Figuring Out Where This Thing Was
Last Saturday morning, I’m chugging coffee and googling “OBX seafood fest location” like a maniac. Official page popped up saying it’s at Roanoke Island Festival Park – whatever that means. Pulled up Apple Maps, tapped directions and saw it’s near some Manteo waterfront area. No exact pin, so I screenshot the map with a big fat marker at 1 Festival Park Drive.
The Road Trip Mess
Hopped in my rusty pickup around noon aiming for the 1 PM oyster shucking demo. Plugged the address into GPS, easy peasy? Nope! Got routed through backroads choked with tourists driving golf carts at snail pace. Wound up behind a minivan full of screaming kids with Maryland plates – brutal. Finally spotted a tiny sign with a fish logo pointing left toward the bridge to Roanoke.
Parking Nightmare Territory
Big mistake showing up at peak lunch hour. Main parking lot looked like a can of sardines – zero gaps between trucks and SUVs. Circled twice sweating bullets until some local yelled “overflow lot past the bathrooms!” Followed a line of cars squeezing into a grass field that doubled as a mud pit after last night’s rain. Almost buried my tires axle-deep scraping against some Honda Civic. Lesson learned? Come stupid early or resign yourself to hiking half a mile.
Final Stumble to the Grub
Trudged through gravel puddles smelling fried shrimp from a mile off. Saw the blue festival tents wedged between pirate ships and that outdoor theater place. Met another blogger who said they parked at a church shuttle stop 10 mins away and it was way smoother. Honestly? Next year I’m doing that church move for sure – or just biking in from my cousin’s cottage.
