Outer Banks Things To Do

Visitors to the Outer Banks are recreation lovers. After all, with an area known for its natural beauty, why wouldn’t you want to be outside taking full advantage of every Outer Banks thing to do you could think of? Perhaps the Outer Banks’ biggest draw is Mother Ocean and her surrounding sandy beaches. When it comes to things to do on the Outer Banks, the top of anyone’s to-do list involves getting in or near the water. That translates into sunbathing, swimming, body boarding, skimboarding, surfing, scuba diving, shelling, sea glass hunting, shore walking…and did we mention just sitting and looking at those meditative waves rolling in? Check out the Things To Do in Hatteras section and the Things To Do in Ocracoke section for the scoop on the best ways to enjoy the water.

Of course, the Outer Banks things to do on the sound are just as numerous as those on the ocean. Take a peek at the sound, and you almost always see someone boating, sailing, parasailing, kiteboarding, standup paddleboarding, clamming, windsurfing, kayaking or Jet Skiing. Check out Things To Do in Nags Head or Things To Do in Duck, NC, for your watersports options.

Outer Banks Things To Do on Dry Land!

Feel more like a dry activity? No problem! If fishing is the ticket, there are many opportunities to wet a line with piers, bridges, shorelines, the sound, bays, offshore and inshore charters. Along a similar drift, a dolphin or sightseeing boat tour is a popular Outer Banks thing to do, and you can learn more in the Things To Do on Roanoke Island section. And no equine lover's trip to the Outer Banks is complete without seeing the wild horses, a popular Thing To Do in Corolla, NC. Want to see as much of the Outer Banks as you can by walking, jogging or biking? Then you’ll love it here! Each town has either a designated bike path, boardwalks or back roads that are so lovely you’ll forget all about the fact that you have three more miles to go!

Outer Banks Things To Do by Area

Corolla | Duck & Southern Shores | Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills & Nags Head
Roanoke Island & Manteo | Hatteras Island | Ocracoke Island

Outer Banks Things To Do by Category

Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge

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

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...read more

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

AR Workshop

Outer Banks Thing To Do
3105 N. Croatan Highway, The Bypass, MP 5.5, Kill Devil Hills
(252) 656-6694

AR Workshop is a national boutique DIY workshop franchise, and now there's a location in Kill Devil Hills. They offer instructor-led workshop classes, DIY...read more

AR Workshop is a national boutique DIY workshop franchise, and now there's a location in...read more

Back Beach Wild Horse Tours

Outer Banks Thing To Do
817 B Ocean Trail, N.C. Highway 12, Corolla
(252) 453-6141

Back Beach Wild Horse Tours' highly trained staff has a great reputation for being entertaining and informative. Their tours last two hours and...read more

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

Back Country 4x4 & Kayak Safari

Outer Banks Thing To Do
Meet at Corolla Light Town Center, 1159 Austin Street, Corolla
(252) 453-0877

Some of the best wildlife viewing and paddling on the Outer Banks takes place in the remote northern waterways of the Currituck Sound near the Virginia...read more

Some of the best wildlife viewing and paddling on the Outer Banks takes place in...read more

Back Country Wild Horse Safari Tour

Outer Banks Thing To Do
Meet at Corolla Light Town Center, 1159 Austin Street, Corolla
(252) 453-0877

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...read more

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

Bianca's Readings

Outer Banks Thing To Do
Multiple locations

Highly intuitive and well known for her honest and accurate readings, Bianca can give you insight on your new normal (and help you understand where your...read more

Highly intuitive and well known for her honest and accurate readings, Bianca can give you...read more

Bob's Wild Horse Tours

Outer Banks Thing To Do
817-B Ocean Trail, Corolla
(252) 453-8602

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...read more

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

Captain Johnny’s Dolphin Tours

Outer Banks Thing To Do
400 Queen Elizabeth Avenue, Manteo Waterfront, Manteo
(252) 473-1475

It’s very exciting to watch bottlenosed dolphins frolicking and rolling through the water. Dolphins live in the sounds and from June through October...read more

It’s very exciting to watch bottlenosed dolphins frolicking and rolling through the water. Dolphins live...read more

Carolina Shores Electric Bikes OBX

Outer Banks Thing To Do
8568 B Caratoke Highway, Harbinger
(252) 599-0040

E-bikes are not only a fun way to explore the Outer Banks, but also a convenient and inexpensive way to get around without getting caught up in summer...read more

E-bikes are not only a fun way to explore the Outer Banks, but also a...read more

Causeway Watersports

Outer Banks Thing To Do
7649 S. Virginia Dare Trail, Nags Head/Manteo Causeway, Nags Head
(252) 441-8875

Whether you enjoy the thrill of parasailing or the excitement of a Waverunner, it's waiting for you at Causeway Watersports. This adventure mecca is on the...read more

Whether you enjoy the thrill of parasailing or the excitement of a Waverunner, it's waiting...read more

Charter Boats on the Outer Banks

Outer Banks Thing To Do

Charter fishing on the Outer Banks is one of the most popular activities. Thousands of visitors and locals take advantage of the excellent fishing these...read more

Charter fishing on the Outer Banks is one of the most popular activities. Thousands of...read more

Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station

Outer Banks Thing To Do
23645 N.C. Highway 12, Rodanthe
(252) 987-1552

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...read more

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