12/23/11

Picture of the Week

There are so many unique sights and sounds to enjoy while on a Hatteras Island vacation – from relaxing on the beach, to exploring the Pamlico Sound and watching boats of all sizes bring in the daily catch at our area fishing marinas.

Photo submitted on Facebook by Paul V Kelley


07/13/11

Mixed Drinks on the Menu at Hatteras Island Restaurants

All villages on Hatteras Island have voted in favor of allowing mixed drinks to be served at area restaurants and bars.

The private kitchen in your vacation rental home is great for serving up meals, but the chefs in your group deserve a relaxing dinner, too! On at least one night of your Hatteras Island vacation, it is always fun to get everyone together and head out to one of the fantastic local restaurants for fresh seafood and special memories. Now, the adults can also order a Sundowner or one of the other variety of mixed drinks you are sure to find with a catchy name.

In year’s past, locals and visitors were not able to order a mixed drink at our island restaurants. Hatteras Island was a “dry” island where only beer and wine could be sold in properly licensed restaurants, grocery and convenience stores. Liquor was only sold at one ABC store on the island. As of today, that is no longer the case. (“Case” -no pun intended!) Liquor drinks were voted to be made legal in the southern villages of Hatteras, Frisco and Buxton back in December and the northern villages of Avon, Salvo, Waves and Rodanthe this July.

Liquor drinks are now available at most restaurants in the villages of Hatteras, Frisco and Buxton and will become available once the restaurants in the newly voted villages apply for their ABC permits and start stocking their restaurants.

Mixed drinks have been sold on Ocracoke Island for four years and they are also sold in restaurants in the northern beaches. Those who were in favor of allowing liquor by the drink feel that there will be a boost to island businesses in a down economy and that mixed drinks are an amenity that many tourists expect.

Whether you enjoy a nice dinner with friends and family at your vacation home, or prefer to get together at an area restaurant for cocktails, cuisine and good conversation, remember to drink responsibly.

From your friends at Surf or Sound Realty we hope you have a safe and memorable Hatteras Island vacation.


05/11/11

Celebrating Tourism on Hatteras Island

National Tourism Week is May 7-15 and is celebrated each year by the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau and the U.S. Travel Industry Association as a way to show the importance of travel.

“The Visitors Bureau is fortunate to have so many great travel partners working with us every day. We were pleased to invite our partners to stand with us on National Travel & Tourism Day, celebrate tourism and thank our visitors for choosing the Outer Banks,” said Lee Nettles, Managing Director for the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau. Governor Beverly Perdue has proclaimed May 10th as North Carolina Travel & Tourism Day, in conjunction with National Travel & Tourism Week, a collective effort to promote the power of travel through customized events in communities nationwide.

This year, Surf or Sound Realty participated in the U.S. Travel Rally Day as a way to celebrate tourism on the local level as a salute to the power of travel and its importance to our community on the Outer Banks and Hatteras Island.

Surf or Sound Realty company representative and Marketing Director, Jessica Epping, took the opportunity to greet visitors at the Hatteras Welcome Center, located in the restored U.S. Weather Bureau Station.

“I thoroughly enjoyed meeting our visitors and speaking with them about all of the wonderful historic sights and unique attractions on Hatteras Island and throughout the Outer Banks,” said Jessica. “I met visitors from Indiana, Texas and West Virginia, all in one afternoon and they each shared a mutual excitement about choosing to travel here.”

On your next visit to Hatteras Island, or on your way to catch the ferry for a daytrip on Ocracoke Island or to visit the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras Village, stop in the Hatteras Welcome Center.

It offers an abundance of area information and you will surely enjoy the historical tour and local significance of the U.S. Weather Bureau Station, restored to its 1901 time period.


01/21/10

Selecting Vacation Rental Homes

A first timer’s guide to selecting vacation rental homes on Hatteras Island Continue reading


01/20/10

USA Today article encourages vacation home renters to book early

A January 7th USA Today article which examined the optimal times to book a range of vacations, from cruises to European trips, found that the best time to book a vacation rental home is early – at least 6 months in advance. Continue reading