Outer Banks

Outer Banks, United States

The Bodie Island Lighthouse at sunrise, framed by marsh grasses with its reflection in the sound.

A string of wind-shaped barrier islands off North Carolina, with wild horses, lighthouses and long empty beaches.

The place

The Outer Banks, often shortened to OBX, is a long chain of barrier islands and sandy spits that runs along most of the North Carolina coast and reaches into southeastern Virginia. The islands sit between the Atlantic and the sheltered sounds of Currituck, Albemarle and Pamlico, so within a short drive you can have the ocean on one side and calm water on the other. Most visitors come for the beaches, which are wide, open and backed by dunes. Cape Hatteras National Seashore protects much of the southern section, and its dunes and beach grasses do real work by holding the land together against storms.

The towns are small and strung out along one main road. Development is concentrated around places like Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills, Duck and Corolla, while the villages further south, such as Buxton and Rodanthe, feel quieter and more spread out. Expect long drives between towns, and check road conditions before you set off, because storms can close sections.

The coast is changing. Erosion is a serious problem here, and parts of Hatteras Island have narrowed sharply over time. Rising seas and storms such as Hurricane Irene have damaged roads, homes and other infrastructure. You will notice this in rebuilt houses and in sand pushed across the road after a blow, a reminder that the islands are always moving.

Its story

The Outer Banks has one of the most distinctive histories on the East Coast. Long before European ships arrived, Algonquian-speaking peoples, among them the Chowanoke, Secotan and Poteskeet, moved through the islands with the seasons. They fished the Atlantic-facing islands in summer and wintered on Roanoke Island or the mainland, living in small, semi-nomadic groups.

Sixteenth-century European visitors wrote warmly of the Native communities on Hatteras Island, praising their hospitality and what looked to them like a comfortable way of life. Disease and the pull of the mainland later thinned those communities. The English attempt to plant a colony on Roanoke Island is the best-known episode of that era. Its failure, with the fate of its settlers still unresolved, gave the region a lasting air of mystery that the Lost Colony drama still draws on.

The islands became famous for a different reason in the early twentieth century. On the dunes at Kitty Hawk, two brothers from Ohio got a powered machine heavier than air off the ground for the first time in recorded history, and North Carolina has carried the motto "First in Flight" ever since. Wrecks along the shoals earned the surrounding seas the name Graveyard of the Atlantic. Until bridges reached the islands in the years between the world wars, boats were the only way on or off them, which kept the communities isolated for a long time.

What to see

Culture

The Outer Banks is a place of small communities, many of them built around fishing and boat-building traditions that predate tourism. The islands were reached only by water for a long time, and that isolation left a strong local character that people still take pride in. Locals tend to be friendly and talk easily with visitors at the docks, in the shops and at the fish markets.

Holiday rental houses have changed the feel of many villages, with families arriving in large groups and staying a week at a time. Many residents depend on the summer season, so expect busy roads and parking pressure in the peak months, and be patient when traffic slows near the bridges. The landscape is also protected. Wild horses roam parts of the northern islands, around Corolla, and they are wild animals that can bite or kick. Dune grass is fragile and holds the sand in place, so stay on the boardwalks and marked paths.

Storms shape daily life too. After a blow, residents often clear sand and debris quickly from roads and driveways, so give crews and neighbours room to work. Stay on the boardwalks, keep a safe distance from the wild horses, and never feed them.

What to wear

On the Outer Banks, traditional dress was working dress. Fishermen, boat crews and the lifesaving crews who watched the shoals wore heavy wool, cotton canvas and waterproof oilskin, materials that shed salt spray and held up in the wind. These practical textiles belong to the working life of the islands, and they are still the reference point for much of the local outdoor clothing.

What people wear now is far more relaxed. In summer you will see shorts, sandals, flip-flops and swimwear on the beach and at restaurants, with T-shirts for evenings out. Locals dress casually almost everywhere, and a clean pair of shorts is accepted at nearly every eatery in the villages.

For a visit, pack for sun and wind. Lightweight cotton or linen keeps you cool in the humid summer, while a windproof layer is worth having for evenings and early mornings on the beach. Wear closed shoes with grip for sandy boardwalks, marsh trails and lighthouse grounds, and bring water shoes for rocky jetties. Carry a hat, since the open dunes offer little shade.

What to eat

Plan it

Best time. Spring, around April and May, and October are the mildest months, with fewer crowds and calmer weather. Summer is hot and humid with frequent afternoon storms, and hurricane season runs into the autumn, so watch forecasts. Winters are milder than inland but often windy, and many places close.

How long. 3–4

Getting there. Fly into Norfolk International Airport in Virginia or Raleigh-Durham in North Carolina, then drive to the islands. The last leg is by car, since the Outer Banks are reached by road.

Budget. mid

Tips

Etiquette

Nearby

Sources