Personal Journey: North Carolina barrier island made for honeymoon in paradise

When my husband and I determined that staying in the country was the most logical option for our fall 2013 honeymoon, Ocracoke Island, N.C., was always the top contender on our list of possible locations.

One of the least-visited and least-populated barrier islands of the Outer Banks and part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Ocracoke is just over an eight-hour drive from our home in Philadelphia and has several rental cottages available. Summer weather lasts well into October, and with several access points for pedestrians and vehicles, beach space is plentiful. Accessible only by ferry, private boat, or small plane, the island offers an ideally secluded escape to paradise without the glitz and glamour of a tourist-tailored destination.

Life, or seven days in our case, on Ocracoke was simple – simple in a way that makes you want to forget that bills need to be paid and deadlines have to be met. As we drove off the ferry and onto Highway 12, the seven-mile road that leads to the village, we were surrounded by sand dunes that reached neck-breaking heights like the waves of the ocean that peaked above the sand to the left. On the right lay the sound and salt marsh, home to the varied wildlife of the island. The smell of the ocean was a perfume that never faded. Nearing the village, the historical preservation of the island became apparent, evident in the Pony Pen, the small horse farm that is home to descendants of the once-wild Banker horses of Ocracoke.

Upon reaching the village, there was no need for a car because everything is located within a three-mile radius. Although cars are permitted, biking and walking are encouraged. An eclectic grouping of shops and historical adventures awaited us, providing an overabundance of food and entertainment options for even the most selective palates and social-media-dependent travelers. No chain and fast-food restaurants here. Grub is fresh, locally caught seafood brought complete in a steamer pot to your door from Captain Puddle Duck’s Steamer Pots or roadside-prepared Mexican fare at Eduardo’s Taco Stand.