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

Corolla & Duck Parasail

Outer Banks Thing To Do
1446 Duck Road, North Duck Watersports, Duck
(252) 261-4200
(252) 255-2663

Soar high with Corolla & Duck Parasail's licensed, 100-Ton Master Captain owner-operators. They are based in northern Duck, conveniently serving customers from both Duck and Corolla. Enjoy the boat ride and the view from the comfort and style of their top-of-the-line Ocean Pro (vessel designed specifically for parasailing) with their veteran captain and crew. Professional, friendly and parasail-obsessed, Corolla & Duck Parasail leaves you with...read more

Soar high with Corolla & Duck Parasail's licensed, 100-Ton Master Captain owner-operators. They are based...read more

Corolla Watersports

Outer Banks Thing To Do
798 Sunset Boulevard, TimBuck II Shopping Village, Corolla
(252) 453-6900

If it’s on the water, the folks here can help you do it. On the sound at the backside of TimBuck II next to the minigolf course, Corolla Watersports rents four-stroke Waverunners, pontoon boats, standup paddleboards, sit-on-top and sit-in kayaks and two and four-seat pedal boats. You can rent the pontoons with or without a captain – sunset cruises are perfect in one of these vessels....read more

If it’s on the water, the folks here can help you do it. On the...read more

Corolla Wild Horse Fund

Outer Banks Thing To Do
1130E Corolla Village Road, Corolla
(252) 453-8002

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

Corolla Wild Horse Tours

Outer Banks Thing To Do
1159 F Austin Street, Corolla
(252) 207-0511

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

Country Girl Charters

Pirate's Cove Yacht Club & Marina
Outer Banks Thing To Do
1 Sailfish Drive, Pirate's Cove Marina, Manteo
(252) 473-5577

As one of the few boats in the Oregon Inlet fishing fleet that is licensed to carry more than six anglers, the 57-foot Country Girl can be chartered for Gulf Stream trips for parties of six or more people. These full-day offshore charter fishing trips can yield tuna and mahi-mahi, wahoo, king mackerel, marlin or sailfish depending on the season and conditions. The Country Girl also...read more

As one of the few boats in the Oregon Inlet fishing fleet that is licensed...read more

Crystal Dawn Head Boat

Pirate's Cove Yacht Club & Marina
Outer Banks Thing To Do
2000 Sailfish Drive, Docks at Pirate's Cove Marina, Manteo
(252) 473-5577

Looking to get out on the water? Docked at Pirate's Cove Marina on the Nags Head/Manteo Causeway, this comfortable, 65-foot, double-decker party boat /head boat offers fishing in the sounds and around Oregon Inlet as well as a variety of fun cruises around Roanoke Island. On one of their head boat fishing trips you'll catch fish such as flounder, croaker, spot, trout, sea mullet, sea bass...read more

Looking to get out on the water? Docked at Pirate's Cove Marina on the Nags...read more

Currituck Beach Lighthouse

Outer Banks Thing To Do
1101 Corolla Village Road, Corolla
(252) 453-4939

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

Duck Town Park

Outer Banks Thing To Do
1200 Duck Road, Duck
(252) 255-1234

Be sure to visit the Duck Town Park and Boardwalk. This fabulous 11-acre soundside green space is tucked inside the Village of Duck. The soundside boardwalk extends nearly a mile along the Currituck Sound and connects the town’s commercial village area. Park amenities include an amphitheater, the Town Green, a playground, a public kayak/canoe launch, a crabbing area, a picnic shelter, walking trails through the...read more

Be sure to visit the Duck Town Park and Boardwalk. This fabulous 11-acre soundside green...read more

Elizabethan Gardens

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

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

First Fridays in Manteo

Outer Banks Thing To Do
Downtown Manteo, Manteo
(252) 473-5558

First Friday is a family-oriented festival held in downtown Manteo on the first Friday of every month from April through December. From 6 to 8 p.m. downtown Manteo’s sidewalks come alive with a wide variety of musical performances and festive activities for all ages. Individual shops and restaurants frequently do their own celebratory activity such as live music, special sales, refreshments and hors d’oeuvres. Dare County...read more

First Friday is a family-oriented festival held in downtown Manteo on the first Friday of...read more

Fishing Unlimited

Outer Banks Thing To Do
7665 S. Virginia Dare Trail, Nags Head/Manteo Causeway, Nags Head
(252) 441-5028

Fishing Unlimited has everything you need for a great fishing trip on the sound – boat rentals, rods and reel rentals, bait and tackle and ice. If you're looking to catch fresh crabs, come try it here; they have the gear to rent or buy, plus a crabbing pier. The boats they rent are 23-foot or 26-foot pontoon boats, and they'll tell you everything you...read more

Fishing Unlimited has everything you need for a great fishing trip on the sound –...read more

Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum

Outer Banks Thing To Do
59200 Museum Drive, Hatteras village
(252) 986-0720

At the end of N.C. Highway 12 just past the ferry docks, Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum attracts attention with its composite of ship shapes, porthole windows and curved timbers. One of three North Carolina Maritime Museums operated by the North Carolina Division of Natural and Cultural Resources, the museum focuses on the maritime history and culture of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The Outer Banks’ stretch of sea is...read more

At the end of N.C. Highway 12 just past the ferry docks, Graveyard of the...read more