48 Hours in OBX: A Road Trip Itinerary for the Outer Banks

A memorable getaway does not have to last a week or two. In fact, a shorter escape can be just right—and a two-day trip is certainly better than skipping vacation altogether. Use this Outer Banks road trip itinerary to plan 48 Hours in OBX, with beaches, history, local flavors, and coastal adventure built into the journey.

Day One

Morning

Get to the Outer Banks early and make the beach your first stop. If you can arrive in time for sunrise, the payoff is worth it. With beaches along both the east and west coasts, you have several options for where to begin.

Start the itinerary by finding something delicious to eat by the water. Coffee and donuts are easy to come by, and if you prefer a savory breakfast, Chilli Peppers Coastal Grill or The Dunes Restaurant are good choices for a filling Outer Banks morning meal.

Late Morning

Make your way to the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills. This is the place where, on a cold day in December 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright transformed history when their powered airplane, the Wright Flyer, lifted over the Outer Banks sand for 12 seconds before landing again. Inside the welcome center, exhibits share the story of the Wright brothers and their achievements, along with a replica of the 1903 flying machine.

Midday

Continue to Jockey’s Ridge State Park for a relaxed hike, hang gliding, or kite flying. Jockey’s Ridge is the largest natural living sand dune on the East Coast. The park offers two self-guided trails, nature programs available year-round, a small gift shop, museum, picnic facilities, restrooms, and a visitor center connected to a 360-foot boardwalk. No entry fee is required.

Late Afternoon

Check into your accommodations, get settled, and freshen up before dinner.

If adult beverages are part of your ideal trip, and depending on where you are staying, spend a little time tasting your way through the OBX’s breweries and distilleries. Sweet T’s in Duck offers wine, beer, and coffee tasting.

Dinner

Outer Banks restaurants cover everything from fresh seafood and fine dining to burgers and pizza, so you can choose the dinner style that fits your evening.

Evening During the Summer Season

Head to Roanoke Island for a performance of The Lost Colony. This 86-year-old musical belongs on your road trip itinerary. Staged outdoors under the stars, the production surrounds you with the story of a new world through music and choreography. Experience the pageantry of Queen Elizabeth I and her court, mark the birth of Virginia Dare, the first English child born in America, and take in the historical significance of America's oldest mystery. Be sure to purchase tickets in advance.

Day Two

Morning

Begin with breakfast at your hotel.

Then visit Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, the location of the first English Colony, where Sir Walter Raleigh’s explorers and later colonists created settlements in 1585 and 1587. The settlement later became known as The Lost Colony after 116 settlers vanished without a trace.

The site also protects and interprets the cultural heritage of the Native Americans, European Americans, and African Americans who have lived on Roanoke Island. It also honors the Freedman’s Colony, which had an important role during the Civil War as one of the first safe havens for freed or runaway slaves in the South. Visitors will also find an on-site visitor center, interpretive programs, and a nature trail.

Walk through the stately Elizabethan Gardens, created as a living memorial to Queen Elizabeth and the Lost Colony. The gardens feature Renaissance statues and Elizabethan-style buildings that evoke the era of Queen Elizabeth I.

Late Morning

Explore Roanoke Island Festival Park in Downtown Historic Manteo. There, you can see the Elizabeth II, a 69-foot sailing vessel representative of those who sailed to the New World in 1585.

Lunch

Spend time shopping and wandering through Downtown Historic Manteo. The waterfront has many restaurants to choose from, along with quirky shops, galleries, coffee, and ice cream.

Afternoon

Visit the Roanoke Island Maritime Museum and Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse on Roanoke Island. Set on the Manteo Waterfront, the museum is also known as the George Washington Creef Boat Shop. This active boat shop shares the traditional craft of boat restoration and construction. A replica of the 1850s screw-pile lighthouse that once watched over nearby Croatan Sound gives visitors a distinctive look at the island’s maritime history and the lightkeepers who lived at the station. Admission is free to both.

Leave Downtown Manteo for Hatteras Island and continue to the next stop on your road trip itinerary: the Outer Banks Scenic Byway.

Stop at the Chicamacomico Life Saving Station, a predecessor to the US Coast Guard. Chicamacomico is one of the most complete US lifesaving station sites in the nation. Tour historic buildings and a boathouse connected to the service that came before the United States Coast Guard, and learn about daring ocean rescues carried out by brave men who devoted their lives to the sea.

Late Afternoon

Arrive at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the tallest brick beacon on the American coast. Recognizable by its black and white stripes, it reaches 208 feet high. Learn its remarkable history, including its half-mile move away from the ocean in 2000. Admission to the grounds is complimentary, with a minimal fee to climb to the top.

If time allows, visit the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras Village. This distinctive museum preserves and interprets the rich maritime history of the Outer Banks and the more than 2,000 known shipwrecks off the coast. Exhibits include cannons from Blackbeard’s Queen Anne Revenge, an Enigma machine from the U-85, ship models, and many other artifacts.

Wine lovers can add a tasting before dinner at the Lee Robinson General Store in Hatteras Village.

Evening

End the trip with an evening walk on the beach, taking time to slow down and look back on two wonderful days in the Outer Banks.