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
The Town of Nags Head operates a skateboard park on the premises of the Outer Banks Family YMCA. Operating hours are 8 a.m. through 9 p.m. or sunset,...read more
To add beauty and culture to its Town Hall building, the Town of Nags Head has purchased more than 100 works of fine art by local artists over the course of...read more
Purchase your beach driving permit at the main desk on the second floor. Permits are $50 for Nags Head residents and $100 for all others and are valid in...read more
This shaded park has a playground, picnic shelter, restrooms and an open field. To find it, turn west on Barnes Street off the Bypass at Ace Hardware. The...read more
This race course weaves through The Nature Conservancy’s Nags Head Woods Ecological Preserve, one of the best remaining examples of mid-Atlantic Maritime...read more
A beautiful place for hiking, trail running and birding, Nags Head Woods Preserve is one of the best remaining examples of a mid-Atlantic maritime forest....read more
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...read more
The National Park Service has multiple slips in Silver Lake Harbor that can accommodate boats of up to 80 feet. These are very simple boat accommodations....read more
Natural Art has been a fixture on the Hatteras Island surfing scene since 1977, and it’s all about serious surfing. Owner Scott Busbey crafts his renowned...read more
As the friendly folks at North Beach Watersports like to say, "So much fun, so little time!" This is the place for watersports enthusiasts in Corolla. From...read more
Whether you need to change up your look, want a minute to unwind or are seeking a mental and physical uplift, you’ll find the Oasis for it in Kill Devil...read more
OB-Xscape Rooms will captivate your minds with the thrill of an enigma, inviting players...read more
