January 11th, 2010 
Charles Vaughn Do you remember the television show from the 1960’s called “The Andy Griffith Show”? It centered around Andy, a sheriff in the small town of “Mayberry”, and his family and friends and the wonderful times that they all had together. When we look at this tv show now a days we long for the “simpler time”, when life was slower, and people seemed to care for each other. While this is a fictional TV show, there is a place that certainly reminds us of “Mayberry”…it’s Ocracoke Beach. Located in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, it’s a great place for your family beach vacations. In this article we will describe some of the features of Ocracoke, and why we think it should be on your list of “great places to visit”…
While North Carolina has marched on in time…Ocracoke still maintains a bit of it’s “Ode to Days Gone By”. Why is this? One of the major reasons could be the fact that it’s a lot harder to get to Ocracoke. No bridges or tunnels or roads go there directly. You will either need to have a private plane or boat, or be a good swimmer (we’re kidding…), or utilize one of the ferries that travel back and forth on a daily basis.
Even if you hate shopping on the mainland, we think you will like it in Ocracoke. The shops are all small and quaint, and just browsing in them will bring back thoughts of “Mayberry”. If you need to buy groceries there are only two main variety stores. They do have a post office to mail letters and postcards back to the mainland. One shop is dedicated to “just kites”, a wonderful way to pass time on the island. The tree-lined roadway that covers the shops in the main shopping area is another feature that we just love.
Ocracoke has a historic lighthouse that was built by Noah Porter (a builder from Massachusetts) in 1832. It’s known as the oldest continuously operating lighthouse in North Carolina, as well as the second oldest in the US. It is 75 feet (23 m) tall, and it’s diameter varies from 25 feet (8 m) at the base to 12 feet (3.7 m) at the top. The light from this lighthouse can be seen 14 miles out into the Atlantic. A United States National Park Ranger is on duty during the summer months. When a ranger is on duty you can enter the base of the lighthouse…but no climbing is permitted.
As we conclude our article we would like to mention what we think of Ocracoke. We love it! That about wraps it up in a nutshell. It has a feel about it that is hard to describe. It hastens back to a time when life was simpler, and problems were fewer. You will just have to go there and experience it for yourself. Make sure you come back in one piece…you might just leave your heart there… 
Want to find out more about Ocracoke, then visit Charles Vaughn’s site on Creative Family Beach Vacations.
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