The Outer Banks, Crystal Coast, and Wilmington with 50+ places, seafood picks, and Google Maps links for everything. Tap below to get your free guide.
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The OBX runs from the 4WD beaches of Corolla in the north all the way to the ferry only island of Ocracoke in the south. Each area has its own character.
Mild temperatures, almost no crowds, and lower rental prices. Excellent for fishing, hiking the dunes, and wildlife. Some restaurants are closed until Memorial Day but the tradeoff in crowds and cost is worth it.
Peak season. Everything is open, the water is warm, and the beach is alive. Book rentals 6 to 12 months in advance for summer weeks. Traffic on US 158 and NC 12 can be significant on Saturday changeovers.
Many locals consider this the best time to visit. Water stays warm through October, crowds drop sharply after Labor Day, prices fall, and the surf picks up. The OBX Marathon is in November. A great time for a quieter trip.
Very quiet, very cheap. Many businesses close but some remain open. The Wright Brothers Anniversary Flight on December 17 is one of the most unique events in NC. Great for birdwatching and whale migration off Hatteras in winter.
There is no commercial airport on the OBX. Most visitors drive. The two main entry points are the Wright Memorial Bridge from Kitty Hawk (US 158) and the Marc Basnight Bridge from Roanoke Island (US 64/264).
The nearest major airports are Raleigh Durham (RDU, about 3.5 hours) and Norfolk International (ORF, about 1.5 hours from the northern OBX). Many visitors from the DC area fly into Norfolk and drive down.
To reach Ocracoke Island, you must take the ferry from Hatteras Inlet, Swan Quarter, or Cedar Island. The Hatteras to Ocracoke ferry is free and runs year round. The Swan Quarter and Cedar Island ferries require reservations and a fee.
Book early. OBX rental inventory sells out fast, especially for summer weeks. The best houses go in January or February for the following summer.
4WD for Corolla. To reach the wild horses north of Corolla, you need a 4WD vehicle or a guided tour. The road ends and 4WD beaches begin past Corolla Light Town Center.
Hurricane season. The OBX sits in the path of Atlantic hurricanes, which run from June through November. Check forecasts before traveling and know your evacuation routes. NC 12 at Hatteras Island can flood and close during storms.
One grocery run. Stock up at Food Lion or Harris Teeter in Nags Head when you arrive. Groceries and essentials are more expensive and harder to find the further south you go on Hatteras Island.
One of the longest stretches of undeveloped barrier islands on the East Coast
The Wright Brothers made aviation history at Kill Devil Hills, outside Kitty Hawk
The tallest brick lighthouse in the United States, built in 1870
The first English settlement in the New World was established on Roanoke Island
The Outer Banks are a 100 mile chain of barrier islands off the North Carolina coast, separated from the mainland by a series of sounds and accessible by bridge or ferry. There is nowhere else quite like it on the East Coast. Development is deliberately limited, most of Hatteras Island and all of Ocracoke are part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, which means the beaches here look much the same as they did a century ago.
Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills sit at the northern end, where the Wright Brothers made their first powered flight in December 1903. The Wright Brothers National Memorial marks the exact spot. Cape Hatteras, the famous lighthouse and one of the most recognized landmarks on the Atlantic Coast, stands at the point where the cold Labrador Current meets the warm Gulf Stream, the resulting turbulence has sunk more than 600 ships, earning the waters the name "Graveyard of the Atlantic."
Ocracoke Island, accessible only by ferry, is the most remote and the most unhurried of the OBX communities. The village is small, walkable, and genuinely beautiful. The pace is different from the rest of the coast, and that is exactly the point.
The Outer Banks, Crystal Coast, and Wilmington with 50+ places, seafood picks, and Google Maps links for everything. Tap below to get your free guide.
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