Recently I went with a group of friends to the Outer Banks. I had never been to the Outer Banks before so it was a lot of fun to see what would be available to do in the area. We stayed at a beach house in Hatteras and right next to us was Hatteras Island Ocean Center.

Outer Banks Beach Bonfire & Stargazing

One of the activities that the Hatteras Island Ocean Center offers is Campfires, Crabs and Constellations. This is a new event that they just started this year, but it was quite popular so I understand that it will be returning next season when they reopen.

We met one of the Hatteras Island Ocean Center’s employees at the center and she led us to the beach where the director had an awesome bonfire going. They even offered us s’mores. We had to pass, though, because we were full from our visit right before to another attraction. But man, how fun would it be to have had s’mores by campfire on the beach!

They then shared with us the art of catching ghost crabs. And yes, they actually caught one and let us check it out. Apparently these bad boys can see 360 degrees around their bodies, so you have to push some sand over them {they hide in the sand so this won’t hurt them} and then catch them by surprise. Be careful not to hurt the ghost crab, though, because you have to be quick as they can run 10 mph! That’s a lot faster than I expected for something with such short legs, lol.

Then the hosts used apps on their phones to show us constellations in the sky. I can’t definitively say that I have ever seen a planet until that night but now I can say that I have seen Mars and Saturn! How cool is that? The moon was so bright that it made the other stars pretty pale so we didn’t see much else, but it was such a gorgeous night – who could possibly complain?

I have to say, though, the real highlight of this night was the director’s dog. Awww, he was such a sweetie {at least I think he was a “he”}. I wish I had a good picture of him to show you because I think you would instantly fall in love. If memory serves me correctly, I believe his name was Bruce.

Hatteras Island Ocean Center does close down in the off season and they are currently closed. In fact, they closed down just a few days ago so we got to hang out with them just in time! Anyone visiting the area should definitely stop by when they are open as they have all kinds of fun activities to do that are either really cheap or free. And don’t forget to pet Bruce. I really wanted to go to the bird watches that they have in the early morning a few days a week but didn’t make it. So perhaps that is something that I can do next time I visit.

This is a perfect activity for the whole family as I believe that s’mores and Bruce will definitely keep the kiddos entertained. Also, this activity lasts about 2 hours or really as long or as brief as you like. They are quite flexible with the schedule and that is great when you have kids. It also only costs $10 per person! I think that is pretty amazing. I was pleased to find that most of the things to do in the Outer Banks were really very affordable.

Check out the rest of my pictures from the night on Flickr.

Get Social With The Hatteras Island Ocean Center