Things to Do on the Outer Banks March 28th

If there is one thing the Outer Banks does well in late March, it is making even a cooler day feel like part of the warm-up lap to spring.

We are in that sweet spot of the calendar now, when the beach is starting to feel more awake, the light is hanging around longer, and even a simple drive from Duck to Hatteras comes with that little reminder that the busy season is not far off. Today’s sunrise in Nags Head was at 6:54 a.m., and the day is shaping up cool but bright enough to make you want to get outside anyway.

Today’s weather on the Outer Banks is cool and sunny, with Nags Head sitting around 46°F this afternoon and mostly sunny skies expected through the rest of the day before clearing out tonight. Ocean temperatures are still definitely in the “look, don’t leap” range, with Jennette’s Pier reporting 49°F and broader Outer Banks water temperature reports hovering around the upper 50s to near 60°F depending on location and reporting method.

The National Weather Service office in Newport/Morehead City also showed active advisories across the region Saturday afternoon, including a Gale Warning, Small Craft Advisory, Special Weather Statement, and Hazardous Weather Outlook, so it is a good day to expect breezy conditions and rougher water even if it looks pretty from shore.

Today’s fresh angle: porch season is back

Not quite beach-chair-all-day season, not quite hoodie-and-hide season either. Could be a good day to outside and play some soccer on the beach. This is porch season on the OBX. It is the time of year for coffee outside, a quick walk to the beach access without sweating through your shirt, and those dinners where somebody says, “Let’s sit outside,” and everyone actually agrees.

Late March on the Outer Banks is made for little pleasures: soundside sunsets, a sweatshirt over shorts, and that first spring weekend where it feels completely reasonable to linger outside longer than planned.

What’s happening around the Outer Banks right now

The calendar is starting to pick up in a very spring-on-the-Outer-Banks kind of way. The Salt Air Songwriters Residency begins March 29 and runs through April 1, bringing a nice early-season arts-and-music energy to the area. Looking a little farther ahead, tickets for the Dare A250 Faire opened online March 9, and Dare Arts is wrapping up its March Vault Gallery exhibit featuring work by Pocosin Arts residents through March 28, with the April exhibit set to begin April 3. That is the fun thing about this time of year: events are starting to reappear, but you can still enjoy them without full summer-level crowds and parking roulette.

Why now is a good time to be here

This is one of the best times to be on the Outer Banks if you like the place for the place itself. Beach walks are easier, restaurant waits are lighter, parking is less dramatic, and you can still get that wide-open-coast feeling that gets harder to come by once summer really kicks in. The weather may not be full-on swim season yet, but it is absolutely prime wandering season.

A very real OBX trip-planning problem

Every Outer Banks trip eventually runs into the same question: who is arriving when, what is the dinner plan, and why are there now 37 texts about groceries, beach gear, and whether anyone remembered coffee filters? That is where ClanCal fits in naturally. It gives families and groups one place to keep trip plans organized, so arrival times, meals, activities, and day-by-day plans are not scattered across a dozen text threads. For an OBX stay with multiple people, or worse, multiple houses, it is a very easy way to keep everyone on the same page without turning one person into the unpaid vacation coordinator.

And now for the countdown

Memorial Day weekend is 55 days away, which is close enough to start talking about summer like it is a real plan and not just a coping mechanism. The Outer Banks in late March always feels a little like the opening act: the stage lights are on, the crowd is trickling in, and everybody knows the main event is coming.

@vacationobx

Today’s Restaurant Specials

Awful Arthur's Oyster Bar

Today's lunch special: Prime Rib Steak Sandwich

Soup of the Day: Shrimp, Smoked Sausage, & Queso Chowder - Bowl $7.99

Pasta of the Day: Chicken $22.99

or Tuna $24.99 over Fettuccine with Marinara.

Noosa Beach Grille

Soup of the day: SW Black Bean and Chicken cup/5

bowl/8

Hot Honey Chicken Biscuit $14

fried chicken, egg, cheese, with hot honey drizzle on a buttermilk biscuit, served with hashbrowns

Prime Rib Omelette $15

Shaved Prime Rib, sautéed onions, jack cheese, served with hashbrowns.

Dinky's Waterfront Restaurant

Island Chowder

Deep Soft-Shell Crab

Cuban Mojo Marinated Yellow Fin Tuna Grilled & Served atop Black Beans and Jasmine Rice Finished with a Pineapple Guacamole, Crumbled Queso Fresco & Crispy Tortilla Strips

Pan-Fried Snowy Grouper Served atop Garlic Mashed Potatoes Finished with Mediterranean Sauce & Crumbled Feta Cheese

Crab Stack Finished with an Old Bay Hollandaise

Deep Fried Jumbo Soft-Shell Crabs

oz Slow Roasted Certified Angus Beef Prime Rib Au Jus

Butterfinger Cheesecake.

Hurricane Mo's

Grilled Cheese and Soup

Hot Ham and Cheese

Mo’s Fil-A Chicken Sandwich

Brazilian Pork Tacos(2)

Beer Battered Mahi.

Hurricane Mo's

Grilled Cheese and Soup

Hot Ham and Cheese

Mo’s Fil-A Chicken Sandwich

Brazilian Pork Tacos(2)

Beer Battered Mahi.

Ketch 55 Seafood Grill

Fried Shrimp Special with fries or mashed potatoes, hushpuppies & coleslaw

Ketch 55 Seafood Grill Specials: Broccolini of the day

Ketch 55 Seafood Grill Specials: Creamy clam chowder soup

Ketch 55 Seafood Grill Specials: Mahi Mahi tacos (chicken, chorizo or shrimp)

Ketch 55 Seafood Grill Specials: Steaks: NY Strip & Filet

Ketch 55 Seafood Grill Specials: Pasta selections: seafood or chicken

Ketch 55 Seafood Grill Specials: Fresh salads & Appetizers

Ketch 55 Seafood Grill Specials: Homemade desserts.

Kill Devil Grill

Grilled Mahi over Yukon Gold mashed potatoes topped with a sautee of corn, bacon and asparagus 21

Fried Flounder Sandwich with lettuce, tomato, KDG tartar. Served with fries 18

Down South Steak Burger topped with jalapeno pimento cheese, country ham and slaw. Served with a small salad 18

BBQ Chicken Salad: Blackened BBQ’d chicken breast over mixed greens tossed with black beans, corn, tomato, shredded cheese, crispy fried tortilla strips and ranch dressing 17

Fried Softshell Crab Sandwich topped with lettuce, tomato KDG tartar. Served with fries 22.

Lucky 12 Tavern

Lucky 12 Tavern Specials: Soup du Jour: Tomato Bisque w/Croutons & Parmesan

$14 Lucky's Cobb Salad: Mixed Greens, Tomatoes, Red Onions, Bacon, Blue Cheese Crumbles, Avocado, Hard Boiled Egg, Carrots

$15

Fried Green Tomato Stack: (3

Mini Crab Cakes, Goat Cheese, Sriracha Aioli

$17 Tavern Burger: Brioche Bun, Brie Cheese, Caramelized Onions, Roasted Garlic Aioli

$18 Fried Flounder Sandwich: Hoagie Roll, Lettuce, Tomato, Coconut Lime Crema

Tavern on 12 Specials: Fried oysters

Grilled roast beef and cheddar sandwich.

McGrath's Burger Shack

/2 OFF SMITHWICK’S

Grab a pint and something tasty at McGrath's Burger Shack.

Poor Richard's Sandwich Shop

#1

Northeastern NC Barbecue Sandwich or Plate with Baked Beans & Slaw or Chips & a Pickle - $11.95

#2

Homemade Chicken Salad Plate with Choice of Side - $10.95

#3

Grilled Cheese & Bacon with a cup of New England Clam Chowder - $10.95.

Shipwrecks Taphouse & Grill

Saturday Lunch Specials: Fried Pork Chop served with Green Beans, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

$12.99

Saturday Lunch Specials: Loaded Potato Skins with Mixed Cheese, Bacon, and Green Onion. Served with a Side of Sour Cream.

$9.99

Saturday Lunch Specials: Shaved Prime Rib with Onions and Peppers with Provolone Cheese on a Sub Roll served with a Side of Hand Cut French Fries

Saturday Lunch Specials: Barbeque Grilled Salmon served over Black Beans and Rice and Topped with Corn Salsa

$14.99.

Tavern on 12

Fried oysters

Grilled roast beef and cheddar sandwich

Bbq pizza: bbq sauce, mozzarella, chicken, mushroom and pico de gallo

Creamy bisque with crab, shrimp, potato and corn

Prime rib tonight!

Trio Restaurant & Market

Broccoli Cheese

Soup: Cup 7

/ Bowl 10

She Crab Bisque: Cup 9

/ Bowl 12

Buffalo Chicken Wings: 16

Seared Pork Belly: 18

Seared Rockfish: 30.

Uncle Ike's Sandbar & Grill

It's chicken parm day at Uncle Ike's! We will OPEN at 3 today.