Trifter

The Outer Banks of North Carolina provide an environment difficult to find anywhere else. Maybe that is the exact reason why so many travelers are drawn there each year. If you are headed to the Outer Banks and are in search of the best they have to offer, may I suggest one (or many) of the following.

Best Place to See One Million Bricks: Currituck Beach Lighthouse, Corolla, 252-453-8152

Lighthouses are synonymous with the Outer Banks, and many people search them out for good reason. The furthest north of the Outer Banks lighthouses stands on Currituck Beach. Completed in 1875, the lighthouse at Currituck Beach filled in the last section of the North Carolina coast from which a lighthouse was not visible. Unlike most lighthouses that have a very distinct and decoratively painted daymark, the Currituck Beach Lighthouse has been left unpainted to expose the brick out of which the structure is made. This has the dual effect of giving the structure a very unique look and showing just how many bricks went into the construction, which is about a million.

Best Place to Mispronounce a Name: Bodie Island Lighthouse, Manteo, 252-441-5711

Despite how the name looks, “Bodie” is actually pronounced like “body.” The name comes from the Body family, early inhabitants of the island. In those days, it was called Bodies Island, named after the family in a mix up of the plural and possessive forms of the name. Through the years, the final “s” was dropped, and we are left with the somewhat confusing name today. The lighthouse, painted with three white and two black horizontal stripes, takes its name from the island. Anyone who is not familiar with sailing might wonder why the Outer Banks has so many lighthouses, but the question can be answered with a simple trip to a Bodie Island gift shop, which sells maps to many of the shipwrecks in the area. There are so many, in fact, that the Outer Banks area has been given the nickname “The Graveyard of the Atlantic.”

Best Place to See a Baby Lighthouse: Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse, Manteo, 252-475-1500

Not all lighthouses are old. Not all lighthouses are of the traditional tower structure, either. Dedicated in 2004, the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse in Manteo is the youngest of the group, and also the most structurally unique. Unlike the other tall brick tower lighthouses that dot the coastline, this lighthouse is a recreation of a 1857 screwpile lighthouse that was decommissioned by the Coast Guard in 1955. The name screwpile comes from how the lighthouse is constructed. The supports, or piles, are equipped with a screw on the end of them, and when placed are screwed into the ocean floor or river bottom for extra support. Currently, the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse is home to the North Carolina Maritime Museum on Roanoke Island.

Best Place to Walk with Pirates: Ocracoke Lighthouse, Ocracoke

So, maybe “with” is not quite the correct word, but you can certainly walk on the same land that the famous Blackbeard once lived. The Ocracoke Lighthouse was built on the Ocracoke Inlet entrance where Blackbeard, also known as Edward Teach, once called home. It was built in 1823 by Noah Porter, making it the second oldest operating lighthouse in the United States, and the oldest operating lighthouse in North Carolina. As the light is located on the remote island of Ocracoke, you will have to ride the ferry over from Hatteras to see it, which is an experience in itself.

Best View from a Lighthouse: Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Buxton, 252-995-4474

The most famous of the Outer Banks lighthouses, and possibly the most easily recognized lighthouse in the United States, is the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. It is painted with the familiar black and white spiral daymark. Besides being so well known, it is also the tallest lighthouse in the United States, stretching 208 feet into the air. While visiting, be sure to take the time to make the climb, which requires pulling yourself up the 268 steps to the top. The inside of the tower is not air conditioned, and has very few windows, so it is dim, humid, and hot, but steeping out onto the observation deck, breathing in the fresh air, and seeing the Outer Banks from 200 feet make it worth the effort.

Best History Lessons: Roanoke Adventure Museum, Manteo, 252-475-1500 and Frisco Native American Museum & Natural History Center, Frisco, 252-995-4440

The race between these two museums is really to close to call. The Roanoke Adventure Museum covers over 400 years of Outer Banks history. Exhibits begin with English settlers coming to the islands and work their way gradually up through the ages. Learn about Civil War history, including the Freedman’s Colony, or, if you like, become a surfman for a Lifesaving Station, or shop at a store straight out of the beginning of the 20th Century.

The Frisco Native American Museum & Natural History Center takes in another aspect of the islands history. Long before the Outer Banks was a vacation hot spot, it was home for many Native Americans. Included in the museum is a dugout canoe and tools found on the grounds, as well as displays on Native American cultures throughout the United States. Native American arts and crafts can be purchased in the gift shop. The Center is also host to the Annual Inter-Tribal Powwow.

Best Science Lesson: North Carolina Aquarium at Roanoke Island, Manteo, 252-473-3494

Why not learn about the ocean while you are at the ocean? But do not worry, kids; this museum is not all about learning, just mostly. The North Carolina Aquarium at Roanoke Island is home to the largest saltwater tank in North Carolina. While many aquariums now have a touch tank to interact with sea creatures, this aquarium takes the experience one step further; with advanced reservations, you can feed the animals you usually only get to touch. Other special programs, including the the chance to take in the weekly feeding of the sharks, are also available.

Best Place to Dream about Hidden Treasure: Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, Hatteras, 252-986-2995

So what if all of the boats do not contain hidden treasure. It might just be that none of the shipwrecks off the coast have hidden treasure, but maybe the do. Who did not grow up dreaming of finding that hidden treasure? While most of us will never have the chance to attempt deep sea treasure hunting, the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum gives a glimpse into why the Outer Banks got the title “Graveyard of the Atlantic.” Included in the list of ships at the bottom of the ocean in the area are Civil War ironclad USS Monitor, German U-boats, and maybe even pirate ships or two. I could tell you that you don’t really have any hope of finding treasure, but I won’t. Hey, I’m not going to keep you from dreaming.

Best “Best Things in Life Are Free” Attraction: Fishing ships unloading their catch, Hatteras Village Marinas, Hatteras, NC

Here is a sight that will make you feel reassured that, in fact, the best things in life are free. Make your way to the Hatteras Village Marinas between 4:00 and 5:00 P.M. and find yourself a good spot to watch the local fishing boats unload their day’s catches. Most of the fish you will see will be wahoo, tuna, and mahi-mahi. While the big game fish such as saltfish are all catch and release for these business ships, they will fly a flag for each of the sport fish they had managed to catch during the day, so look close to see them. You did not really come on vacation to drive go-karts around all night, did you?

Best Historical Mystery: Lost Colony Outdoor Drama and Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, Manteo, 252-473-3414 and 252-473-5772

Over 400 years ago, the first English colony in the United States was founded on Roanoke Island and, shortly after it was founded in 1587, leader John White returned to England for what he assumed would be a three month resupply mission. It turned into a three year excursion after his ship was confiscated by the British Navy to wage war against Spain. Once he did return, he found the colony deserted, and the word “Croatoan,” referring to the local Native American tribe, carved into a post of the fort. To this day, the disappearance of the colonists remains unsolved. The Lost Colony Outdoor Drama retells the story of the missing settlers in the Waterside Theater of Roanoke Island, while the National Historic Site is a 513 acre park built to remember the 116 settlers who disappeared.

Best Place to Spread your Wings: Wright Brothers Memorial, Kill Devil Hills, 252-441-7430

On December 17th, 1903, Orville Wright climbed into the Wright Flyer that he and his brother, Wilbur, had constructed, and became the first person to fly a controlled, powered, and heavier-than-air flight. Now, over 100 years later, people zip all over the world in airplanes, but it all started on the sand dunes of Kill Devil Hills. The visitor center houses full size replications of the 1903 Wright Flyer, as well as the 1902 Glider. Best of all, it is a great place to take the family and not spend a lot of cash. Visitors 16 and over get in for just a few dollars for a seven day pass. Everyone 15 and under is free.

Best Place to Find Something You Will Not Find in History Books: The Freedmen’s Colony of Roanoke Island, Maneto, 252-475-1506

To this day no one knows exactly where the freed slaves founded their colony on Roanoke Island, which eventually grew to a population of 3,500, but we do know that it existed. All evidence of the colony has been removed, and the historical records that have been passed down do not give any hint as to the location. For whatever reason, this mysterious colony that ended up becoming government sanctioned and protected by Union soldiers during the Civil War is left out of most history books completely. Today the often forgotten portion of history has a heritage trial dedicated to it on Roanoke Island.

Best Place to Perform a Planing Gybe: Haulover Day Use Area, Avon

Feel like trying your hand at windsurfing? Maybe kayaking? Or maybe you just like to lie around on the beach? You can do all of these at the Haulover Day Use Area, which is better known as Canadian Hole. With a public bathhouse and plenty of parking, this area has become the center of the windsurfer’s world on the Carolina border. If you are not feeling that adventurous, it is also a great place to just swim and enjoy watching others windsurf.

Best Free Boat Ride: Hatteras-Ocracoke Ferry, Hatteras, 252-986-2352

Not only is it the only way to get your car from Hatteras Island to Ocracoke Island, it is one hundred percent free (if you exclude local taxes, that is). If you are familiar with traveling by ferry, do not expect the luxury you get at other “pay-to-ferry” places, such as the Cape May-Lewes Ferry between New Jersey and Delaware. You will get a nice 45 minute boat ride between the islands, but it will actually feel like you are on a ferry, not a glorified floating bar. Get out of your car, sit on your car hood, or tail gate, and talk to the strangers around you. This is what traveling is all about.

Best Place to Stay: The Avon Motel, Avon, 252-995-5774

Being a great motel is all well and good, but if you are the best motel in the middle of the Mojave Desert, I am still not staying there. The first reason that I picked the Avon Motel as the best place to stay is the town of Avon itself. Avon is a lot further south than most Outer Banks visitors venture, and even if they do travel this far south, they usually just blow through Avon on their way to Hatteras. Being there is somewhat like finding a diamond that everyone else has missed, despite it being right where everyone is looking. The beaches are beautiful and, depending on if you are on the ocean side or the sound side of the island, either brutally rugged or amazingly peaceful. Fantastic restaurants are everywhere, or you can have a cookout on the beach, if you like.

Now, all that location is well and good, but if the hotel is not up to par, you can throw all of it out the window. The second reason that I picked this motel as the best is, oddly enough, that it is a great place to stay. Family owned and family friendly, the Avon Motel provides a place to clean all the fish you can catch, kitchens to cook them in, and great hospitality to boot. It was built in 1954 and it keeps hold of the feeling of a motel from the United State’s glory days of travel without being shabby. In fact, the rooms matched the beach perfectly; wonderfully clean and beautiful, but still with a little rugged edge to it. You are, after all, below mile marker 57 on the Outer Banks.

That wraps up the best of the Outer Banks. Pack your bags, and don’t forget the sunscreen. The Outer Banks are calling.