Outer Banks Flights and Lights
Spend a day learning about flight, from the past to the present, on the
Outer Banks of North Carolina. Climb to the top of the only lighthouse
in North Carolina still housed in its original structure. Visit a handsome
hunt club that recently underwent a $5 million restoration, enjoy some
of the best seafood around and learn the history of the early colonists
and seamen in this beautiful yet rugged area.
Please see our recommendations for the best places to stay and eat in the Outer Banks at the bottom of this page!
With so much to see and do in the area, we recommend the following
3-day itinerary. Enjoy all the area has to offer by mixing and matching
events to your particular interest. Time indicators are
recommendations only. Feel free to spend as much or as little time as
your schedule allows. Be sure to check days and hours of operation for
each venue.
3-Day Itinerary (Brief)
Day 1
Visit Wright Brothers National Memorial, Jockey’s Ridge, Duck,
Currituck and Roanoke Island: a day on the the North Carolina Outer
Banks
Day 2
Find delicious fare in Currituck, Roanoke Island and Manteo
Day 3
Experience the natural beauty of Cape Hatteras and Bodie Island.
Please see our recommendations for the best places to stay and eat in the Outer Banks at the bottom of this page!
Detailed Intinerary
DAY 1
A visit to the Outer Banks must include the Wright Brothers
National Memorial to see the spot where, on a cold day in December
1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright changed the world forever as their
powered airplane, the “Wright Flyer,” skimmed over the sands for 12
seconds before returning to the ground. Wander through the visitor
center, which features full-scale reproductions of the 1902 glider and
the 1903 flying machine built by the brothers. Enjoy a presentation by
the National Park Service interpreter. Explore the grounds and climb
the 90-foot dune to the monument that marks the site where the
Wright Brothers conducted many of their famous experiments in flight.
Time: 1-2 hours
Witness flight as it is still practiced today on the Outer Banks at
Jockey’s Ridge State Park. Here you will see the largest everchanging
sand dune on the East Coast and enjoy hang-gliding
demonstrations from the largest hang-gliding school in America, Kitty
Hawk Kites. Watch the hang-gliders take flight across the dune, do a
little shopping, fly a kite or really get some exercise by climbing to the
top of the dunes yourself.
Time: 1 hour
Time for refueling with a stop in the quaint town of Duck to enjoy
lunch on the waterfront.
Next, visit the only lighthouse in North Carolina that is still housed in
its original structure. Built in 1874, Currituck Beach Lighthouse
stands 158 feet and contains one million contains one million bricks.
The red brick structure was left unpainted to distinguish it from other
lighthouses. The lighthouse is open to climbing; check the list of
attractions for Currituck County for dates and times.
Time: 30 minutes
Located across from the Currituck Beach Lighthouse is Whalehead
Club. Take a tour of this recently restored hunt club built in the 1920s
by wealthy industrialist Edward C. Knight. See the recreational facility
used by genteel society in this club built for Knight’s wife as a place for
hunting game and waterfowl.
Time: 1 hour
Head back to your hotel for a break before dinner. Choose from one of
the unique, locally owned restaurants featuring fresh North Carolina
Seafood.
To round out an exciting day, depart for Roanoke Island and take in
the outdoor drama The Lost Colony. Located on the banks of
Roanoke Sound, America's oldest outdoor drama is performed in the
scenic Waterside Theater. The Lost Colony dramatizes the story of
England's ill-fated first attempt to colonize the New World.
Performances are held nightly (except Saturdays) from mid-June
through the end of August.
DAY 2
Driving south through Currituck County along NC 158, there are a
number of Roadside Vegetable and Fruit Markets from which to
choose some delicious snacks for your second day’s adventure. On NC
158 at Jarvisburg, the Cotton Gin offers a variety of shopping
specialties.
Breakfast at one of the many area hotels or restaurants known for
their hearty Southern breakfasts. Then begin a full day's exploration of
historic Roanoke Island.
The first stop is the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, where Sir
Walter Raleigh's explorers established a settlement in 1585. At the
Fort Raleigh Visitor Center, view a film presentation and a wide variety
of exhibits; then browse through the Lost Colony Craft and Gift Shop.
Stroll through the lovely Elizabethan Gardens located on the Fort
Raleigh grounds, featuring the Sunken Garden and Queen's Rose
Garden, as well as a variety of herbs, wildflowers, plants and graceful
statuary commemorating Queen Elizabeth and the lost colonists.
Take some time to explore charming Downtown Manteo and the
newly developed Waterfront area; then dine at one of the fine
restaurants overlooking the Roanoke Sound. Or, if you are in a
shopping mood visit the Christmas Shop and Island Art Gallery.
Browse through the art gallery that features arts and crafts from both
local and nationally known artists. Located right next door is the
Weeping Radish Restaurant & Brewery, where you can lunch on
Bavarian cuisine and take a brewery tour.
After lunch, a relaxing, informative visit to the North Carolina
Aquarium is a perfect choice. Learn about the abundant life in the
Outer Banks waters and marshes. Through a variety of exhibits, gain a
better understanding of how the fury and the bounties of the sea
influence life on the Outer Banks.
With renewed respect for the ocean's power, climb aboard a replica of
the 16th-century sailing vessel used in the first voyages to Roanoke
Island. At Festival Park, homeport of the Elizabeth II, you'll be met by
professionally trained interpreters and, in the summer season, find
mariners and colonists wearing 16th-century garb and speaking in the
Elizabethan dialect.
Savor a fantastic dinner at one of the rustic local seafood restaurants.
DAY 3
Begin your day’s adventure by exploring the natural beauty of the
Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
The first stop we recommend is at the Bodie Island Lighthouse.
Although the lighthouse is not open for climbing, the sheer beauty of
this historical structure warrants the visit – continue your trip south to
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge. Nature lovers will marvel at
the many varieties of waterfowl that inhabit the Outer Banks,
especially in the fall and winter months.
Your next stop is the village of Rodanthe at the Chicamacomico
Lifesaving Station, where you'll learn about daring ocean rescues by
brave seamen. One of seven lifesaving stations built along the Outer
Banks, this historic building and boathouse housed the lifesaving
service that was predecessor to the United States Coast Guard. Stroll
through the Visitor Center for exhibits and fascinating historical
information.
As you continue south along the National Seashore, view the
spectacular yet fragile natural beauty of the barrier islands. Buxton
Village contains one of the nation's best-known landmarks, the
magnificent Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. This black and white, spiralstriped
lighthouse holds the distinction of being the tallest brick
lighthouse in the United States. The 368 steps of this national
landmark are open to climbing in the summer months. While at the
lighthouse, be sure to stop in at the Museum of the Sea, housed in
former lighthouse keepers’ quarters.
Venture to the Village of Hatteras and board the free ferry for the 1/2-
hour ride to Ocracoke Island, a favorite haunt of the fearsome
Blackbeard the Pirate, until his death here in 1718. Stop for lunch at a
local eatery and wander through this quaint historic town.
Catch the ferry back to Hatteras. If time and energy permit, stop at
either Organ Inlet Fishing Center or Pirate’s Cove Yacht Club in
time to watch the charter fishing boats come in with their catch.
Not staying near the Outer banks or islands? Find