Dare County Arts Council

Outer Banks


Inside the former Dare County Courthouse (built in 1904), this nonprofit gallery exhibits hundreds of paintings, jewelry and other local designs, inspired by the local area. Most items are up for sale.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Outer Banks attractions

1. Roanoke Island Festival Park

0.22 MILES

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…

2. Fort Raleigh National Historic Site

2.87 MILES

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…

3. Elizabethan Gardens

3.03 MILES

The 16th-century-style Elizabethan Gardens include a Shakespearean herb garden and rows of beautifully manicured flower beds. Check online to see what's…

4. Jockey's Ridge State Park

4.26 MILES

Kick off your shoes for a leg-stretching climb up Jockey's Ridge, the largest sand dune on the East Coast. With a 360-degree view that sweeps over the…

5. Wright Brothers National Memorial

7.3 MILES

Self-taught engineers Wilbur and Orville Wright launched the world's first successful airplane flight on December 17, 1903 (it lasted 12 seconds). A…

7. Bodie Island Lighthouse

8.71 MILES

Built in 1872, this photogenic lighthouse opened its doors to visitors in 2013. The 170ft-high structure still has its original Fresnel lens – a rarity…

8. Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge

16.63 MILES

At the northern end of Hatteras Island, and named after the dune peas that grow in the sand, this 5834-acre (land portion only) reserve is a bird-watcher…