• Wednesday, December 31st

Windsurfing fans will want to plan a trip to Hatteras Island in mid-September for the annual Hatteras Wave Jam, a fantastic event that includes both the sport's best windsurfers as well as newcomers who just want to spend a day enjoying the Atlantic waves.

The Hatteras Wave Jam originated as a grassroots event that encouraged local windsurfers to celebrate for a couple days on the open ocean, and simply enjoy the ride. Local windsurfing companies sponsored the event, and over time, the event attracted top windsurfers from all over the world.

Today, the event features fun-filled days of riding the waves in between Avon and Buxton, and is capped off with nightly activities and celebrations. Laid back but exceptionally fun, the Wave Jam has become an invitation to windsurfers from across the globe to come to Hatteras Island and enjoy the fantastic open waters. The event generally lasts around 5 days, and is an informal gathering. Participants can choose to attend a single day, the entire event, or just sit on the beach and enjoy the show. In recent years, some of the biggest names in the sport have even made appearances, so be prepared to ride along windsurfing's best in an easy-going, competition free environment.

For windsurfers who just want to enjoy the water with their friends and colleagues, or mid-September visitors who want to catch a spectacular display over the ocean, Wave Jam is a fantastically fun event that promises everyone a great time, and an even better ride.

Ben Franklin

Ben Franklin

Stop by Nags Head's Ben Franklin at Mile Post 10 on the Bypass where you will find everything you need for the beach! From Clothing, T-shirts and Swimwear to Boards, Chairs, Umbrellas and Tackle. You'll find it all…and of course, we have the best selection of Souvenirs anywhere on the Outer Banks. Enjoy your vacation! Independently owned by a member of one of the Outer Banks’ oldest families, the Ben Franklin store is stocked with just about everything a visitor would need to go to the beach.

 

Ben Franklin stores were once part of a five-and-dime retail empire, with about 2,500 locations across the country in its heyday. As decades passed and the times and customers began to change, many closed their doors, leading to fewer than 150 of these nostalgic shops. Nags Head Ben Franklin, however, has withstood the test of time and adapted to the needs of its customers to provide a memorable shopping experience on the Outer Banks.

 

Debbie Terry Tolson, manager of the Ben Franklin location in Nags Head, recalls working with former owner Tommie Daniels. Daniels’ father, Moncie Daniels, started the business in downtown Manteo in the early 1900s. The Daniels family has been a longstanding fixture in the Outer Banks business community—Moncie even sold gas to the Wright brothers in 1903.

 

Tommie, with an excellent business mind, saw the opportunity the new Bypass presented and, in 1977, he opened the Nags Head location of Ben Franklin. He was one of the first businesses on the Bypass,” Tolson says.In addition to a new location, the Ben Franklin store saw a new group of customers.

 

“People would come from all around because Tommie had a little bit of everything—it was more like a five and 10 then,” Tolson explains. “As he went to the beach, he began to get more tourists, so he started catering more and more to visitors.”

 

Today, the 21,000-square-foot souvenir shop quickly catches the attention of anyone driving by thanks to the ocean-themed mural that decorates the façade of the building, painted by local artist Rob Snyder. This Ben Franklin location has become the must-stop shop for both first-time visitors to the area and generations of families who escape to the Outer Banks annually.

 

Tolson credits the great prices and friendly customer service to the success of the location, which keeps families returning.“People come in all the time and tell me, ‘my grandmother or my grandfather used to bring me here and now I’m bringing my children,’” she shares. “One of my favorite parts about working here is seeing the people come back year after year.”