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
Liza Yowell offers massage therapy, natural skincare, cupping and energy work (Reiki and craniosacral therapy). She offers a variety of packages in skincare...read more
If you love plants, you'll love this curated garden shop in Downtown Manteo. You'll find a collection of indoor and outdoor ornamental plants, plant...read more
To access Croatan Sound, a North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission boat ramp is located off the western end of Bowsertown Road, past the Town of Manteo...read more
On May 11, 1942, about 40 miles south of Ocracoke, a German submarine torpedoed and sank the British vessel HMS Bedfordshire. The 170-foot ship was...read more
Photographers Brooke Mayo and Candace Owens are a dynamic duo in Outer Banks photography. Known for their ability to make photoshoots fun, they lend their...read more
Prepare to bug around the Outer Banks with the folks at Buggin’ Out to enjoy the scenery, and the convenience, of motoring throughout the area with the wind...read more
Keith Seal has created a family dojo that offers training in the martial arts as a way of life, encompassing tradition, self-discipline, physical fitness...read more
Buxton and Frisco are two distinct villages but they border one another (without any parklands in between) so they kind of blend together. Both of these...read more
Near the lighthouse on the National Park Service grounds is a 3/4-mile trail through the maritime forest of Buxton Woods. From N.C. Highway 12, turn onto...read more
Buxton Woods is one of the largest remaining maritime forests in the Southeast. It consists of pine- and oak-covered dune ridges interspersed with maritime...read more
This boardwalk cuts through a small portion of swamp forest and brackish marsh. The variety of flora and fauna you’ll see here is astounding. Sweet gum, red...read more
If one thing represents all of Hatteras Island, it has to be the famous black-and-white, spiral-striped Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. The lighthouse has...read more