Outer Banks

A long, narrow chain of barrier islands off the North Carolina coast, where the Wright brothers made the first flight – famous for the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, giant sand dunes and wild horses.

The Outer Banks are a chain of narrow barrier islands stretching about 300 km (190 miles) along the coast of North Carolina, with the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the mainland to the west across the Currituck, Roanoke and Pamlico sounds. On the northern stretch, the beach towns of Corolla, Duck, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head have the most places to stay and eat, along with the site of the Wright brothers' first flight, the dunes of Jockey's Ridge and the Corolla wild horses. In the middle, Roanoke Island is where the story of the "Lost Colony" unfolded, and the town of Manteo has an aquarium, Roanoke Island Festival Park and an outdoor drama. Heading south on NC-12, you enter Cape Hatteras National Seashore, with the Bodie Island and Cape Hatteras lighthouses, lifesaving stations and wildlife refuges; from there a free ferry takes you to Ocracoke Island. June–August is peak beach season, so book hotels and vacation rentals well ahead; May and September–October are less crowded with mild weather, ideal for kite flying, fishing and surfing; August–October is hurricane season, so keep an eye on the weather and any evacuation orders. The nearest major airport is in Norfolk, Virginia, about 1.5–2 hours' drive away; there is almost no public transportation locally, so a rental car is essential. Plan to stay 3–5 days, using the Nags Head area as your base.

Top sights

• Wright Brothers National Memorial – The site of humanity's first powered flight, featuring a granite memorial tower, markers showing flight distances and a reconstructed camp.
• Jockey's Ridge State Park – The tallest active sand dune system on the U.S. East Coast, where you can learn hang gliding, fly kites and watch the sunset over the sound.
• Cape Hatteras Lighthouse – The tallest brick lighthouse in the United States, with black-and-white spiral stripes. It was moved inland as a whole in 1999.
• Corolla Wild Horses – Descendants of Spanish colonial horses live on a beach that can only be reached by 4WD. It is the most unique experience on the Outer Banks.
• Bodie Island Lighthouse – A black-and-white striped lighthouse built in 1872. The wetland boardwalk beside it is good for birdwatching, and it is the closest lightho…
• Currituck Beach Lighthouse – A 1875 lighthouse with its exterior left in its original red brick. From the top, you can see Currituck Sound and the Atlantic Ocean at the…
• Whalehead in Historic Corolla – A yellow Art Nouveau hunting lodge from the 1920s, set in a historic park on the edge of Currituck Sound.
• Fort Raleigh National Historic Site – The site of England's first attempt at colonization in North America, and the starting point of the famous mystery of the “Lost Colony.”
• The Lost Colony Outdoor Drama – An outdoor epic drama first staged in 1937, retelling the story of the Roanoke colony at the Waterside Theatre on the edge of the sound.
• Elizabethan Gardens – An English Tudor-style garden commemorating the Roanoke colonists, with statues, sunken gardens and views over the sound.
• North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island – A state aquarium featuring the “Graveyard of the Atlantic” shipwreck tank, where visitors can see sharks, sea otters and sea turtles.
• Roanoke Island Festival Park – Board the replica 16th-century ship Elizabeth II and experience the daily lives of the colonists and Native Americans.
• Manteo Waterfront & Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse – A quiet harbor town on Roanoke Island, with a wooden boardwalk, small shops and a replica of the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse, a small white…
• Ocracoke Island – A fishing village on an island reached by free ferry, with North Carolina's oldest lighthouse, undeveloped beaches and Blackbeard legends.
• Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge – A birdwatching haven at the northern tip of Hatteras Island, where ponds and trails between the ocean and lagoons host large numbers of mig…
• Coquina Beach – One of the best-equipped beaches in the National Seashore, with wide, fine sand and the remains of a sailing ship wrecked in 1921.
• Jennette's Pier – A concrete fishing pier extending about 300 meters into the Atlantic from Nags Head, good for watching sunrise and surfers.
• Nags Head Woods Preserve – A maritime forest behind ancient dunes, with free trails winding through oaks, beeches and freshwater ponds.
• Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum – A maritime history museum beside the Hatteras Village ferry dock, telling the story of thousands of shipwrecks off the Outer Banks.
• Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station – The best-preserved 19th-century coastal life-saving station, showcasing the legendary rescues performed by Outer Banks lifesavers.
• Duck Town Boardwalk – A roughly 1.6-kilometer boardwalk along Currituck Sound, linking small shops, restaurants and sunset viewpoints.
• Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge – A swamp forest refuge on the mainland west of Roanoke Island, famous as the world's only wild red wolf population and for its black bears.

Where to eat

• Sam & Omie's Restaurant – Opened in 1937 to feed fishermen heading out to sea, and one of the oldest casual waterfront restaurants in the Outer B…
• Blue Moon Beach Grill – A popular seafood spot ranking near the top of Outer Banks restaurants on Tripadvisor. Shrimp and grits and the Truck S…
• Kill Devil Grill – A budget-friendly spot in a classic 1939 diner car listed on the National Register of Historic Places, known for its se…
• Basnight's Lone Cedar Cafe – A waterfront seafood restaurant run by the family of former state senator Basnight, specializing in the day's catch del…
• Duck Donuts – Duck – The birthplace of the made-to-order donut brand, founded in the town of Duck in 2007. Donuts are fried to order, and yo…

Itineraries

• North Carolina Outer Banks & Crystal Coast Ferry Route – Drive along Highway 12 through the Outer Banks and take ferries to Beaufort and Wilmington.