BUXTON, North Carolina — To close out 2019 and kick-off 2020, our family visited Buxton, a village on the Outer Banks that is home to the Cape Hatteras National Park, home of the famous lighthouse.
Because it is the winter, many Outer Banks hotels have reduced room prices. For example, we paid $65, plus tax, for a night at a hotel that is usually $100-plus during peak tourist season.
It windier and colder during the winter, but if you’re prepared, a trip to the beach is very doable.
We went to Orange Blossom Cafe on their last day of the season. They have some great breakfast food. The Ugly Apples are as big as my hand and are great, especially if you get one fresh out of the oven. It’s a pastry with the texture of a cinnamon roll that is rolled into a tube and filled with an apple-pie like filling. The tube is then shaped like a knot, holding the filling int.
There is also a toy and candy shop near the bakery that has a great selection of things to keep kids occupied during their visit.
Running to the Cape Hatteras lighthouse at sunrise to kick off the new year with my daughter was among the highlights of the trip.
Did I mention the kids and I also parkoured at the skate park? It was a great adventure trying to climb the walls under our own power. I made it up the big wall once. For the kids, it was easy-peasy.
We also explored the beach. Buxton has quite a few homes that sit right on the shoreline. The beach has eroded over the years, so much so the lighthouse was moved further inland over 20 years. You can still see the retaining wall and some of the foundation sitting on the beach.
Below are a few photos from our adventure. I hope you enjoy them.
Buried in sand. 
Apple Ugly 
Using his Jedi powers 
old retaining wall where Cape Hatteras Lighthouse used to be 
Old piling, probably used for a house that has since been destroyed 
Sand and dirt 
Button beach 
Holding a lighthouse 
Marker of original lighthouse site 
Lighthouse at sunrise 
sunrise glow at lighthouse
Mountain Mama Adventures 