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
There are two pickleball courts at Ocracoke Youth Center on Horse Pen Road. The outdoor asphalt courts are dedicated for pickleball with permanent lines and...read more
Walker Park has a baseball field, a softball field, a covered picnic pavilion, a tennis court and a playground. You'll find it in Wanchese on Pond Road,...read more
Who says you have to miss a workout while on vacation? This center sports a fitness and health center complete with cardio and circuit training equipment....read more
The Outer Banks may no longer be the buccaneer hang out it was known as in yesteryear but that doesn’t mean you can’t party like a pirate today. Pirates...read more
Throughout the summer season, Ocracoke Preservation Society hosts weekly porch talks on topics of local and historical interest. Stop in at the museum for a...read more
Portsmouth Island, just across the inlet from Ocracoke Island, is an enchanting place to visit. This uninhabited island is rugged and remote, one of the...read more
This outfitter takes passengers to Portsmouth Island for four-hour excursions on a remote, uninhabited island. The boat can take up to 12 passengers and...read more
Brothers Rudy and Donald Austin, both former ferry captains, offer boat tours to historic Portsmouth Island. Departing daily from Silver Lake Harbor at the...read more
This movie theater plays first-run movies and even has special rainy day morning show times. They also have a 3D projector, making movie-going even more fun...read more
Primarily a kiteboarding lesson center, Radikal Kiteboarding offers both group and private lessons focusing on skill development and theory. All of their...read more
There’s something for everyone inside the REAL Flagship Store in the village of Waves. At REAL you’ll find one of the largest selection of men’s, women’s...read more
The legendary Red Drum, serving Hatteras Island since 1954, offers all the bait, tackle, custom rods, supplies, camping supplies, gear, ice and advice you’...read more
