Outer Banks Day Trips
Hatteras Island
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge—Experience marine fowl up close, including the Greater Snow Goose, wildfowl during the winter, and wading and shore birds during the autumn. The refuge is located adjacent to NC 12 between Oregon Inlet and Rodanthe. Handicapped trails accessible. Parking, observation platforms, and information headquarters are located 7 miles south of Oregon Inlet. Free. Open daylight hours seven days/week.
Roanoke Island
Elizabethan Gardens—A 16th century-style gardens created as a memorial to the ill-fated Lost Colony by the Garden Club of North Carolina. Ornamental gardens and statuary, wildflowers, and shrubs. Open daily, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., June-Labor Day, 9 a.m. – 8 p.m. Admission charged. Located adjacent to the Lost Colony and Fort Raleigh National Historic Site.
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site—Located at the north end of Roanoke Island, this is where Sir Walter Raleigh's explorers and colonists established settlements in 1585. The site includes a visitor’s center, nature trail, and interpretive programs. It is also home to Waterside Theatre, where you'll find The Lost Colony, a symphonic outdoor drama.
The Lost Colony—Take in this thrilling outdoor drama that explores the 400-year-old mystery surrounding the fate of the first English colony in the New World that vanished without a trace, leaving historians and archaeologists with one of America's most perplexing mysteries.
Roanoke Island Festival Park—Here you will find the Outer Banks History Center, a gift shop, and the Elizabeth II Historical Site. Enjoy a film about Native Americans and their relationship with the early explorers and settlers. At the pocosin-side amphitheater, music, dance, and theater productions are scheduled throughout the year.
North Carolina Aquarium at Roanoke Island—This aquarium, located in Manteo, is one of three state facilities dedicated to the study and appreciation of fish and marine life native to North Carolina. Touch tank, large shark gallery, shoreline board walk, films, and informative lectures. Admission $3 adults, $1 children. Open 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. Memorial Day to Labor Day. Regular hours 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Mon-Sat, Sundays 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Nags Head
Jockey's Ridge State Park—The tallest active sand dune in the eastern United States (110-140 ft.). The park comprises 484 acres with a park museum, picnic area, 1.5-mile nature trail, and a boardwalk trail accessible to the handicapped. This is the third most popular park in the state.
Nags Head Woods—Explore the Outer Banks natural areas. The Nature Conservancy offers a variety of summer trips and educational programs in the forest. Summer adventures include kayak trips, bike-hikes, geology hikes, early morning migratory bird walks, and cultural history walks.
Kill Devil Hills
Wright Brothers Memorial—Visit the site of the first powered flight, which includes a visitor’s center with exhibits and lectures of the Wright Brothers. See a reproduction of the 1903 Wright Flyer and 1903 Wright Glider, campsite living quarters, and the flight grounds. Tours and lectures every hour. Open 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily, and 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. during summer. Closed Christmas Day.
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