Outer Banks
United States of America · North Carolina · 2 m
Description
The Outer Banks are a chain of narrow barrier islands stretching for more than 300 kilometers off the coast of North Carolina and a fascinating destination shaped by the Atlantic Ocean and the American coastal landscape. The region is known for its wide, windswept beaches, towering dunes, historic lighthouses such as the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, and free-roaming wild horses. At Kill Devil Hills near Kitty Hawk, the Wright brothers made aviation history in 1903 with the first controlled, sustained flight of a powered aircraft. The Outer Banks combine unspoiled nature and maritime history with charming coastal towns, water sports, and a relaxed beach atmosphere, making them an ideal destination for road trips along the Atlantic coast.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 3 to 6 days (optimal 4 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: May – June
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Cape Hatteras National Seashore
- Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
- Wright Brothers National Memorial
- Jockey's Ridge State Park
- Wild Horses of Corolla
- Bodie Island Lighthouse
- Outer Banks Scenic Byway & NC Highway 12
- Ocracoke Island & Village(Day trip)
- Currituck Beach Lighthouse
- Roanoke Island & Manteo
- Cape Hatteras Beaches
- Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge
- Surfing at Cape Hatteras
- Ocracoke Lighthouse(Day trip)
- Fort Raleigh National Historic Site
- The Lost Colony
- Jennette's Pier
- Oregon Inlet
- Hatteras Island
- 4x4 Beaches of Carova
- Duck
- Duck Boardwalk
- Kitty Hawk
- Nags Head
- Cape Hatteras Point
- Hatteras Village
- Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum
- Cape Hatteras Fishing
- Kiteboarding at Cape Hatteras
- Coquina Beach
- Ocracoke Lifeguarded Beach(Day trip)
- Ocracoke Pony Pens(Day trip)
- Springer's Point Preserve(Day trip)
- Blackbeard & Teach's Hole(Day trip)
- Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station
- Rodanthe
- Avon
- Buxton
- Frisco
- Canadian Hole
- Oregon Inlet Fishing Center
- Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse
- Manteo Waterfront
- Elizabethan Gardens
- North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island
- Roanoke Island Festival Park
- Currituck Banks Reserve
- Historic Corolla Park
- Whalehead
- Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge(Day trip)
- Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge(Day trip)
- Cape Lookout National Seashore(Day trip)
- Cape Lookout Lighthouse(Day trip)
- Shackleford Banks Wild Horses(Day trip)
- Fresh Outer Banks Seafood
Getting there
- Seaport:
- Reachable by ship or ferry