Outer Banks Active and Adventure Travel Guide

California’s not the only U.S. surfing mecca. Learn to surf the mellow rollers off Corolla Beach, on the northern tip of the Outer Banks. Rentals and lessons are available at the Corolla Surf Shop. Once you’re a master of the waves, move south for the bigger stuff at Cape Point, near Buxton.
Go kiteboarding in the East Coast's Hurricane Alley, where big wind and big waves equal big air. Pamlico Sound is where the best action is, although the choppier Atlantic Coast also offers some stiff challenges. Get schooled at the world's biggest kite school, Real Kiteboarding, which will take you from starter waves to monster chop in three short days.
Scuba dive the "Graveyard of the Atlantic," where more than 600 ships scuttled by extreme weather, lurking German U-boats, and captain error rest beneath the waves. The warm currents, courtesy of the Gulf Stream, create Caribbean-worthy conditions and visibility.
Mellow out on Ocracoke Island, a two-and-a-half-hour ferry ride from Cedar Island on the mainland or a shorter 40-minute hop from Hatteras on the Outer Banks. Camp at the island's 137-site campground nestled among cedars and sand dunes, or hop a kayak for a cruise through the same tidal marshes where Blackbeard met his watery end in 1718. Then sample the good life at the Ocracoke Village Pub.
Learn how to sandboard or hang glide at Jockey's Ridge State Park, near Nags Head, home of the highest sand dune system east of the Mississippi. Younger kids will love cavorting through the billowing dunes and flying kites here. The 420-acre state park opens its dunes to sandboarders October through March; a free permit is required. On a clear day, you can see the Wright Brothers Memorial at Kill Devil Hills from here.

Outer Banks Travel Guide

They're maddeningly overcrowded in the summer, and development has been rampant over the last 20 years, but the Outer Banks of North Carolina are unlike anything else along the East Coast. The infamous pirate Blackbeard met his end here, and this is the place where the Lost Colony mysteriously disappeared. On these shores, Virginia Dare was born, and centuries later, Wilbur and Orville Wright learned to fly. The Outer Banks once enjoyed a dubious reputation as "the graveyard of the Atlantic," and to this day, you'll see the many lighthouses that stood vigil over centuries of shipwrecks. You can even see the actual shipwrecks—at several places along the shore, the rusted bones of schooners and cargo ships are mired in the breakers. The East Coast's tallest lighthouse is at Cape Hatteras, and the oldest is at Ocracoke Island. Sand dunes tower over long stretches of undeveloped national seashore, and you can hop a ferry to explore islands where the residents (descended from the Elizabethans) say hoigh toids instead of high tides and call tourists "comers 'n' goers." Read More

Ask a Question

Do you have a travel question about this destination or can you provide a tip to a fellow traveler?

9 Questions | 7 Answers

Just beginning to research the Outer Banks. Looking for the town(s) best suited for a trip traveling with kids ages 4-10. Things to do (besides the beach activities) culture, dining, entertainment. Never been to this area, so I need guidance on the towns to explore in this region.
Read 1 answer or Answer this question
we are planning to go to organ inlet campground. And are not scheduled to arrive till 1 in the morning. Is there anyone to check us in or do we check-in in the morning??
Read 1 answer or Answer this question
I would like to know the best family vacation to take on the outer banks,where to stay, and the best bed and breakfast,etc.?
Read 1 answer or Answer this question
Read all questions and answers »

Outer Banks Active and Adventure Travel Guide