Located on the bypass at Milepost 1 in Kitty Hawk (just pass the Home Depot), and operated by The Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, the center provides information on attractions, events and directions. The center also offers an accommodations reservation center, rest rooms, public phones, and picnic area. Rest areas are open 365 days a year; welcome center is open 363 (closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day), from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Tucked away between tall pine trees and freshwater marshland, the Bodie (pronounced body) Island Light presents anything but a typical lighthouse setting. Standing 150 feet high and equipped with a first-order Fresnel lens, it flashes its 160,000 candlepower beacon 19 miles over the ocean. Check the website for details on climbing Bodie Island Lighthouse.

Standing 198.49 feet from foundation to pinnacle, the Cape Hatteras Light is the tallest brick lighthouse in the US and protects on the most hazardous sections of the Atlantic Coast where the Gulf Stream collides with a part of the Labrador current. In 1999 the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was moved a half mile inland, to save it from the encroaching Atlantic. While the grounds are open year round, the lighthouse will be temporarily closed for climbing due to interior repairs.

The National Seashore extends more than 70 miles from South Nags Head to Ocracoke Inlet, covering 30,000 acres and is part of the Outer Banks National Scenic Byway. The first national seashore in the country includes natural and historic attractions, such as lighthouses and lifesaving stations. Picnic areas, camping and interpretive programs are offered seasonally.

From US 158 (bypass), turn west onto Colington Road (0.3 mi.). Turn left onto Veterans Drive (0.2 mi.) At the traffic circle, take the 1st right to exit the traffic circle (0.2 mi.) At the second traffic circle, take the first right to exit and continue along Veterans Drive. (.03 mi). The disc golf course parking lot will be on the right. Please click for a Course Map.

Visitors will find heroes, the early history of US Life-Saving Service/US Coast Guard in North Carolina and the home of the state’s first trained, shore-based rescue responders at Rodanthe’s Chicamacomico Life-saving Station. Chicamacomico was the first of seven Life-Saving Stations built in North Carolina in 1874 and is one of the most unique historical maritime sites on the East coast. The original building at Chicamacomico, commissioned Dec. 4, 1874, was the first Life-Saving Service staffed in North Carolina. It houses all of the equipment for fundamental Life-Saving Service training, such as drill pole, breeches buoy and cart, a rare life-car and original surfboat. Chicamacomico features two original Life-Saving Service/Coast Guard station buildings and their accompanying structures, such as cook houses, stable, water towers, a potable water beehive cistern, and assorted period rescue equipment. The unique historic site is carefully preserved and protected by the Chicamacomico Historical Association with help of dedicated local volunteers and generous contributors.

Representing eleven national wildlife refuges and one national fish hatchery through interactive exhibits, audio-visual programs, and even a virtual airplane ride, visitors may experience a field trip to each refuge. Sit for a spell in the old Dare Forest Supply Store and experience life through a short multi-sensory film, when Buffalo City was a bustling logging and moonshining town! In this small theater you will also have an opportunity to watch 2 other nature and area-related films. In the main lobby, try to find 37 critters hiding in the pocosin diorama. Peek into a red wolf den. Have a picture taken of you as a genuine wild lands firefighter! A short, interpreted nature trail wanders through the woods behind the center.

The Town Park features 11 acres of natural beauty including trails through the maritime forest and willow swamp, open green space, soundside views, and access to the Duck Boardwalk. The Duck Boardwalk extends nearly a mile along the Currituck Sound and can be accessed from the Town Park and other locations throughout the Town’s Village Commercial District. 

The museum contains a nationally recognized collection of Native American artifacts, exhibits and natural history displays. Galleries filled with native art include information on Native Americans across the United States, as well as artifacts from the first inhabitants of Hatteras Island. The museum offers programs and events. Several acres of nature trails winding through a lush maritime forest.

The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum offers programming year round for people of all ages. Daily offerings include a family and youth-friendly scavenger hunt that has visitors searching for objects throughout the Museum and receiving a special surprise for their efforts. The Museum also introduces a new exhibit annually that features a guide families can follow to enhance their experience.

When it comes to charter boat fishing on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the name Hatteras and world class fishing go hand in hand. Either offshore or inshore, Hatteras has it all and no one takes fishing more seriously than the captains and mates of the Hatteras Harbor Marina Charter Fleet. The largest and most experienced in the area, the fleet enjoys one of the shortest runs to the gulf stream where an abundance of fish is caught year round. From marlin, sailfish, tuna, dolphin and wahoo offshore to speckled trout, flounder, bluefish and red drum inshore our fleet is ready to serve your needs. Boats return to the docks between 4-5pm it's a great treat for the whole family to watch the catches hit the dock. Bring the entire family and enjoy uncrowded pristine beaches amid a relaxed atmosphere where southern hospitality is at its best!

Ever since 1939, families have made lifetime memories while visiting Jennette's Pier in Nags Head. Even though wind, waves and water have knocked down previous versions of this ocean fishing pier, today's 1,000-foot-long, concrete platform offers a delightful place to fish, stroll, socialize and soak in. While strolling the pier, visitors may get to see bottlenose dolphins playing in the surf or lines of brown pelicans skimming just above the cresting waves. At times anglers are reeling in prehistoric - looking animals such as clearnose skates or rays that are caught and released. From time to time, small sharks called dogfish are caught and released too. During the summer osprey fish hawks can be seen fishing over the ocean troughs and in winter, on rare occasions, humpback whales can sometimes been seen spouting along the horizonthe salt air.

The Kitty Hawk Woods is located on the Outer Banks, in the center of the village of Kitty Hawk. Kitty Hawk Woods encompasses a total of 1877.2 acres of maritime deciduous swamp, forest and marsh. The town of Kitty Hawk, with a conservation easement with the state, owns 461.6 acres. Several inlets created by storms once cut across the area, allowing tidal exchange of salty ocean and fresh sound waters. In 1928 the last of these inlets closed and the salinity in Currituck Sound became fresh brackish water. The resulting estuaries now serve as primary nursery areas for fish. The eastern edge of the forest is located a quarter-mile from the ocean, where a dune system runs parallel to the coast protecting the area from wind shear and salt spray. The forest itself is located on a series of low ridges and swales. Because of the location of Kitty Hawk Woods a great diversity of wildlife is found. Upland areas support gray fox, raccoon and white-tailed deer. The marsh areas support nutria, muskrat, river otter, and a high density of reptiles and amphibians. The woods are home to warblers, woodpeckers, hawks, wrens and other songbirds. Wood ducks inhabit the deeper swales and herons, egrets, geese, ducks, swans and rails may be found in the marsh. The rare plants found on the reserve are southern twayblade and wooly beach heather. The hop hornbeam, rare on the Outer Banks, is only found in Kitty Hawk and Nags Head Woods.

The North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island is located in Manteo, NC, nine miles from the Atlantic coastline in Nags Head. The 61,000 square-foot facility is sited on 16 acres overlooking the Croatan Sound and houses over 2,200 animals. More than 280,000 guests visit the aquarium each year to see a large array of sharks, learn about sea turtle conservation, participate in a variety of programs, enjoy the beauty of the area, and learn why North Carolina's waterways are so special.

Explore the history of America's only all African-American U.S. Coast Guard station, the Pea Island Lifesaving Station. See commemorative statue of Richard Etheridge, the nation's first black officer in charge of a Lifesaving Station. Starting in 1880 and until it was decommissioned by the U.S. Coast Guard in 1947, the crew risked their lives to save victims and cargo along the Outer Banks. Memorabilia, artifacts, relics and pictures depicting life in the Lifesaving Service. Interior open by appointment only.

Established in 1938 to provide nesting, resting, and wintering habitat for migratory birds, including the greater snow geese and other migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds, raptors, and neotropical migrants; to provide habitat and protection for endangered and threatened species, such as loggerhead sea turtles; and to provide opportunities for public enjoyment of wildlife and wildlands resources. The refuge is located on the north end of Hatteras Island, a coastal barrier island and part of a chain of islands known as the Outer Banks, and includes beach, dunes, brackish ponds, and marshes. The bird list for Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge boasts over 370 species.

An interactive family attraction that celebrates the first English settlement in America. The centerpiece of the 25-acre island park, across from the Manteo NC waterfront, is the Elizabeth II, a representation of one of the seven English ships from the Roanoke Voyage of 1585. Climb aboard and help set the sails, plot your course and swab the decks! Visit the Settlement Site and try a straw and feather beds, woodworking, and games. See the blacksmith fashion his 16th century wares. Explore 400 years of history in the Adventure Museum, fun for all ages. Discover Algonquin culture in American Indian Town. The Town features opportunities for guests to learn about the vital and vibrant heritage, and traditions of the American Indians in our region.

Enjoy the visitor center and the interactive activities and exhibits on aviation, historic preservation, and STEAM-based activities (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) provided by local and regional partners. Once inside the newly renovated visitor center, visitors will embark on a journey through the lives of Orville and Wilbur Wright, exploring their characters, diving into problems they solved and the methods they used that ultimately led to their first flight on December 17, 1903. Inside the Flight Room, visitors will once again be able to view the reproduction 1903 Wright Flyer - the flyer that made history during the first flight - along with a brand new 16-screen video wall!