Outer Banks Town Information

The Outer Banks is made up of 14 towns: Corolla, Duck, Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head, Manteo, Wanchese, Hatteras, Avon, Buxton, Frisco, Hatteras Village and Ocracoke. Once fishing villages, these towns blended together over the years to create the beach we know and love today. We have so many wonderful things to say about all of these towns, but we’ve boiled each one down to a couple sentences of Outer Banks town information for a little crash course. 

Corolla is at the northernmost tip of the Outer Banks and known for its wide, remote beaches and upscale rental houses. You have to drive a bit to get here, but it’s well worth the trip. The towns of Duck and Southern Shores are havens for shoppers and beach-goers alike. The various boutiques, markets, watersports stores and one-of-a-kind novelty shops give you a great way to spend a few hours or even a day browsing away. There are also plenty of wide and open beaches and bike trails where you can enjoy some fresh air while taking in the beautiful environment surrounding you. Outer Banks town information continues as you go farther South and enter Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head. These towns have meshed together to create a spot that has it all whether it’s beaches, shops, rentals, restaurants or attractions. 

As you travel down the beach, you’ll come to a split where you can travel to Hatteras or Roanoke Island. You decide to check out Roanoke Island first, where you can visit Wanchese and Manteo. Wanchese is predominantly a fishing village where you can find plenty of fishing charters that’ll give you a fun day out on the water, rod in hand. Manteo is one of the few towns on the beach with an actual downtown area, located on the waterfront, and filled with lovely galleries, boutiques, restaurants and theaters that you’ll want to spend all day visiting. Let’s return to the split and re-route our course to Hatteras Island where we’ll enter Buxton, Avon, Frisco and Hatteras Village. Here you’ll find beautiful beaches on the ocean and sound, maritime forests, marshes, restaurants, shops and little towns sprinkled along the island. 

Now we near our last destination: Ocracoke Island. This island is rich in pirate history but don’t let that keep you from enjoying the isolated beaches, artisanal shops, popular restaurants and community-oriented village. With so many places to visit on the Outer Banks, it’s enough to make you come back year after year just to see them all.

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