Kill Devil Hills History

Henry's Restaurant offers down home, simple food done Outer Banks style. Henry's Restaurant has been serving the Outer Banks of North Carolina since the summer of 1989. They are pleased to be considered one of the most popular restaurants in Dare County. Owners Henry and Linda Ezzell, along with daughter Kim Ezzell Parker offer honest American Style food that appeal to people of all ages. With so many fine dining establishments in the area they felt there was a need for a down-to-earth, no-frills experience for those that wanted good food, a pleasant and accommodating staff, and an affordable menu. As their customers will attest, they feel confident they have achieved this goal.

The kid-friendly and casual restaurant has been serving hearty portions to locals and visitors since 1989. Breakfast is what Henry's does best, although it's a wonderful restaurant for lunch and dinner as well. Start your day with incredible hotcakes, omelets, biscuits, french toast, eggs benedict, breakfast sandwiches, and even fried trout, served 7:00am to 1:00pm daily.

No trip to the Outer Banks is complete without cruising through Brew Thru, the Outer Banks’ original drive thru convenience store. Whether you’re looking for a refreshing cold beverage of Coke, Pepsi and other soft drinks on the go, stocking up your cooler with refreshments to enjoy at the beach or piling up on beer and wine for a party, Brew Thru is a fun and unique experience all vacationers need to see for themselves.

Brew Thru is Your One-Stop Shop at the Beach

The year was 1977, and Dana and Becky Lawrentz were chatting with friends over brews in their hometown of Akron, Ohio. They got to talking about a gas station convenience store in the area that had built a makeshift drive-through. Everyone agreed it would be pretty great if you could actually drive through a convenience store and pick up everything you needed without getting out of the car. But what would you call a place like that?

Well, you’d call it a Brew Thru.

It was an idea they couldn’t shake, so the Lawrentzes moved to the Outer Banks and built the first Brew Thru with the help of a partner. The idea was that people could come buy everything they would need for their trip to the beach—beer, wine, soft drinks, snacks, ice—without getting out of the car. That same year, a t-shirt salesman visiting the store and talked them into adding t-shirts to their product line—and 44 years later there are now more than five million Brew Thru t-shirts out in the wild.

The Lawrentzes’ daughter Brandy and her husband Philip Foreman purchased the business from them in 2002, and they now operate five locations across the Outer Banks.“We love being the one-stop shop for folks on the way to their beach house,” Foreman says. “Our car tenders are the friendliest people at the beach. We’re here to greet you, get you everything you need for your trip, load it up in the trunk for you, and have you leaving with a smile on your face.”

The store is quite expansive, featuring more than 100 brands of beer, dozens of wines and even a vast selection of cigars—not to mention all the snacks, t-shirts and other gear. To make ordering a little easier, customers in line get a menu—fondly known as the Summer-y—that outlines everything available at the store. These Summer-ies are also available in many of the beach rentals, which allows vacationers to decide what they want before driving through.

For customers who would like to get out and stretch their legs, there’s the Brew Thru Shop in Kill Devil Hills, where you can find their world famous t-shirts and other gifts. New t-shirt designs are created each year, making a yearly Brew Thru t-shirt a favorite of locals and annual visitors to the Outer Banks.

The Foremans both grew up in the Outer Banks, and they love that Brandy’s parents’ vision for a friendly and convenient place for people to grab their brews and other beach stay essentials is continuing to flourish.

“Our family has been welcoming people to the Outer Banks since 1977,” Foreman says. “We love this beautiful place, and we want everybody to get to enjoy it.”

The noted explorer, archaeologist, anthropologist, paleontologist, and part-time plumbing contractor from the University of Chicago, Professor Duffer A. Hacker, led two expeditions to the outer banks in the late 1920’s. The purpose of these expeditions was to search for an answer as to what happened to the lost colony of Roanoke Island and to look for treasure believed to have been hidden by Blackbeard the Pirate. Professor Hacker’s first surprise was the discovery of an old mining train built by the Confederate Army during the Civil War. They were searching for gold to finance their war effort. Take the mining car* to the top of the mountain and follow Professor Hacker as you putt your way through an adventurous expedition to find gold and diamonds.

Sun Realty offers the Best Selection of Vacation Rentals on the Outer Banks. Our large selection of Outer Banks rentals means you can choose from a wide range of amenities, including private swimming pools, hot tubs, theater rooms, game rooms, pet friendly lodging and more! Our properties span the entire OBX coast including Carova, Corolla, Duck, Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head, and South Nags Head. On Hatteras Island, we proudly offer beach cottages in Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Avon, Buxton, Frisco, and Hatteras Village.