5 Days Free....Where To????

I love my sister. 

 She texted me last night and this is what it said, "Turk! I have five days free - want to do something fun???"

Ummm, duh!

But where to?  We live in the Outer Banks, NC and VA so everything around us is cold.  Oh and we have kids....

She has two girls (4&5months) and I have Noah (5 months)...

That makes it a little more challenging.

She suggested Florida.  If we flew, yes.  But driving the 11-12 hrs there and back with 3 kids....honestly I cannot make myself do that for just five days.

I have been racking my brain over where we could go and what to do and many options have come to mind and many options have been ruled out. 

 Even though my little boy is 5 months now I still have not wrapped my brain around the concept that destinations and the "things to do list" have changed.  

Currently, my requirements are primarily just a warm, quiet place where he can nap and since I am breast feeding access to privacy. 

He is still a bit young to go to a ski resort :(  

So here are our options that I think are reasonable:

Ocracoke, NC 

New Bern, NC 

Out of those options we are going to consider 3 things:

weather

cost

activities

What would you put into consideration???

Well for starters we are from New Bern and so that would definitely land it being the cheapest because we would stay at home.

Benefits of New Bern: Gigi and Nana could get quality time with grand babies (built in babysitters), less money, plenty to do, only a 3 hour drive for both of us.

  If you have never visited our growing little town you should.  Downtown New Bern is fantastic!  It is situated on the convergence of two rivers, the Trent and Neuse and is full of art galleries, coffee shops, clothing boutiques, seafood restaurants and history centers. 

Also, if we stayed here would could drive to Atlantic Beach for the day and visit the NC Aquarium in Pine Knoll Shores.  I personally feel that it is the best of all three NC aquariums :) 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Next for consideration is Ocracoke (my favorite option).

I have written on Ocracoke before and I have to just say that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE being from North Carolina and having Ocracoke as my backyard.  

North Carolina is home to a string of barrier islands called the Outer Banks and Ocracoke Island is the most remote of them all. 
 
Accessible only by ferry, private boat or plane it boasts sixteen miles of undeveloped ocean beach and one of the most beautiful natural harbors on the East Coast.

We can still get by with a fairly cheap getaway-our biggest expense would be accommodations.  

Other than that we could bring our own food, the ferry is free, and gas is at an all time low. It would only take 3 hours to get there from my house too.

Things to do in Ocracoke in the winter...

Honestly, it is slim pickins but if you like to just bunker down in a cozy house, cook at home, or hang out at the local wine bar that stays open all year you have found your spot!

The weather is going to be fair with the highest temp around 52 but partially sunny most days.

Not bad, that would allow us to go for walks, explore nature trails, and drink wine at Zillie's Wine Bar.

That sounds like Heaven to me!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I put feelers out on Facebook to see where the general public would go if they had five days off sporadically and this is what I got:

My British friend said that she would probably head to Europe or New York City, that is was common to take weekend jaunts from England to other European countries or to cross the big lake.  
Or since she is currently in Saudi Arabia she would choose to go to Egypt, Abu Dhabi or Dubai.
(She has a hard life...)

Then, a girlfriend here in Virginia said they would either go hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains or go snowboarding in West Virginia.

And the only other response I got was that her family is willing to travel 12 hours by car.
(If Noah was older I probably would be too)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Regardless of where you decide your weekend jaunt will take you contact United Military Travel.  They can hook you up with all the flights, hotels and car rentals you need!

866-589-9579