Albemarle Sound
Kitty Hawk, Currituck County, Camden County, Elizabeth City, Hertford, Edenton, Columbia, Plymouth
The Albemarle Sound, 55 miles from east to west, is the largest freshwater sound in North America. A favorite recreational fishing ground and a popular place for cruising, sailing and all water sports. It is also part of the IntraCoastal Waterway. For more info: Albemarle Sound
Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge
Manteo
The refuge has over 150,000 acres of wetland habitats and a wide variety of wildlife, ranging from wood ducks and alligators to black bears and red wolves. Plant species including the Atlantic white cedar, bald cypress, wildflowers and shrubs are abundant. Hiking and wildlife trails plus fishing areas. Trails for kayaking and canoeing; guided canoe tours are available for a fee. On Hwy 64/264 west from Manteo. Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge
Aycock Brown Visitors Center
Kitty Hawk
The center is called Outer Banks at a Glance and includes 17 state-of-the-art displays, a theater and brochure gazebo. Enjoy displays which combine computers, photography, video graphics, period music and sound effects, giving visitors an overview of the Outer Banks. outerbanks.org
Atlantic Ocean Resort Beaches of the Outer Banks
Carova Beach ,Corolla, Duck, Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head, Hatteras Island, Ocracoke Island, and the Cape Hatteras National Seashore
Currituck Sound
Carova Beach ,Corolla, Duck, Southern Shores, Currituck County Mainland
Croatan & Roanoke Sounds
Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head, Roanoke Island
Carolina Outdoors
Corolla Nags Head
Discover the unique eco-system and natural history of the Outer Banks with the area's leader in eco-tourism. Kitty Hawk Kites is also the world's largest hang-gliding school and kite store with adventures in rock wall climbing, kite surfing, parasailing, paragliding and more! ## This watersports division of Kitty Hawk Kites has quickly become the Outer Banks' leading Kayak Eco-tour operator with a variety of flat water tours in addition to sea & surf kayak lessons. They operate many watersports and retail locations along the Outer Banks from Corolla through Hatteras(Outposts in Nags Head, Duck, Corolla, Manteo, Avon, Hatteras ) offering Eco-tours, a full line of sea, surf and touring kayaks for sale and rental as well as a full line of accessories and adventure wear. Ask about kid's programming available in the summer months, and be sure to visit during one of their popular paddling events. Kitty Hawk Kites
The Village of Duck
Duck
This charming village is a great location for browsing in boutiques, galleries and gift shops. townofduck.com
Elizabethan Gardens
Manteo
A living memorial garden to the English colonists who came to America in 1584-1587. Designed by the renowned firm of Innocenti and Webel, it contains elements of 16th-century statuary, indigenous plants and herbs. Elizabethan Gardens
Elizabeth II
Manteo
Cross a narrow gang-plank and experience 16th century shipboard life in motion. A 69 foot sailing vessel, representative of those sailed to the New World in 1585, awaits your discovery at Roanoke Island Festival Park. See Roanoke Island Festival Park for additional information. Elizabeth II
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site
Manteo
A begining chapter in the story of America is kept on the north end of Roanoke Island at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, the place of England's first colonization efforts. Sir Walter Raleigh's explorers and colonists established settlements in this area in 1585 and 1587. The site is home to the nation's longest running outdoor symphonic drama The Lost Colony, staged during the summer at the park's Waterside Theatre. Also within the site is The Elizabeth Gardens, a year-round living memorial to England's first colonists. Fort Raleigh National Historic Site "> recreation.gov
Freedmen's Colony / Fort Raleigh National Historic Site
Manteo
The Roanoke Island Freedmen's Colony is recognized as a historic National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Site. A marker was erected in 2001 to designate the site of a permanent colony on Roanoke Island between 1862 and 1867. Most of its 3,000 residents had been slaves three years earlier in northeastern North Carolina. Today, there is a path through the woods north of Fort Raleigh that leads visitors to a commemorative park along Croatan Sound. ## Civil War: Freedmen's Colony set up after Union forces captured the island. Slaves escaping the mainland flocked to the protection of the Federal army. A formal colony was established in May 1863. Several units of Union troops were raised from the colony. Fort Raleigh National Historic Site coastalguide.com/packet/freedmanscolony roanokefreedmenscolony.com
Gallery Row
Nags Head
Art galleries, jewelry, crafts.
Jockey's Ridge State Park
Nags Head
Rising 110 feet, Jockey's Ridge is the tallest active sand dune on the east coast. Hiking, hang gliding, kite flying and sunset watching over Roanoke Sound. Facilities include picnic area, museum and auditorium. ## Jockey's Ridge is the tallest natural sand dune system in the eastern United States. It is an example of a medano-a huge hill of shifting sand that lacks vegetation. Long before the first European settlers, the Algonquian Indians inhabited the Outer Banks. Following its sighting by Spanish and French explorers, the ridge became an important landmark for mariners. Jockey's Ridge, which was in danger of being compromised by commercial development, was declared a National Natural Landmark in 1974 and became a State Park in 1975. Visitors to this park can enjoy nature trails, educational programs, a museum that interprets the natural and cultural history of the site, and recreational activities including hang gliding. Jockey's Ridge State Park jockeysridgestatepark.com nature.org
Jennette's Fishing Pier
Nags Head
The oldest fishing pier on the Outer Banks provides a great fishing experience for the entire family. The main exhibit, ''Giants of the Sea,'' showcases state-record trophy fish mounts and five aquariums with indigenous fish species on display. The pier also houses an outpost for the North Carolina Aquarium Education Department, which offers a wide variety of coastal educational opportunities for children of all ages. Aquarium education classes run Monday - Friday between Memorial Day and Labor Day. jennettespier.net
Kitty Hawk Kites
Nags Head
Known widely as the world's largest Hang Gliding School for over 25 years, Kitty Hawk Kites is the Outer Banks' Family Adventure Center. Try one of our many family adventures, on the water or off. Learn to Hang Glide over soft sand dunes or fly tandem with an instructor to 2000 ft. The Wright Brothers chose the Outer Banks for their first flight, so can you. More adventure activities available are Kite Surfing, the newest watersport phenomenon, Dolphin Tours on a 24-passenger Jet Boat, challenging Rock Climbing Walls, for all ages, and much more. Don't forget to check out one or all of our kite and toy stores, full of fun and adventure for the whole family. Kid's programs run throughout the summer, as well as many spectacular kiting and hang gliding events! Kitty Hawk Kites
Kitty Hawk Woods Coastal Reserve
Kitty Hawk
nature.org ncnerr.org
The Lost Colony
Manteo
Waterside Theater has been the home of Paul Green's THE LOST COLONY since its inception in 1937. As the oldest outdoor symphonic dramas in America, THE LOST COLONY portrays the fascinating story of 117 men, women and children as they attempt to make a new home in an untamed land, then disappear without a trace. THE LOST COLONY has remained one of history's greatest mysteries for more than 400 years. Director Drew Scott Harris has woven Paul Green's dream into a tapestry of Elizabethan England and the world the colonists found on Roanoke Island. The classic love story - transcending English social boundaries - is at the center of Paul Green's American epic. Clashes with Indians, overcoming adversity, and the ability to still find humor in everyday life keep audiences - young and old - captivated. Lost Colony
North Carolina Maritime Museum on Roanoke Island
Manteo
The North Carolina Maritime Museum on Roanoke Island, located in the historic George Washington Creef Boathouse is a working boat shop where volunteers and staff take on projects including small craft restoration, exhibit design, and new boat construction. The shop has restored several traditional sailing watercraft that, in season, grace the waters of Shallowbag Bay in front of the museum. The Boathouse namesake, George Washington Creef, was a local builder who developed a unique style of workboat called a Shad boat for the surrounding waters of the Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds. The Shad boat is designated as the State Boat of North Carolina. The museum exhibits a number of small watercraft representing the region's maritime history - an 1883 Creef Shad boat, spritsail skiffs, and a 1948 Davis Runabout - and offers a variety of educational programs. NCDCR
Nags Head Woods Ecological Preserve
Nags Head Kill Devil Hills
A 1,400 acre maritime forest with over five miles of hiking trails, visitor's information center. nature.org
North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island
Manteo
The North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island is situated on 14 acres of property overlooking the Croatan Sound. North Carolina's largest saltwater facility, the 68,000-square-foot building houses aquariums ranging from 300 gallons to 285,00 gallons, two touch tanks, interactive exhibits, classrooms, meeting rooms, research space, a large auditorium and a gift shop. Outside are nature trails and a shoreline boardwalk with observation decks and mounted telescopes. The Aquarium seeks to promote awareness, understanding, appreciation, and conservation of the diverse natural and cultural resources associated with North Carolina's ocean, estuaries, rivers, streams, and other aquatic environments through exhibits, programs, and informal learning opportunities. ## The aquarium's variety of exhibits promise to educate and entertain visitors. Journey through coastal freshwaters, see largemouth and striped bass, river otters and the American alligators. Explore saltwater habitats from grass flats to Gulf Stream waters. Gently stroke a stingray or a hermit crab at the touch tanks. Watch hundreds of fish flash by the 35-foot long viewing window of the 285,000-gallon ''Graveyard of the Atlantic'' tank. Sharks and sea turtles cruise by only inches away. History buffs will marvel at the one-third scale replica of the USS Monitor. Step into ''Storms'', and take an inside, personal look at Outer Banks hurricanes and nor'easters. Get face to face with an electric eel, giant tarantula, black widow spider, venomous snakes and lionfish in the, ''Bite, Shock, Sting'' exhibit. Special activities daily. Open year-round at 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thankgiving, Christmas, and New Years. ncaquariums.com
Oregon Inlet Fishing Center
Oregon Inlet
Oregon Inlet Fishing Center is a full service marina and the home of many of the famed Outer Banks sportfishing charter fleet. A wide variety of fishing options are available. Anglers can choose from off shore trips for marlin, tuna and dolphin; inshore trips for amberjack or rockfish; or head boat. Oregon Inlet Fishing Center
Outer Banks History Center
Manteo
In July 1986 Outer Banks historian and businessman David Stick donated his personal library, an extensive private collection of North Caroliniana, to the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. Utilizing this core collection, the department built a unique, regional research facility in Manteo-the Outer Banks History Center or OBHC. Although the holdings of the OBHC are a preeminent source of information about the Outer Banks, they also address many historical, cultural, economic, governmental, and scientific topics pertaining to North Carolina and to neighboring states. Outer Banks History Center
Outer Banks Fishing Tournament Calendar
| Offshore and inshore tournaments. Surf fishing. |
Pirate's Cove Marina
Between Nags Head and Manteo
Charter boats run out of Pirate's Cove for off-shore fishing trips in the Gulf Stream, or shorter in-shore and near-shore fishing trips. Go see the daily catch! The marina is also the site of many fishing tournaments during the year. Pirates Cove Marina
Roanoke Adventure Museum
Manteo
Want to dress up in a suit of armor or Native American garb? Family adventure begins in The Rogues Gallery located in the huge Roanoke Adventure Museum where you can explore daily life in the early colonial English settlements.
Roanoke Adventure Museum
Roanoke Island Festival Park
Manteo
Homeport of Elizabeth II, a 16th century representative sailing vessel. Experience a working Settlement Site, Adventure Museum with 400 years of Outer Banks history, Art Gallery, Museum Store, performing arts, summer children's series and boardwalks through natural marshes. ••• Roanoke Island Fesitival Park, a 27-acre North Carolina State Site and cultural center, is a celebration of history, education and the arts. Step aboard the Elizabeth II, a representative 16th century sailing vessel with garbed interpreters. Visit with soldiers in the Settlement Site. The Roanoke Adventure Museum explores 400 years of Outer Bank history. Learn how the arrival of the English Colonists changed the lives of the Native American inhabitants forever by watching the 50 minute docudrama, The Legend of Two-Path. View a new artist each month in The Art Gallery. Visit the Museum Store, which is overflowing with unique gifts inspired by the English whose first attempts at colonization in the New World were on Roanoke Island. Stroll our boardwalks, through natural marshes, and get up close to nature and observe its hidden pristine beauty and quiet surroundings. The North Carolina Maritime Museum on Roanoke Island, just a block away, features a working boathouse and the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse. The screw-pile light is a reproduction of one that stood near the site. A permanent display is provided on the history of the light. ••• Civil War: museum includes a very good Civil War display with maps, artifacts and some interesting stories about the February 1862 battle for the island and other war-time events in the area. Roanoke Island Festival Park
Roanoke Island Marsh
Manteo, Wanchese
nature.org
The Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse
Manteo
The lighthouse contains exhibits highlighting Roanoke Island's maritime heritage, including a history of the Marshes Lighthouse and its keepers. The original screw-pile lighthouse was located in Croatan Sound on the west side of Roanoke Island. Built in 1877, it was decommissioned by the US Coast Guard in 1955. Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse
Red Wolf
Columbia
Information, artifacts and merchandise dealing with red wolves. Seasonal howling safaris on the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. redwolves.com
More about the Red Wolf at ARNWR
US Army Corps of Engineers Field Research Facility
Duck
The Field Research Facility, located north of Duck on Hwy. 12, helps scientists study the ocean processes. Summer tours are offered Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m. Free - mid June thru mid August. frf.usace.army.mil
Wright Brothers National Memorial
Kill Devil Hills
Site of the world's first controlled powered flights by the Wright Brothers on December 17, 1903. Museum exhibits, reproduction of the 1903 airplane and 1902 glider. Monument to the Wright Brothers, reproduction of living quarters and hangar. First flight grounds. Wright Brothers National Memorial recreation.gov
Wanchese Fishing Village
Wanchese
Visit the quaint village of Wanchese (on the south end of Roanoke Island) and watch fresh fish and seafood being packed and shipped around the world. Wanchese
Wanchese Seafood Industrial Park
Wanchese
The only Federal, State and County-financed project devoted entirely to the seafood processing and fishing industries. Where large sport fishing boats and trawlers are built and repaired. Wanchese
CoastalGuide's HELMSMAN
