The Islands of the Outer Banks

Spread along the North Carolina coast, the Outer Banks are deeply woven into the state’s history and landscape. These barrier islands shield the mainland from much of the force of tides and storms. This is where the first attempt at a permanent English colony took place, where the oldest cultivated grapevine in the U.S. grows, and where the first English child was born in the New World. The Wright Brothers made aviation history here, and generations of travelers have landed their first fish, seen the ocean for the first time, and built memories they carry home. It is the kind of beautiful place people fall for, then return to whenever they can.

Northern Beaches

Many favorite Outer Banks places are found along the northern beaches: Duck, Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head. Among other distinctions, this area is known as the location of the Wright Brothers' first powered flight, and it offers a lively mix of coastal towns, beaches, history, and things to do.

Roanoke Island & Dare Mainland

Roanoke Island and the waterfront town of Manteo sit between the North Carolina mainland and the barrier island beach communities. Manteo, along with its sister community Wanchese, has a distinct personality and a historic legacy that shapes the experience of visiting.

Hatteras Island

For travelers who want to feel even farther removed from everyday life, Hatteras Island is an ideal fit. The island extends for nearly half the length of the entire Outer Banks. Set at the center of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, it welcomes first time visitors and returning guests into a more untamed side of the coast.

The Outer Banks can be understood in three main parts, conveniently matching its three island areas. Locals refer to the stretch from Oregon Inlet northward, from Nags Head to Duck, as the Northern Beaches. Below Oregon Inlet is Hatteras Island, where Cape Hatteras National Seashore and seven villages make up a wilder landscape than anywhere else on the Outer Banks, offering a glimpse of how this place may have felt centuries ago. Completing the group is Roanoke Island and the small but active town of Manteo, where the Outer Banks’ connection with the Western world began more than four centuries ago.

The beach towns are rich with the past. Wooden fishing piers point back to the early days of leisure travel to the Banks, while the concrete reinvention of Jennette’s Pier — a landmark since 1936 — shows how a place can modernize while staying rooted in history. At the Wright Brothers National Memorial, visitors stand where a moment that changed the world unfolded. Nearby, Jockey’s Ridge State Park offers the chance to follow that spirit of flight by trying hang gliding.

On Roanoke Island, the beginnings of the Outer Banks story come into focus. At the island’s northern end, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site honors the English colonists’ attempts to create a permanent settlement here. Exhibits explain their interactions with local Native Tribes and reveal details of daily life at the time; the story continues as visitors walk the grounds, see the reconstructed earthwork walls of a vanished fort, and look toward the waters where the colonists anchored before beginning a new life. Their fate remains a mystery, because they disappeared between 1587 and 1590 and no evidence of their whereabouts has ever been found. Beside the Fort and the grounds where they built their lives, the outdoor drama The Lost Colony presents their story.

Past Roanoke Island lies mainland Dare County, a mostly wild area where Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge preserves thousands of acres in a natural and pristine state. Red wolves, black bears, white-tailed deer, and hundreds of thousands of migratory birds — including ducks, geese, and other waterfowl — are able to live or stop over there without the limitations of human development. Whether by kayak or along the wildlife viewing route by car, the refuge offers sights that can surprise and amaze.

Fishing is central to life on the Outer Banks, and local restaurants treat the fresh catch with care, serving plate after plate of just-caught seafood to eager diners. Fish markets and roadside stands make it possible to pick up fresh shrimp or clams, tuna or grouper or whatever was biting this morning, plus fresh produce to pair with it. The Outer Banks is wild, romantic, and full of discoveries about nature and yourself. It is also a place where you can simply arrive and be. We’re glad you’re here, and we want your time with us to be memorable for all the right reasons.