Outer Banks Attractions

1

Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge

Milltail Road, off U.S. Highway 64
Manteo
(252) 473-1131
Outer Banks Attractions

Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge is a more than 164,000-acre refuge on the mainland portion of Dare and Hyde counties. It was established in 1984 to preserve and protect a unique wetland habitat type, the pocosin, and its associated wildlife species. Pocosin is a Native American word meaning ‘swamp-on-a-hill’ and is characterized by poorly drained soils high in organic material. The refuge's diversity of habitat...read more

Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge is a more than 164,000-acre refuge on the mainland portion...read more

2

Back Beach Wild Horse Tours

817 B Ocean Trail
N.C. Highway 12
Corolla
(252) 453-6141
Outer Banks Attractions

Back Beach Wild Horse Tours' highly trained staff has a great reputation for being entertaining and informative. Their tours last two hours and incorporate quite a bit of local history to complement the sightseeing while showering you with interesting lore. In the four-wheel-drive area you’ll see the Corolla wild horses grazing in their natural habitat and the occasional deer and surfing dolphins. Back Beach tours are given in safari-style,...read more

Back Beach Wild Horse Tours' highly trained staff has a great reputation for being entertaining and...read more

3

Back Country Wild Horse Safari Tour

Meet at Corolla Light Town Center
1159 Austin Street
Corolla
(252) 453-0877
Outer Banks Attractions

Scott Trabue’s Wild Horse Safari is an off-road eco-adventure that will deliver you and your family directly to the wild Spanish mustangs that have thrived on the northern Outer Banks for nearly 500 years. Your naturalist guide will carry you in custom open-air Safari Cruisers through 30 miles of beaches, dune and back-country sand lanes to discover the Outer Banks’ unique wildlife. Shore life including...read more

Scott Trabue’s Wild Horse Safari is an off-road eco-adventure that will deliver you and your...read more

4

Bob's Wild Horse Tours

817-B Ocean Trail
Corolla
(252) 453-8602
Outer Banks Attractions

Bob White is a legend in the horse-tour business. He and his highly trained staff have been offering tours since 1996, and they have a reputation for being both entertaining and informative. Bob’s tours last two hours and incorporate quite a bit of local history and interesting lore to complement the sightseeing. In the four-wheel-drive area, you’ll see the horses grazing in their natural habitat, often along with...read more

Bob White is a legend in the horse-tour business. He and his highly trained staff have...read more

5

Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station

23645 N.C. Highway 12
Rodanthe
(252) 987-1552
Outer Banks Attractions

The Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station is the nation’s largest and most complete existing example of the life-saving stations that were built along the Atlantic coast in the late 19th century to attend to shipwrecks and to rescue survivors. The 1874 Station was the first operational U.S. Life-Saving Service station built in North Carolina, serving until 1954. Chicamacomico has been partially restored, thanks to numerous volunteers who...read more

The Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station is the nation’s largest and most complete existing example of the...read more

6

Corolla Wild Horse Fund

1130E Corolla Village Road
Corolla
(252) 453-8002
Outer Banks Attractions

Corolla Wild Horse Fund's museum, gift shop and offices are located in Historic Corolla Village. Visit them to discover the fascinating history and legacy of the Banker strain of Colonial Spanish Mustangs. Mustangs were brought to the Outer Banks nearly 500 years ago and their descendants are still with us today, although this hardy, majestic breed is now highly endangered. The whole family can learn...read more

Corolla Wild Horse Fund's museum, gift shop and offices are located in Historic Corolla Village....read more

7

Corolla Wild Horse Tours

1159 F Austin Street
Corolla
(252) 207-0511
Outer Banks Attractions

Corolla Wild Horse Tours has been guiding tours to Corolla’s horse country – the four-wheel-drive-only beaches north of Corolla – since 1996. With these experienced and knowledgeable guides, you can sit back and enjoy a comfortable, family-oriented tour. This company uses 15-passenger, open-air safari-style trucks that are safe for any age, including kids in car seats. Along the trip, your guide will tell you about the...read more

Corolla Wild Horse Tours has been guiding tours to Corolla’s horse country – the four-wheel-drive-only beaches...read more

8

Currituck Beach Lighthouse

1101 Corolla Village Road
Corolla
(252) 453-4939
Outer Banks Attractions

The red-brick Currituck Beach Lighthouse towers above the Historic Corolla Village. Visitors to this Outer Banks attraction can climb the winding staircase, 220 steps in all, to the top of the lighthouse for a panoramic view of Currituck Sound, the Atlantic Ocean and the Currituck Outer Banks. Inside the lighthouse, at the base and on the first two landings, there are museum-quality lighthouse exhibits. On...read more

The red-brick Currituck Beach Lighthouse towers above the Historic Corolla Village. Visitors to this Outer...read more

9

Elizabethan Gardens

1411 National Park Drive (off U.S. Highway 64) next to Fort Raleigh National Historic Site
Manteo
(252) 473-3234
Outer Banks Attractions

Designed by two of America’s foremost landscape architects to pay tribute to America’s first English colonists, The Elizabethan Gardens is a rare treasure and a beloved Outer Banks attraction. It’s a haven of verdant, flourishing growth and natural prosperity. The gardens are in bloom year-round with azaleas, hydrangeas, roses, camellias, flowering trees, a variety of annuals and herbs and much more. Adding exquisite touches are imported Italian Renaissance...read more

Designed by two of America’s foremost landscape architects to pay tribute to America’s first English...read more

10

H2OBX Waterpark

8526 Caratoke Highway
Powells Point
(252) 491-3000
Outer Banks Attractions

Nothing satisfies your craving for fun like a day at H2OBX Waterpark, located just 3 miles north of Wright Memorial Bridge. Start with that perfect Carolina sun. Add a dose of adrenaline as you climb six stories and shoot down the Rogue Wave or drop 90 screaming feet down The Plank. Stir in a float down Teach’s Tide Adventure River. Test your skills on the...read more

Nothing satisfies your craving for fun like a day at H2OBX Waterpark, located just 3...read more

11

Jennette's Pier

7223 S. Virginia Dare Trail
The Beach Road, MP 16.5
Nags Head
(252) 255-1501
Outer Banks Attractions

The place to be in Nags Head during the summer season, Jennette’s Pier offers anglers a wide variety of fish to target while sightseers can watch brown pelicans overhead and bottlenose dolphins swimming in the sea. The pier is surrounded by wide, clean public beaches, free parking and a bathhouse, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors from near and far. Owned and operated by the N.C....read more

The place to be in Nags Head during the summer season, Jennette’s Pier offers anglers...read more

12

North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island

374 Airport Road
Manteo
(252) 475-2300
Outer Banks Attractions
(800) 832-3474 x4

The North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island is one of the most popular attractions on the Outer Banks. With more than 200 species of animals, including otters, sand tiger sharks and jellyfish to see, the aquarium is a wondrous place to explore. Yes, it's perfect for a rainy day, but you will also appreciate the cool, quiet environment when you've had enough of the sun....read more

The North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island is one of the most popular attractions on...read more

13

Ocracoke Alive

84 School Road
Ocracoke
(252) 921-0260
Outer Banks Attractions
Ocracoke Civic & Business Association Contributor

Ocracoke Alive, Inc. was formed to enrich Ocracoke Island by serving the cultural and artistic needs of the community. Through fundraising and donations, this group supports the musical, educational and artistic vein of the Ocracoke community by organizing and sponsoring multiple events throughout the year, including the annual Ocrafolk Festival, Festival Latino de Ocracoke, community plays and school programs.read more

Ocracoke Alive, Inc. was formed to enrich Ocracoke Island by serving the cultural and artistic needs of the community....read more

14

Ocracoke Preservation Society and Museum

49 Water Plant Road
Ocracoke
(252) 928-7375
Outer Banks Attractions

For a peek into Ocracoke’s past, visit Ocracoke Preservation Society’s Museum. The nonprofit organization is dedicated to preserving the island’s history and cultural heritage and to protecting its environment. Housed in the turn-of-the-century home of Coast Guard Capt. David Williams, the museum lets visitors glimpse island life in the early to mid-1900s. Many of the architectural elements are intact, and a bedroom, living room and...read more

For a peek into Ocracoke’s past, visit Ocracoke Preservation Society’s Museum. The nonprofit organization is...read more

15

Oregon Inlet Fishing Center

8770 Oregon Inlet Road
off N.C. Highway 12
Nags Head
(252) 441-6301
Outer Banks Attractions

It's all about making fishing memories at this legendary Outer Banks marina. A fleet of 48 boats offers a variety of fishing excursions at Oregon Inlet Fishing Center year round (weather permitting). Nearshore, inshore vessels offer half-day or full-day trips, while the headboat offers a choice of morning or afternoon inlet/sound fishing. Offshore vessels travel to the Gulf Stream, where anglers enjoy a full day on...read more

It's all about making fishing memories at this legendary Outer Banks marina. A fleet of...read more

16

The Lost Colony

1409 National Park Drive (off U.S. Highway 64)
Waterside Theatre, inside Fort Raleigh National Historic Site
Manteo
(252) 473-2127
Outer Banks Attractions
Tickets
(252) 473-6000

In July of 1587, 117 English men, women and children came ashore on Roanoke Island with the commission from Queen Elizabeth I to establish a permanent English settlement in the New World. They vanished just three years later. The only clues were “CROATOAN" carved into the surface of an abandoned structure and the letters "CRO" carved into a nearby tree. After nearly 450 years, the...read more

In July of 1587, 117 English men, women and children came ashore on Roanoke Island...read more

17

Wild Horse Adventure Tours

610 Currituck Clubhouse Drive
Corolla
(252) 489-2020
Outer Banks Attractions

If you want to see the wild horses in the four-wheel-drive area north of Corolla, Wild Horse Adventure Tours can be your guide for this popular Outer Banks activity. They’ll get you into horse country in their open-air Hummer H1s, which have been custom designed to seat up to 13 passengers comfortably. With exclusive rights to the Wild Horse Sanctuary in Swan Beach, the seasoned guides...read more

If you want to see the wild horses in the four-wheel-drive area north of Corolla,...read more