Black Girl Traveler Guide to the Outer Banks

If you're a black traveler or if you are a woman of color, then this quick travel guide is for you! My goal is to help you have a fun-filled, safe and memorable journey on the Outer Banks.

Photo taken in Jockey Ridge State Park, Outer Banks, NC

Let's face it, traveling to an area where you're the minority is nerve wracking. But I don't mean to scare you! As a #blackwoman who has traveled all over the US, there are certain things I've learned along the way and tips I can offer from personal experience that will help you travel safely. The best part? I love sharing my experiences with others so they don't have to make all those mistakes that I made in my early travels! The guide includes a wealth of information for Black travelers about visiting the Outer Banks NC — from navigating and exploring the island, to planning your trip there, and safety tips.

Firstly, if you're wondering what to do and how to plan your trip to the #OuterBanks, be sure to read my 'Outer Banks Scenic Byway Road Trip' post that's jam packed with all of my exciting adventures that I had on the outer banks!

I also have a fun camping guide if you're a fellow camper like myself that explains where to camp, and my favorite and least favorite camping spots on the Outer Banks. Check out my article; 'Outer Banks Camping Guide'

The Outer Banks is well-known for its beautiful beaches, great restaurants, and outdoor adventures. But there's more to the Outer Banks than what meets the eye. The barrier islands are dotted with quaint towns that have their own unique flare, so you won't have to travel far for some good fun.

This map below, shows you where the Outer Banks is and the locations that I'm going to mention on this post, so feel free to refer to it as I mention specific locations on this article!

Right off the bat, the most diverse location in the Outer Banks for me was in Kitty Hawk.

Kitty Hawk is the biggest town on the Outer Banks. It's actually the very first town that you'll hit if you head south after crossing the Wright Memorial Bridge that takes you from the main land and into the #OBX

At Kitty Hawk, I immediately noticed that it was quite a diverse location. They had the biggest department stores by far compared to any other town on the Outer Banks. Stores like, a Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Hardware Stores, a plethora of restaurants and bars. You could definitely tell that this was quite a built up area. I felt quite comfortable being a person of color here simply because there were other people of color here too. If you're the kind of person who prefers to be among your own people, then I'd definitely recommend spending time here, then maybe venturing out to other parts of the OBX, and driving back to Kitty Hawk to spend the night. Check out my 'Outer Banks Scenic Byway Road Trip' article on what to do while you're in Kitty Hawk!

As you continue on heading south down the Outer Banks, you'll begin to truly get into the heart of the Outer Banks. You'll hit lots of charming and quaint towns and villages all along that strip such as, Nags Head, Rodanthe, Waves, & Salvo. These areas were definitely less diverse, a.k.a, there were practically zero black folk around here! In fact, I'm pretty sure I was the only black person around when I visited these areas. Yep! But I will say, I felt pretty safe and welcomed when I was roaming these cute towns. I never felt uneasy or iffy at any point while I was in the towns mentioned above.

There are a ton of restaurants, gift shops, bars, and all kinds of fun outdoor activities that you could get stuck into too while you were there.

Photo taken in Jeanette's Pier, Outer Banks, NC

The Iffy Locations of the Outer Banks

As you continue to head south you'll see that at the bottom of the Outer banks, you'll hit locations such as Avon, Buxton & Hatteras Island.

Avon and Buxton to me, felt pretty similar in vibes as I felt while in Rodanthe, Waves & Salvo. Very chilled, very friendly local people, and pretty safe.

As a black person, the town that I liked the least was Hatteras Island. It's weird because when I was planning my OBX trip, the town that I looked forward to the most was actually Hatteras Island!

Simply because it's where the epic lighthouse is located, the island itself looked interesting (on googlemaps), and it seemed like a cool destination to spend a few days camping there and exploring! Well, it turns out that this is the place, as a black person, where I felt the least comfortable. It's hard to explain it but also not really hard to explain. It's in the way that people look at you, in the way that I felt like I stood out, and I have to say, after my experience traveling all over the US, you sort of get a 6th sense about areas where you don't feel welcomed.

When you drive further down Hatteras Island, you get this sort of local towny vibe. Where you can tell that there's a sense of political similarities with everyone that lives there (Also there were a ton of Trump signs around - that kind of did it for me).

I had actually booked to stay at the campground on the island, but I ended up cancelling it simply because I didn't feel comfortable staying there. Also the campground itself had a ton of mosquitos, in November! No thanks! You can check out my 'Outer Banks Camping Guide' for more info on where to camp and my fav camping spots on the #OBX

Now, this isn't to say that the locals weren't nice or anything, actually, I did visit a lovely local gift shop and the people behind the counter were friendly. But, I honestly didn't want to be in the area anymore...I know when I'm being looked at like I don't belong and I totally got that vibe while I was in Haterras. That being said, I would like to give the area another go maybe in the future and see if I would still feel that way. But from one black traveler to another, of all the places I visited on the Outer Banks, this to me, was my least favorite. In terms of the feeling of being there as a black traveler. Gotta keep it real y'know?!

Here are Three Handy Safety Tips!

1. Always have extra phone battery or extra charge - All of the NPS campground on the OBX only do bookings via recreation.gov so be sure to always be prepared with extra charge on your phone!

2. Have a back up plan in case you don't feel safe in a particular area. - It's handy to always have a Plan B in case your 1st plan doesn't feel right! I definitely had one in place when I visited Hatteras and ended up not staying the night there. Sometimes safety comes first!

3. Tell someone you trust your physical location. - This is simply a must do for all travelers. It's good practice for a loved one to know where you are, and where you plan to be day to day. Better safe than sorry!

All in All, I would say that the further south you head from Kitty Hawk, the less diverse it becomes.

The towns were really lovely and I had an extremely fun time while I was in the Outer Banks! Unfortunately, I didn't get to go to a lot of the locations I was planning to go due to a Nor'easter storm that came through and ruined my plans, but I do hope to return to the area again in the future. When I do, I'll be sure to update you all on more locations that are safe for us minorities to travel to. For now, you can check out my 'Outer Banks Scenic Byway Road Trip' article for all the cool spots that I visited while I was in this gorgeous location.

One awesome thing that I adored about the OBX, were the endless, uninterrupted beach views. You could literary walk for miles on the beaches and not see a single soul. It was pure bliss.

I hope this helps you have a better vacation experience when you visit! Feel free to comment on anything I mentioned, or simply let me know if you plan to visit the Outer Banks! I would love to hear from you!

Chrissy xo