If you’ve never experienced a Thanksgiving on the Outer Banks, we highly recommend creating new traditions by bringing your family to the Outer Banks for the upcoming holiday! The peaceful landscape, mild climate, abundance of shopping, and awesome amenities to accommodate everyone in your family make an Outer Banks getaway a great way to spend your Thanksgiving holiday.  Check out these reasons why you should spend your Thanksgiving holiday with us here on the Outer Banks!

• No Fighting for Couch Space or Room at the Adult Table

Maximize the comfort of your Thanksgiving celebration by staying in an Outer Banks vacation home. The entire family can easily fit in one house without having to share beds, sleep on the floor, or pull up a desk chair to the kiddie table to eat. Multiple rooms with plenty of sleeping space will come in handy for those post-turkey naps and the enormous living areas will allow for everyone to comfortably watch the big game together.

• Keep the Whole Gang Happy and Occupied

With enough amenities in the average Outer Banks vacation home to keep everyone occupied for hours on end, there will be plenty of options to appeal to just about everyone’s tastes. Game rooms with pool tables, children’s rooms with bunk beds and plenty of space for board games and activities, multiple TV’s for shared entertainment options, and hot tubs (which are available in many Outer Banks homes) are all perfect ways for the entire family to unwind and enjoy the holiday together.

• Black Friday Christmas Shopping with Ease

With numerous shops to choose from on the Outer Banks, Black Friday never looked so good. During the holiday season, the beach is less crowded than usual, and therefore so are the stores, making Black Friday shopping a little more manageable than usual. Take advantage of the unique stores you can’t find anywhere else and get some one-of-a-kind Christmas gifts out of the way for everyone on your list. Enjoy all of the shopping specials without the Black Friday shopping headache…now THAT’S a deal!

• The Beautiful Beach

With a mild climate, even in late November, the Outer Banks offers holiday visitors the same breathtaking beauty that it does in the summertime: serene sunrises, stunning sunsets, and rejuvenating walks along the shore. Although we all love Grandma’s house for the holidays, these are a few things you might not be able to experience there.

• Fishing Season

For all of the fishing lovers in the family, either amateur or professional, the Outer Banks boasts its most prolific fishing season during the fall months, making it a coveted destination for fishermen of all types. Bring your family to the Outer Banks for Thanksgiving and give the fishermen in your life the holiday getaway of their dreams.

• Last But Not Least…Low Prices

With the crowds gone for the season, many vacation rental homes are vacant and owners are able to make better deals with renters because of the lower demand for their property. Use this to your advantage and check out some of the Outer Banks rentals that are offered at a lower cost for not only a memorable, but an affordable, getaway as well.

If you’re not convinced by now that an Outer Banks getaway is the perfect way to spend your Thanksgiving holiday, you should be. Come enjoy a memorable extended weekend with the ones you love on the beautiful barrier islands and create a new tradition that everyone is sure to enjoy!

The Outer Banks is not just known for our sprawling sandy beaches, the one-of-a-kind wildlife experiences, or the historical landmarks, but for food, too…mmm. And not just seafood but all-American fare as well, and what is more American than a good old-fashioned hamburger? Below is a list, based on real customer experiences, of where you can find the tastiest burger on the Outer Banks. So no matter which of the Outer Banks Vacation Rentals you’ve decided to stay in this year, a great burger spot won’t be far. Check out one of these places on your vacation:

#1: Art’s Place in Kitty Hawk takes the cake! The local hangout was featured in Our State magazine’s June 2011 issue naming it one of the best burger joints in North Carolina. Opened in 1978 by the late Art Glidden himself, Art’s continues to be an Outer Banks treasure with its honest-to-goodness delicious homemade food and casual atmosphere. The half-pound burgers are hand-pattied and served up on a fluffy Kaiser roll with your choice of 6 different cheeses and all the fixin’s. The burger-masters over at Art’s are happy to create a unique combination for you and will happily build your beauty with anything available to them!  The mouth-watering creation goes perfectly with their homemade fries, which they hand-cut right in front of you. Don’t let their “Locals Welcome, Tourists Tolerated” slogan scare you off…just behave.

During the summer Art’s is open from 7a.m.-9p.m. except for Friday and Saturday, when they decide how late they want to keep it going. Off-season hours vary. Art’s is located at 4624 Virginia Dare Trail, Kitty Hawk, NC 27949, otherwise known as MP 2.5 on The Beach Road.

#2: The Blue Moon Beach Grill in Nags Head offers outside-of-the-box cuisine, unique daily specials, and a Beach Burger that’s a sure-bet crowd-pleaser. Using one third of a pound of prime Angus ground beef, the Beach Burgers are individually created and broiled over an open flame to your preference. The burgers are served on a toasted bun with lettuce, tomato and onion and your choice of 5 cheeses, including Blue Cheese. Add a fried egg, bacon, grilled mushrooms or onions, or blacken your beauty for a custom-built masterpiece. Wash it down with seasonally rotating taps or something from their impressive bottled-beer or wine collection.

Scott and Melissa Shields, who opened Blue Moon Grill in February 2009, provide a seamless experience between food and atmosphere that creates an enjoyable dining experience. Located at MP 13 in Surfside Plaza in Nags Head, the Blue Moon Beach Grill is another hot spot when vacationing on the Outer Banks.

#3: John’s Drive-In the place to find the hands-down best milkshake on the beach, but we’re talking burgers here, and what a perfect pair they make at this classic drive-in. John’s traditional-style burger comes with a basic set-up: ketchup, mustard, pickle, lettuce, tomato and cheese, and tastes like burgers used to. If you’re feeling a little more adventurous, choose from one of their specialty burgers like the Las Vegas Burger, complete with an onion ring, BBQ sauce, lettuce, tomato, mozzarella and pickle. Everything comes with crinkle fries, but if you want something a little more country, upgrade to fried okra instead! A simple, quick, inexpensive burger that won’t disappoint! John’s is located in Kitty Hawk at 3716 N. Virginia Dare Trail.

#4: Baldie’s Burgers starts with thick, hand-rolled ground beef that is sure to satisfy your burger craving. Served in various sizes and at your desired temperature, Baldie’s burgers come with crispy hand-cut fries served with the skin on. Their buttery, toasted hamburger buns barely fit the sizeable creations allowing for more burger flavor and less fluff. Established in Duck about 10 years ago, Baldies is a small dive with limited seating but a great place for a big juicy burger. Baldie’s is Located at the Marketplace in Southern Shores at 5581 N. Croatan Hwy. in Kitty Hawk.

#5: Dune Burger in Nags Head is a fast-food style to-go stop that opened in the 1950’s and has remained at the same Whalebone Junction location ever since. The burgers are nothing fancy but they keep customers coming back again and again as a must-stop on their vacation list. It’s a blast from the past walk-up burger joint where customers can grab a simple, inexpensive junior, single, or double burger and post up on one of the outdoor picnic tables. Dune Burger is located at 7305 South Virginia Dare Trail.

Whether you’re looking for a hidden local spot, an in-and-out dive, a classic drive in, or a contemporary sit-down restaurant, there is a great burger to be found in your ideal eatery during your Outer Banks vacation.