OBX Love: Jennette's Pier

My girls in front of Jennette's Pier June 2013.

Okay, so as I am procrastinating reading my textbook on Social Studies education in the classroom, I am freezing and too lazy to get up and turn the heat up. All I'm thinking about right now, is I wish it was warm and I was at the beach. So in honor of the coldest day of the season, thus far, complete with snow showers this morning I decided to kick off my OBX Love series with my love for Jennette's Pier located in South Nags Head, NC (on the Outer Bank aka OBX). This pier has a lot of nostalgia for me. Being that I grew up on the OBX and lived in Manteo (just across the bridge) Jennette's was the closest beach access to where we lived. Also, since my momma waited tables directly across the street, it made sense that I spent a lot of time there. The pier has changed a lot over the years, even in my lifetime. It's changed owners several times and fallen in the ocean with various hurricanes. I remember in the late 80s going to Sam & Omie's where my mom worked, my dad would play pool and then give us five bucks to cross the beach road and go to the arcade, then located in Jennette's Pier. I swear in my memory it just had plywood floors, nothin' fancy. Maybe my memory fails me, I don't know, I was barely 10 years old. That 5 bucks would last us a long time and we thought was A LOT of quarters! It was hot, had no a/c and half the time we were barefoot. I'm sure I got a splinter or two. We'd run out of money and either go collect sea shells or run back across the street and beg for more money. 

Whenever there was a hurricane, it was the first place we'd go to see the huge waves. I remember when I was younger there was a tiny strip of motel rooms there too. My dad even rescued my best friend's brother from being washed away in his car when he was hurricane watching and didn't have 4-wheel drive (real smart). 

I have so many memories of this pier so it makes sense that I enjoy bringing my daughters back to it when I go down to visit.

Here's my mom circa 1985 I think and my grandparents on a visit to NC.

Now the Pier is HUGE and strong. They spent millions of dollars to rebuild the pier to withstand any future hurricanes complete with an aquarium and windmill energy. Check out the website to learn more about the Green technology that is implemented. As amazing as the pier is...a part of me wishes the little arcade was still there. 

My Momma...you can see the little motel/efficiencies in the top left corner.

My Grandparents...Gramps with his metal detector.

Gramps and my Momma :) The little pier...just how I remember it :)

Look at those concrete pilings! 

Behind them is where the motel used to be.

Me and my baby sis waiting for our table at Sam & Omie's restaurant.

Balancing on a piling. See that tall building in the background? We used to pool hop there...it's the Comfort Inn. Their poor pool has fallen in the ocean several times as well. 

Good Ol' Jennette's Pier...a must stop whenever we go back.