Outer Banks
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Overview
The Outer Banks are fragile ribbons of sand tracing the coastline for more than 100 miles, separated from the mainland by sounds and waterways. From north to south, barrier islands Bodie (pronounced 'body'), Roanoke, Hatteras and Ocracoke, essentially large sandbars, are linked by bridges and ferries. The far-northern communities Corolla (kur-all-ah), Duck and Southern Shores are former duck-hunting grounds for the wealthy, and are quiet and upscale. Nearly contiguous Bodie Island towns Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head are developed and more populated, with fried-fish joints, drive-through beer shops, motels and sandals and sunblock stores. Roanoke Island, west of Bodie, offers Colonial history and the quaint waterfront town Manteo. Further south, Hatteras Island is a protected national seashore with tiny villages and a wild, windswept beauty. At Outer Banks' southern end, find old salts, shuck oysters and weave hammocks on Ocracoke Island, accessible only by ferry.
Attractions
Must-see attractions
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Outer Banks
Dolphins are commonly spotted on Ocracoke's gorgeous, undeveloped 16-mile stretch of sandy beach. Swimmers should be aware of rip currents. Find parking…
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Fort Raleigh National Historic Site
Outer Banks
In the late 1580s, three decades before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, a group of 116 British colonists disappeared without a trace from their…
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Wright Brothers National Memorial
Outer Banks
Self-taught engineers Wilbur and Orville Wright launched the world's first successful airplane flight on December 17, 1903 (it lasted 12 seconds). A…
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Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge
Outer Banks
Although not strictly on an Outer Banks island (it's part of the mainland), this 154,000-acre wildlife reserve of wild lands and waters is managed by Dare…
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Outer Banks
Go on a swashbuckling adventure at this 25-acre park, telling the story of the first English settlement attempt in 1585. Visitors can climb aboard a 16th…
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Outer Banks
At 193ft (or 198ft to the lighting rod), this striking black-and-white-striped edifice is one of North Carolina's most iconic images. The first version of…
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Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum
Outer Banks
Exhibits about shipwrecks, piracy and salvaged cargo are highlights at this maritime museum at the end of the road. There have been more than 2000…
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Outer Banks
The sunflower-yellow, art nouveau–style Whalehead Club, built in the 1920s as a hunting 'cottage' for a Philadelphia industrialist, is the centerpiece of…
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