Shallowbag Bay Marina in Manteo, NC: A great place to vacation!

Our family went to Manteo, North Carolina for vacation this year. We stayed at Shallowbag Bay Marina.

Shallowbag Bay Marina (SBM) is a 75-slip marina located just off the inter-coastal waterway in North Carolina’s wonderful Outer Banks. The Outer Banks recreational area is one of the fastest growing coastal areas in the United States. The Outer Banks is characterized by barrier islands, natural beaches, sand dunes and beautiful marsh land areas. The marina currently has 25′ – 60′ slips available.

We highly recommend staying in unit 103. It is nicely decorated with all the kitchen supplies you need, linens, washer/dryer, three bedrooms, and two bathrooms. I love the fact that this three bedroom condo has a deck for each room with a great view. You can wake up to your own private morning of worship. There are some food places and gift shops within walking distance of Shallowbag Bay.

Also, you are near the pool and hot tub, so your older children who know how to swim, can head to the pool, while you watch and listen from the deck. However, it is far enough away that you don’t feel like you are swimming with other vacationers when you are not at the pool! It’s a surprisingly quiet place. There is some early morning activity from the road, but with a little white noise and the ceiling fans in each room, you are comfortable!

You are within bike riding distance

of the quaint little town of Manteo with coffee shops, unique gift and artist shops, and fabulous restaurants. In fact, the famous Ortega’z is there! They were featured on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives!

On a rainy day, it’s great to go to the local coffee shop! Amazing combinations of coffee drinks, pastries, and a light fare menu.

They have a chess set, but we took our own. Bring your family games and sit for a while! Victoria worked on her upcoming wedding! They have free wireless!

My 10-year-old loved playing in the rain!

We were able to Kayak to the famous lighthouse in Manteo from Shallowbag Bay Marina!

Here’s a little video of the beautiful adventure!

Fishing at sunset from Shallowbag Bay!

We enjoyed heading to the main strip of the Outer Banks (only a few miles away!) for Duck Doughnuts and shopping.

Our favorite eating place is Sugar Shack. It’s adjacent to Sugar Creek Restaurant. We prefer to order our food, have them cook it, and take it back to the condo to eat as a family. There is a beautiful view of the sunset while you wait!

If you want to be adventuresome, try grilling on the beach. You can grill on the beach on a grill or container in Nags Head, but always check with the fire department first for permits and the safety of grilling that day (winds). You may need a permit.

We love climbing the sand dune of Jockey’s Ridge and flying kites!

They have great shops to cool off in and an ice-cream/sandwich shop for a quick snack.

My youngest bought a “make your own” stuffed hippo! That was her one treasure for the week!

On Saturday, Manteo has a Farmer’s Market from about 9:00 – 12:00. We enjoyed the unique artists, vegetables, and an artist who creates necklaces out of sea glass from Haiti to support her daughter’s orphanage.

There was an artist who had the brightest and colorful expressions of the beach! Her business is named Carolina Coto Visual Artist

http://www.carolinacotoart.com

252-619-4871

I highly recommend her prints, jewelry, and cards. They are reasonably priced and so beautiful! Be sure to check out her website, or facebook Arte Carolina Coto.

A little courtyard in the shops at Manteo.

God’s beauty all around us!

When we drove to the beach for the day to swim, eat, or fish, we would drive down the road a bit to find a more private area to park and hang out on the beach as a family. We went to the June Street Beach Access at Milepost 19.2.

We were able to obtain our fishing license over the phone! I believe the cost was 10 dollars a person and children of a certain age do not pay. I’ll get my husband to comment on this post and share the website or phone number to do this.

One of our favorite ice-cream stops after a long day at the beach was Fatboyz ice cream. Friendly service and yummy food! My youngest LOVED the cheese fries. My husband made a connection with the folks–they used to live in the town of Gloucester, VA, just like us many years ago.