specifically, but that one I will remember forever – mainly because it was quiet and peaceful instead of bawdy and loud. That’s the beauty of Ocracoke Island – the distractions are few and simple. If you want to spend quality time with the people you love, this is the place to do it.

Our most recent reunion was just this past fall, and it was one of our most special yet. When my husband’s great uncle, William, whom we named our son after and whom we rarely see, announced he was coming for a visit from New Mexico, we knew we wanted to spend some uninterrupted quality time with him. We knew if we met at home, my husband and I would be constantly distracted by work and the pace of daily life at home with our one-year-old son. We had just the solution – Ocracoke Island.

We rented a small house right on the water in an area of Ocracoke called “North Pond.” The house had a small beach, a boat dock and a covered deck over the water. It accepted pets so we were able to bring our dog. My husband, son and I met Uncle William and his sister Edith, my husband’s grandmother, both in their late eighties, at the house, and yet again, Ocracoke Island provided the perfect setting for a small family reunion.

The house had a TV, but we never turned it on. Mostly we played with the baby on the little beach in front of the house. While the baby napped, we fished and crabbed off the dock, lazed in the hammock or sat in the rocking chairs on the porch and talked. We cooked great seafood meals at the house, walked with the stroller along the village streets, visited the local attractions and drove out to the beach. Our uncle was overwhelmed at how much he loved the little island and how quiet and special it felt.

We’ll never forget one moment of that reunion: William and Edith’s ferry left the island at 6 am, and, not wanting to wake us, they snuck out of the house before the sun came up. When we woke and discovered they were gone without saying goodbye, we jumped out of bed and ran out to our bicycles still wearing our pajamas. We put a helmet on the baby and sat him in the child seat for his first bicycle ride. We sped off toward the ferry docks in the dark, our dog running alongside us on the empty streets. The ferry was in port but the cars had yet to board. There, in the front of the line, was our grandmother and uncle, waiting silently for the boarding call. It was so dark they did not even recognize us as we rode up to them on our bicycles, but when they discovered it was us, they were overjoyed. We said our goodbyes in the ferry line, in the pitch dark of an Ocracoke morning, until the ferryman said it was time for them to go. We watched the ferry leave, its horn bellowing into the silent harbor, and we rode off laughing, the baby still waving and the dog trotting along at our wheels. A goodbye like that could only happen on Ocracoke Island.

Planning Your Own Ocracoke Island Reunion

Who Should Go:  Ocracoke Island is best suited for small to medium-sized groups simply because the logistics of getting there and the fact that there are no large hotels. Anyone who likes simplicity, peace and quiet, the beach and the natural world will like Ocracoke Island. People looking for a lot excitement and diversions, or people who expect luxurious accommodations or suburban amenities will probably not enjoy the island. There are no McDonalds, Taco Bells or 7-11s. There are no Radissons or Hiltons. There are no go-carts or amusement parks. Ocracoke Island is undeniably simple and rustic. It is a nice escape from everything you’re used to about home.

Time of Year: The best time of year to visit Ocracoke Island is in the early fall. The weather is still nice and the ocean is still warm but the summer crowds have thinned out. Plus, the prices on accommodations drop after Labor Day. The summer is the most crowded season on Ocracoke, so the streets are busier and there is more competition for activities like kayak tours and boat cruises. But Ocracoke never gets too crowded to enjoy, so if you want to go in the summer, do not let the crowds deter you. Spring is a nice season in Ocracoke, as is winter, although outdoor activities are restricted. Winter on Ocracoke is perfect for hunkering down for indoor meetings, retreats or planning sessions.

Getting There: Ocracoke is not easy to reach, but don’t let that discourage you. The ferry ride to the island is great fun, especially for children. You can take the ferry from the North Carolina mainland – Swan Quarter or Cedar Island – or from Hatteras Village on the Outer Banks. The closest major airport is in Norfolk, Virginia and if you rent a car it is about a 2½ -hour drive and 45-minute ferry ride from there. If you’re driving in from along the Eastern Seaboard, the ferry to Ocracoke Island is about a two-hour drive from I-95. The ferry ride from the mainland is a little over two hours. Small, private planes can land on the Ocracoke airstrip.

Accommodations: Ocracoke Island’s accommodations are relatively small; the largest hotel has only 35 rooms. But if you need to accommodate more people than that, you could divide up among several inns, which are all within walking distance of one another. With enough advance planning, it is possible to rent out an entire inn or hotel for your party. That way, you can use the common rooms at the inn for your gathering.

Another accommodation option on Ocracoke Island is the rental home. There are several types of rentals homes, some new and modern, some older and rustic. The most a home will accommodate is about 12, so rental homes are best for small groups. You could also rent a couple of homes near one another if you needed more space. Typically rental homes are rented by the week, though some are available for shorter periods on short notice.

Prices on accommodations, both hotel rooms and rental homes, are highest in the summer. Accommodations are less expensive in fall and spring, and winter is the least expensive of all, though not all accommodations are available in the winter.

Rental homes come equipped with cooking utensils and cookware as well as most of the necessities you’ll need. The companies rent things like cribs, strollers, grills, linens and beach gear, so you don’t have to bring everything from home.

Eating: Ocracoke Island has some wonderful restaurants, and several of them offer catering services for functions and events. With advance notice, they are also able to accommodate large parties in house. If you want to cook in at your rental house, the island has one grocery store stocked with all the necessities and a specialty foods store for gourmet goods. The island grocery store is a little more expensive, so you may want to bring some of your staples from home.

Things To Do: The activities on Ocracoke Island are mostly outdoor oriented. You can take a kayak eco-tour, rent a surfboard, go parasailing, go on a sailing tour, charter a fishing boat, fish in the surf, dig for clams or go crabbing, hike a nature trail, swim in the ocean, walk or drive on the beach, build a sandcastle, a bicycle around the village, or visit the famous Ocracoke pony pens. You can pop in and out of shops, take the self-guided Ocracoke Walking Tour, and visit the lighthouse and the Ocracoke Preservation Society Museum.

Daytrips: Portsmouth Island, an uninhabited island just south of Ocracoke, is one of the best daytrips. You get a ride over on a small ferry and spend the day exploring the beach and the buildings in the island’s restored ghost town. Another daytrip is to head up the Outer Banks to Hatteras Island, where you’ll find the famous Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, which you can climb. A little farther up the banks is Roanoke Island, home of the famous Lost Colony, and the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills.

Planning Recommendations: Plan an Ocracoke vacation early. If you want to get the best accommodations for summer or early fall, it’s best to reserve them as early as January. Call the vacation rental companies and hotels you are interested in and ask for a brochure or recommendations. Give everyone who will be coming plenty of time to plan for the trip to Ocracoke. Also, send a detailed map and a ferry schedule to everyone who will be coming.

Organize a few group activities early in the trip – a charter fishing trip on the Miss Ocracoke, a sunset sail on the Schooner Windfall, a group dinner, a kayak ecotour – but allow for some off-schedule time as well. Once people get comfortable with the island, they will want some downtime to explore on their own. Ocracoke Island is best for people who don’t have to have every minute structured. It is a place to slow down, to be free of too many activities.

Resources:

For a free visitor guide call the Hyde County Chamber of Commerce at 888-493-3826 or visit www.hydecounty.org.

For contacts for hotels, restaurants and activities, see the Ocracoke Civic Association’s website at www.ocracokevillage.com

Rental Homes

Ocracoke Island Realty, website: www.ocracokeislandrealty.com; phone: 252-928-6261; email: info@ocracokeislandrealty.com

Sandy Shores Realty, website: www.ocracoke-island.com; phone: 252-928-5711; email: ocracoke@outer-banks.com

For ferry schedules, see www.ncferry.org, or call 800-BY-FERRY. You will want to see the Ocracoke-Cedar Island, Ocracoke-Swan Quarter and Ocracoke-Hatteras schedules. Look at a map to see which route will be best for you.