The Outer Banks are a chain of long but narrow barrier islands that lie off the coast of North Carolina. Portions of Currituck, Dare and Hyde counties make up the Outer Banks.
Cities
Currituck County
Beaches
- 1 Carova
- 2 Corolla, pronounced to rhyme with "holla". It does not sound like the name of the Toyota automobile.
Dare County
Beaches
Roanoke Island
Hatteras Island
Hyde County
- 17 Ocracoke
Get in
By plane
Norfolk International Airport (ORF IATA)is the closest airport to the Outer Banks, approximately an hour and a half's drive to Kitty Hawk, NC.
Coastal Carolina Regional Airport (EWN IATA) is another close commercial airport to the Outer Banks with nonstop regional service to Atlanta, Charlotte and Philadelphia. It will be around a 3 hour drive from the airport to the Outer Banks.
Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU IATA) is a 4 hour drive from the Outer Banks. It is the closest major airport with service to most major airline hubs such as Atlanta, New York, and Los Angeles.
Pilots of private planes can land directly in the Outer Banks at Dare County Airport (MEO IATA) in Manteo, and First Flight Airport (FFA IATA) in Kill Devil Hills.
By road
From the North, take I-64 in Virginia to exit 291B (SR 168-Battlefield Blvd). Merge left onto SR 168 and continue until road becomes US 158 (beyond the NC border). US 158 will take you all the way to the beaches, and is the main highway up and down the Outer Banks.Driving from the West use US 64 and US 264 through Columbia and Manteo, NC. US 264 becomes US 158 once you've reached the Outer Banks beaches. Ferries connect Ocracoke to Cedar Island and Swan Quarter; there is free ferry access across Hatteras Inlet from Ocracoke Island.
Get around
The best tip for navigating the Outer Banks is to learn their main roads and milepost system.
There are two main drags on the beaches. State Highway 12 is known as Virginia Dare Trail, or more commonly "the Beach Road". US 158 is known as Croatan Highway, but the locals refer to it as "the Bypass" or "the Big Road". Most advertisements you find will refer to them that way.
The Mileposts are similar to what you find on the interstates. Green signs on the right hand side of the road, marked every half mile. Milepost "0" is at the Wright Memorial Bridge on the north end in Kitty Hawk. Head south on the Bypass or Beach Road and the Mileposts get higher with Milepost (MP) 16 at Whalebone Junction being the end of the 'main drag'.
Ferries from the North Carolina Department of Transportation are available to some Outer Banks destinations.
See
- Cape Hatteras. Is probably the most famous lighthouse in the Outer Banks; it presides over an area known as the "Graveyard of the Atlantic." This is an area with a large number of wrecks.
- Four other lighthouses are located on the Outer Banks: Currituck, Bodie Island, Okracoke, and Cape Lookout.
- Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kitty Hawk, dedicated to the first successful flight.
- Watch a Beach Apparatus Drill Reenactment at the Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station in Rodanthe
- The Lost Colony on Roanoke Island Runs June-August; Wonderful entertainment for the whole family- from musical numbers to battle scenes. It's a must do on the Outer Banks! www.thelostcolony.org
- Performances during the summer at Roanoke Island Festival Park, located on the sound in Manteo.
- Check out the Outer Banks Music Showcase in Kitty Hawk for a terrific night of music.
- The dolphins! Check out the boat tours on the sound that spend a couple of hours searching for and watching dolphins
- Outer Banks News (Outer Banks NC News and Events). Latest news and events in the Outer Banks of North Carolina
Do
- Surfing - The Outer Banks offers some of the best surfing on the East Coast. Plenty of surf shops rent equipment and/or offer lessons.
- Most other watersports - Kayaking, Windsurfing, Kiteboarding, Parasailing, Jet Skiing, you name it.
- Hang gliding in Nags Head, just south of where the Wright Brothers first managed to fly.
- Climb up and run down the big dune at Jockey's Ridge State Park at milepost 12 in Nags Head. They also have hang gliding classes at the park during the day.
- Shopping, shopping and more shopping! Tons of great places to find unique items. Many Art Galleries are located up and down the beaches.
- Historical tours-the Outer Banks is rich with history and you'll find many different areas to explore the unique background. One must-see is The Lost Colony and Roanoke Island Festival Park, both located on Roanoake Island. The very beginnings of the country and its people can be seen and explored there.
- 4 wheel drive beaches where you can drive on the beach and look for wild horses
- For kids there are many miniature golf courses and go cart racing tracks that are also near shops and places to eat or get ice cream
- While the big waves make the beaches a fun place to hang out all day, there are very few lifeguards, and none in the off season.
Buy
If you're out with children, be warned that the large souvenir shops (Wings, Reef, etc.) are R-rated. If you don't mind exposing your children to jokey portrayals of heavy drinking, semi-nudity, stylized gore, and death's heads, then by all means bring them inside to pick out some colorful beach toys. But be ready for questions about the purpose of the smoking paraphernalia that may be on display beside the cash register. If you want pirate kitsch or Rebel flag merchandise, this is the place to be. Each of the giant shops has numerous locations up and down Croatan Highway (the "Bypass" or "Big Road").
Many places, including "Wings", make t-shirts, sweatshirts, and long sleeve shirts with a logo or picture you can choose from that are posted all over the walls
Eat
The Outer Banks is chock full of great places to eat. In season, most restaurants are open and the choices are virtually unlimited. Off season, many of the local eateries close down or limit their hours. If you are traveling in the off/shoulder season, expect the restaurant and shopping choices to be a bit more limited than during peak season.
A few great places to try:
For breakfast, burgers and hometown lunch specials, try Art's Place, open 6AM to 6PM at MP (Mile Post) 2.5 on the Beach Road. Lunch specials daily, kids' menu and full ABC license. Nice front porch and upper deck where you can enjoy a drink or chow down on their huge all-beef burgers. Their ad says: "Art's Place -- Food so good you'll think we stole your mom!" They aren't kidding.
For dinner and a view, try The Black Pelican at MP 4.5 on the Beach Road. Stone oven pizzas, fresh seafood, steaks, nightly specials and drinks. The building is an old lifesaving station said to be haunted. Large dining room means you never have to wait hours for a seat.
If straight-out oysters and seafood is what you're after, Awful Arthur's Raw Bar on the Beach Road at MP 6 is your best bet. The only authentic raw bar on the beach, the food is great, the atmosphere is Outer Banks casual and when you're done stuffing your face full of oysters, you can skip right across the street to the Avalon Pier to see what they're catching.
Of course, there are many nice restaurants to sit and have a great dinner. Others to consider for their food, atmosphere, locations and overall popularity include: Jolly Roger (MP 7 Beach Road), serving Outer Banks Italian; JK's (MP 9 Bypass), serving seafood/steaks and more; Mako Mike's (MP 7 Bypass), serving steak/seafood. Check out the live shark tank; kids love it!
Take advantage of the local bars and restaurants on the island that not only offer good food but a great experience. While you eat you can hear about storms that ripped through the coast and learn other fun facts about the island from friendly waiters and waitresses.
Breakfast
If your group is tempted to go out for breakfast, note that Stack 'Em High on Croatan Highway has a peculiar method of having guests queue up to order, causing the line to extend out the door and creating the false impression of a long wait. You will get your food in a hurry, but make sure your whole group arrives at the same time; otherwise the latecomers will be told to push through to join the earlier arrivals, which may not make the other guests entirely happy. You pay at the end of the queue, take your loaded tray to a table, eat, and exit through the back door, which expels you onto a narrow walkway beside the building's buried septic tanks. (Despite all this, the place has many regulars who claim to love it.) The servers are friendly and helpful, especially considering the cattle-herding ambience of the place; they refill your coffee and such, and tips are appreciated. Another Croatan Highway joint, Bob's Café, lives by the motto "Eat and Get the Hell Out!" What more is there to say?
Drink
Howard's Pub on Ocracoke Island offers an extensive exotic beer list with an even more impressive of draft beer selection. The food isn't bad either. If you're on Ocracoke looking for a good affordable meal, try Jason's, across from Howard's Pub. The alfredo and cheddar tomato soup are to die for.
- Karaoke
- Most places close pretty early in the evening in the Outer Banks so if you like to get out it is a good idea to do it during the day because the nights are quiet