National Park Service Ocracoke Island Visitor Center

The first resort area on the Outer Banks beaches, Nags Head is still drawing vacationers more than 150 years later. Nags Head is one of the largest towns on the Outer Banks, and it’s filled with everything anyone needs to enjoy a great vacation by the sea. Nags Head offers a mix of vacation accommodations, from small cottages to luxurious homes, from mom-and-pop cottage court efficiencies to upscale hotel rooms. For waterfront dining, Nags Head has more restaurants with a water view than any other Outer Banks town. For shopping, it offers a Tanger Outlet Center, Outer Banks Mall, several strip shopping centers with a variety of stores and a wealth of souvenir/beach shops.

Outdoor recreation rules in Nags Head. The town is home to the northern Outer Banks’ largest concentration of watersports outfitters, miniature golf courses and go-cart tracks. It also has the greatest number of public beach accesses. The main recreational feature of Nags Head, besides the Atlantic Ocean, is Jockey’s Ridge State Park, the largest sand dune on the East Coast. The town is home to three fishing piers – the classic Nags Head Fishing Pier and Outer Banks Fishing Pier as well as the North Carolina Aquariums' impressive Jennette’s Pier. Nags Head is also home to Soundside Event Site, the location of many of the area's largest festivals and events.