Kitty Hawk and the Wyndham Beneath My Wings

Dec 31, 2022

Introduction

Growing up, my family often vacationed in the Outer Banks, and I enjoy seaside towns off season, even in December. It can be a very peaceful time to visit, and a North Carolina December feels a lot like an Ohio November, probably not warm, but enough to take the edge off.

In this trip, I drive to the banks before Christmas to visit old haunts while taking advantage of a few offers.

Strategy

This trip involved two key offers, one from Hyatt and another from Wyndham.

Hyatt Status Match Challenge

In fall, Hyatt offered me a match based on my existing American Airlines Platinum Pro status.

In the deal, I would receive Hyatt:

Explorist for 90 days and for the next year after 10 nights.
Globalist for the next year after 20 nights.

Hyatt Globalist is extremely valuable, and so I planned on completing a few short stays in December 2022, saving the rest for another trip in January 2023 when the nights would also give me a head-start on re-qualification for 2024.

Earning 83.3x Wyndham Points

In November, Wyndham had a 3x points promotion going, which briefly overlapped with a 5x black friday promotion. After some additional stackery described below, it worked out to 83.3x points per dollar, earnings I would later redeem for a 300% return in a Maui Vacasa.

Attractions

Hollywood Casino / Pittsburgh - South

The first day, I drove from Columbus, OH to the Hollywood Casino (and attached Hyatt) just south of Pittsburgh, PA. This would give me a very manageable drive on to Virginia Beach the following day, plus I’d have an opportunity to check out the casino for any freebies. I ended up collecting about $25 in free play, which was enough to cover my dinner when all was said and done.

Virginia Beach

The drive from Pittsburgh to Virginia Beach was eight hours and mostly pleasant, until I got to Norfolk. Between traffic, weather, accidents, and construction closures, it took an extra hour or two to get from Norfolk to Virginia Beach and the whole way I felt like I was driving through a war zone. Or perhaps parking in a war zone would be more accurate? Despite a love for bridges and tunnels, this killed any thoughts I had of scooting north through the Chesapeake Bay Tunnel into Deleware for a day trip.

Things brightened considerably when I got to the Virginia Beach Hyatt House where I stayed two nights. The hotel was mostly empty, and they put me on the top floor with a balcony looking out onto the ocean. Both mornings I woke up to sunrise and was able to see dolphins playing in the surf. This made for a lovely backdrop as I had a little work to do in the mornings.

+ 8

First Landing State Park

When settlers first came from England to North America, before establishing a colony at Jamestown, they landed here in what eventually became First Landing State Park.

I spent the early afternoon there, going on a ranger led mushroom hike. The rangers were very knowledgeable, and it was a great experience. Best of all, it was free, a rarity in a city that lives off tourism.

”Is that edible?” - Tourist

”You can eat any mushroom once.” - Ranger

+ 8

Museum of Contemporary Art

My second stop in Virginia Beach was at their Museum of Contemporary Art. This was a smaller museum with more local artists and history. You probably won’t see any household names there, but it’s interesting and worth a visit. One of the more fascinating exhibits merged socio-economics and maps, showing the effects of segregation over time.

Knotts Island - Currituck Ferry

After two nights in Virginia Beach, I drove south to the Outer Banks, taking the ferry from Knotts Island to Currituck. The drive through Knotts Island was nice, with lots of greenery. I was the only car on the ferry, though a number of bikers out for a ride joined me on the crossing.

Nag’s Head

It took a few hours to get from Virginia Beach to Nags Head out on the banks. I was able to check in to my Ramada before sunset and spend a little time walking around the beach. Even without earning 83.3x points, this Ramada was a deal, beachfront with a boardwalk over the dunes, nice clean rooms, balconies overlooking the sea, a full service on premise restaurant with a free breakfast for Diamond members, and less than half the price of the Virginia Beach Hyatt. I would stay the next three nights here.

Bodie Lighthouse

One of my favorite things to do in the Outer Banks is just to drive the length of the islands. There’s plenty of sites, sand and sea. Towns are spaced out enough that traffic is usually pretty calm, especially out of season.

On the first day on the banks, I drove south to Cape Hatteras, stopping at the Bodie Lighthouse along the way. The Outer Banks is nicknamed the “Graveyard of the Atlantic” and lighthouses have always played a prominent This lighthouse was completed in 1872 after the first two were lost, one to structural issues, another during the civil war. Behind the lighthouse, there is a lovely boardwalk to a bird watching area.

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

After Bodie, I continued driving toward the cape, crossing the Oregon Inlet bridge. As a kid, we often stayed near the cape, in Avon, so I’ve always thought of the Hatteras Lighthouse as the gold standard for lighthouses. It was originally built in 1870, but the shore is constantly eroding and after 130 years, the lighthouse was moved 2900 feet inland, in 23 days, to save it from the sea.

Kitty Hawk

On my last day on the banks, I visited Kitty Hawk, site of the first powered human flight. Orville and Wilbur Wright came from Dayton, OH, where I grew up, to Kitty Hawk to test their plane. This is a pretty cool park and I highly recommend the ranger talks around the replica flyer. During it, they manipulate the controls, and you can see the wings move and twist in an almost bird-like fashion.

Tamarack

On the way back home, I stopped at a Hyatt Place in Greensboro before hitting up Tamarack, WV the next day. This roadside marketplace has been charged with showcasing the “Best of West Virginia” since 1994 and has been a regular stop any time I pass through WV.

Inside Tamarack, they have a variety of food, art and crafts. The photos below came from some of the artisan galleries.

Dining

On road trips, I often eat pretty cheap, bringing some food along with me, but I did enjoy a few nicer meals on the banks.

Ramada Beach Combers

The Ramada had a full service restaurant, with a free breakfast for Diamond members. There were only a few guests, but the main dining area open. The outside Tiki Hut was closed for the season. For dinner, I had duck rangoons and peach habanero wings.

Mama Kwan’s Tiki Bar

Mama Kwan’s was located a few blocks away from the Ramada. It seemed like it was an institution in its own right and had a pretty nice menu with many specialty drinks. I had Thai Moneybags and a tuna sandwich.