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← North Carolina

Unplugging on the Outer Banks

The Outer Banks are a thin line of barrier islands off the North Carolina coast. The northern beach towns get crowded in summer, but head to Roanoke Island or south onto Hatteras and it thins out fast.

Most of Hatteras Island is Cape Hatteras National Seashore and the Pea Island refuge, so there's a lot of empty beach and not much built on it. That's the part we like.

See them on the map

Where to stay

Manteo is the easy pick if you want to walk to dinner. Wanchese is quieter. Rodanthe and Buxton are farther out, with the ocean on one side and the sound on the other.

An adults-only bed and breakfast in the middle of Manteo, with a garden and free bikes. Breakfast is a real one, and some rooms have a spa tub. You can walk to the waterfront.

What to do

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
The black and white striped lighthouse in Buxton. It was moved back from the eroding shoreline in 1999. You can climb it in season.
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge
The stretch of Hatteras Island north of Rodanthe. Good for birds, especially in fall and winter, and the beach is usually close to empty.
Fort Raleigh and The Lost Colony
On the north end of Roanoke Island, where the English tried to start a colony in the 1580s and then disappeared. The outdoor play about it has run in summer for decades.
Kayaking the sound
The sound side is shallow and calm. Rent a kayak or paddleboard, go out in the evening, and watch the sun set over the water.
Wright Brothers National Memorial
In Kill Devil Hills, where the first flights happened in 1903. Worth an hour on the way in or out.
Ocracoke
A free ferry from the south end of Hatteras Island. A small village and a long beach with nothing on it.

The towns

Manteo is the main town on Roanoke Island, with a small waterfront, a boardwalk and a few good places to eat. Wanchese is the other end of the island, a working fishing village.

On Hatteras Island, Rodanthe, Waves and Salvo run together up north, and Avon and Buxton are farther south. None of them are big. Buxton has the lighthouse.

Before you go

  • It's about three and a half hours from Raleigh and a bit less from Norfolk. Hatteras adds another hour or so.
  • Highway 12 is the only road down Hatteras Island and it can close after storms. Check before you drive.
  • Bring bug spray for the sound side, especially in summer.
  • Spring and fall are the best times to go. Fewer people, and the weather is usually still good.