Outer Banks History and Attractions
1587
The Lost Colony settles on Roanoke Island
1903
The Wright brothers fly at Kill Devil Hills
1999
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is moved inland
Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head
Northern beaches
Where flight began and the sand dunes rise highest.
Kill Devil Hills
Wright Brothers National Memorial
The spot where Wilbur and Orville Wright made the first powered airplane flights on December 17, 1903.
Read more →Nags Head
Jockey's Ridge State Park
The tallest living sand dune system on the East Coast, famous for hang gliding, kite flying and sunsets.
Read more →Nags Head
Jennette's Pier
A 1,000-foot ocean pier run by the North Carolina Aquariums, with fishing, exhibits and programs.
Read more →Manteo and Roanoke Island
Roanoke Island
Home of the first English colonies in America, and the mystery of the Lost Colony.
Manteo
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site
Site of the English settlements of the 1580s, including the 1587 colony that vanished without a trace.
Read more →Manteo
The Lost Colony
The outdoor drama that tells the colony's story, performed at the Waterside Theatre since 1937.
Read more →Manteo
Elizabethan Gardens
Formal gardens beside Fort Raleigh, created as a memorial to the first English colonists.
Read more →Manteo
Island Farm
A restored 1800s Roanoke Island farmstead with living history, animals and demonstrations.
Read more →Roanoke Island
Mother Vineyard
A scuppernong grapevine said to be the oldest cultivated grapevine in the country.
Read more →Hatteras and Ocracoke
Hatteras and Ocracoke islands
Lighthouses, lifesavers and the shipwrecks that earned these waters the name Graveyard of the Atlantic.
Buxton
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
The tallest brick lighthouse in the United States, moved inland in 1999 to protect it from the sea.
Read more →Hatteras Village
Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum
Shipwreck artifacts and maritime history from centuries of storms and shoals off the Outer Banks.
Read more →Along the coast
Shipwrecks of the Outer Banks
Why so many ships were lost here, and where you can still spot wrecks on the beach.
Read more →Rodanthe and beyond
Lifesaving stations
The story of the surfmen of the U.S. Life-Saving Service who rowed out to rescue shipwrecked sailors.
Read more →Ocracoke
Ocracoke Island
A small village reached only by ferry or plane, with a historic lighthouse and a long pirate history.
Read more →Plan your visit
National parks on the Outer Banks
Three of these sites are run by the National Park Service. Check their websites for current hours, fees and closures before you go.
National Park Service
Wright Brothers National Memorial
Visitor center, flight line and the hill where the Wrights launched their glider experiments.
Visit the park site →National Park Service
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site
Trails, the earthwork fort and exhibits on the Roanoke colonies and Freedmen's Colony.
Visit the park site →National Park Service
Cape Hatteras National Seashore
Beaches, lighthouses and wildlife from Bodie Island to Ocracoke.
Visit the park site →Want phone numbers for area sites at a glance? See the Tour Briefs list →
Make a day of it
Find tours, restaurants and places to stay near every stop from local Chamber members. Questions? Call the Chamber at 252.441.8144.
