The “Outer Banks” is a chain of barrier islands midway on the Atlantic Seaboard, 90 miles south of Norfolk, Virginia. With 100 miles of unspoiled coastline, the main islands are North Beach, Hatteras Island, and Roanoke Island. Water and land activities are plentiful from kayaking, windsurfing and boating to biking, birdwatching, golfing, and horseback riding. It is the third largest estuary system in the world. It also boasts a collection of historic lighthouses on Bodie Island, Cape Hatteras, Currituck Beach, Ocracoke, and Roanoke Marshes.
Accommodations range from charming bed & breakfasts to luxury resorts such as Cypress Moon Inn, the First Colony Inn, historic Thurston House Inn, Tranquil House Inn, Seaside Inn at Hatteras, Sand Dollar Motel, Best Western Ocean Reef Suites Comfort Inn Ocean South, Clarion Hotel on the Ocean, and the Sanderling Resort & Spa.
With over 160 restaurants to choose from on the Outer Banks, dining options (many specializing in seafood) include Breakwater Restaurant, Creekside Café, Pelican Restaurant, Labrador Bistro, Back Porch Restaurant, Austin Fish Co., Awful Arthur's Oyster Bar
Events - Rock The Inlet at Pirate's Cove, Oyster Feast, Taste of the Beach, Kitty Hawk Kites Annual Easter Eggstravaganza, Land of Beginnings Festival, Inter-Tribal Powwow "Journey Home", Hatteras Village Offshore Open, Hang Gliding Week, Pirate's Cove Memorial Weekend Tournament, Nags Head Surf Fishing Club Invitational Tournament, and Wings Over Water.
Attractions and museums include the Colington Speedway, Mutiny Bay Adventure Golf, Dowdy’s Amusement Park, Fisco Mini Golf & Golf Carts, Jurassic Putt, Waterfall Park, North Carolina Maritime Museum on Roanoke Island, Roanoke Adventure Museum, Frisco Native American Museum and Natural History Center, and the Elizabethan Gardens. Historic landmarks are the Wright Brothers National Memorial, Kitty Hawk, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, and Jockeys Ridge State Park. For activities, shell collecting, fishing, relaxing on the beach, and bird watching are popular pastimes.
Specialty shops and boutiques with unique items include the Farmer’s Daughter, Endless Possibilities, Finally Mine, Artisans Boutique, Duck Trading Co., Firehouse Wine Cellar & Brew, Ocean Oddity, and the Fudgery.
Written by: Natasha Lawrence