Outer Banks Scenic Byway Road Trip
The ultimate guide to an Outer Banks, NC road trip through this charming scenic byway. Everything you need to know from camping, where to go and what to do on the OBX!
What a location! OBX, NC. How amazing is the photo above. I spent a total of 5 days in this beautiful location. It was part of a longer road trip that I embarked on where I traveled from #Baltimore, MD to the OBX. This post though, is focusing solely on the gorgeousness that is the Outer Banks. I wanted to travel off season so I decided to venture out here in the beginning of November in 2021 before the cold settled in. Also seeing that the pandemic was well and truly with us, I thought a road trip would be the best way to explore this intriguing location.
Let's start off with a map of the Outer Banks. This is not normally a location that a lot of folks tend to do explore compared to great western states, so I thought I would share a map of this area.
As you can see below, the Outer Banks is that teeny tiny line that the arrow points to on the outskirts of North Carolina on the Atlantic Ocean.
Below, you will see a close up map of where the Outer Banks is actually located. It's an incredible string of barrier islands that has one road that runs right through it and it's nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and the Sound sides (Currituck Sound, Albemarie Sound & Pamlico Sound). See map below.
As you can see, the one major road that runs right through from the top of the OBX at Corolla is Route 12. It continues right through to the bottom at Ocracoke. The Outer Banks area is marked with the little black arrows.
My #roadtrip began at Point Harbor - the last town before you cross the bridge to the #OBX (see the blue arrow), and my road trip ended at Hatteras Island, the triangle shaped island at the bottom of the map.
Because I traveled in the beginning of November, this meant that the towns and locations I visited were totally and completely tourist free! The #outerbanks can be a very popular #vacation destination because for one, there are zero cities here, it's filled with #charming #seaside towns, and the number one reason is that there are more than 100+ miles of wide open shoreline and you can actually find miles of beach access without a whole lot of people over crowding them. Imagine that! I will say that though, in November, its a tad too cold to swim in the ocean. In fact, the only people that were at the beach were lots of fishermen and #surfers ! This seemed to be a hot spot for surfers & outdoor beach sports goers during the time that I visited.
Let's HIT THE ROAD!
I took this pic while driving down highway 168 to the beginning of the Outer Banks.
I absolutely LOVE #roadtripping it's one of my favorite ways to explore remote locations especially because you can always make a pit stop wherever your heart desires. I'm a pretty seasoned road tripper so I'll share with you my experience from a driver's POV of what it is like to drive through here during the off season months. When I ventured on this trip, the temperatures varied from low 60s to low 70s Fahrenheit for day temps, and night temps were 50s to 60s.
I'll also share my experience as a black traveler exploring this region.
To learn more about my experience traveling through the Outer Banks as a person of color, check out my post -
Read on for more pics & sights to see in the OBX!
1. Kitty Hawk, NC
When you cross the Wright Memorial Bridge from Point Harbor, you officially cross into the OBX. The first town that you drive to heading south on route 12, would be Kitty Hawk. It's actually the most developed area on the banks with the highest population and is filled with a plethora of shops, restaurants, hotels, and even had a #Walmart and a Home Depot! So if you're going to stock up on food supplies, I suggest you doing so in Kitty Hawk! That's exactly what I did, seeing as I would be camping, I made sure to have all the essentials and supplies that I needed for this trip while visiting Kitty Hawk.
Other than being the most populated town in the OBX, Kitty Hawk area is actually home to the world famous Wright Brothers National Memorial. Hence the name of the bridge that you cross to get into the town, also, the North Carolina license plate tag line is -'First in Flight'.
This incredible location is where Wilbur and Orville Wright chose to experiment for four years on flight travel, and it's where they achieved the first successful airplane flights on December 17, 1903. The actual location where they achieved this historic and epic feat is Kill Devil Hills which is a 10 min drive from Kitty Hawk, and the next town down the OBX. Surprisingly enough, I wasn't actually going to stop by here and was also almost deterred by the price that it costs to see the National Memorial. It was $10 per adult btw. Not bad, but also not super cheap (free if you hold a National Parks Pass - mine had expired recently...sigh). I had some time to kill so figured why not see the memorial. It was honestly one of my most memorable stops that I made on this OBX trip and I highly recommend it for anyone stopping by this area!
I was extremely lucky enough to have visited this National Memorial on a crisp and clear day, this actually made me truly understand exactly why the Wright brothers chose this very specific location! ***Highly recommend to plan to go on a clear and sunny day.***
It is SUPER WINDY up there!! Like UNBELIEVABLY windy up on that hill. Wow.
Highly recommend a visit here! It's an incredible site. The staff were incredibly helpful and very knowledgeable of the area, so much so that they warned me about an upcoming Nor'easter storm that was due in the OBX. It was super helpful to know this info!
View the slides below of photos from the Wright Brothers National Memorial. I loved how interactive and stimulating this national memorial site was. The NPS did a fantastic job in telling the full story of the Wright brothers and I can easily see why this location has attracted crowds from all over the world. I left the memorial feeling inspired and feeling that anything is possible if you put your mind to it! Amazing exhibition and use of space.
2. Jockey's Ridge State Park, Nags Head, NC
My next stop was on Jockey's Ridge State Park. I actually wasn't expecting much when I stopped by here but it looked like a place that you would stop by for a quick visit, so I figured it was worth the stop! It's located in the town of Nags Head, a ten minute drive down from Kill Devil Hills where the #wrightbrothersnationalmemorial is located. I was completely blown away when I had arrived at this quick stop! I actually wished that I had more time to spend here. It was truly spectacular!
When you park at their entrance (they also have restrooms too which was helpful) and enter the park, you walk through a narrow path that had beautiful curved trees that look like they came straight out of a fairy tale! It was so pretty.
It's totally magical....
Then you reach this massive expanse of endless #sanddunes! It was surreal! There was no one there which made it even more amazing! Probably because it was an off peak season. I imagine during the summertime this location would be filled with outdoor loving crowds.
**Fun Fact** - Jockey's Ridge State Park is home to the tallest living sand dune on the Atlantic coast! AND it's a premier location for kites, sightseeing and sunsets. I definitely had a ton of sand in my shoes after a walk through the dunes. You've been warned!
3. Jennette's Pier, NC
This location popped up on google maps while I was on the road as a place of interest so I thought I would check out the sights!
This is actually the first location that to me, felt like I was truly in the Outer Banks.
The air was salty and fresh, it was super windy and it immediately felt like I was in a sought after charming vacation spot. Also, this was the first location where I started to notice that all of the properties in this area were all raised from the ground! This was incredible to see because I've frankly never seen houses like that before. Obviously, this is to protect the homes from storms and dangerous high tides due to the close proximity to the water. I have to say, the local people that live here are very resilient!
#jeanettespier has the most incredible 360 views of the ocean, it's a beautiful place to take a lazy stroll on, or watch the sunrise or sunset. They have a day charge for walking on the actual pier, when I visited (in November 2021) it was $2 per adult & $1 for kids. It's also a mega popular spot for fishermen. There were a lot of people fishing on the pier and all along the beach, so if you're into that I would definitely explore this area some more. This area is very family friendly, and even has an aquarium. I noticed that there were also public bath houses and outdoor showers that seemed popular with local surfers. But be warned! The pier can get extremely windy if the wind is over 20mph. On the day that I was here, I had just missed a Nor'easter storm and the wind was still pretty intense! Too intense for me to walk down the entire pier. BUT I will say...
...the beach views were spectacular up here! Very picturesque. See below! Views for dayssss...
4. Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Avon & Buxton - towns on Hatteras Island.
Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Avon, Buxton, Frisco & Hatteras are all towns located on Hatteras Island. When you drive down south on the 12, you'll pass by all of these neighboring towns in a very short drive. In fact, the villages of Rodanthe, Waves & Salvo, are referred to as the "Tri-Villages" due to their close proximity to one another.
You may have heard of Rodanthe from Nicholas Spark's famous book that I happened to love called, 'Nights in Rodanthe', there was also made a film of the same name, based on this book starring Richard Gere & Diane Lane. Highly recommend it for any romance lovers out there. Anyways, I've always wanted to visit this town ever since I saw the film. I do have to say that it actually looks exactly like how I pictured it to look like! Apparently, the house that is featured in the movie (see photo above), #NightsinRodanthe, actually exists in real life! I didn't have time to see it, but if you do, it's definitely worth a peek at if you're in the area. Here is a link for more info about 'Inn at Rodanthe'. I would 100% stay here if I had the extra time during my trip!
Of all of the towns on this island, my personal favorites were, Waves, Salvo & Avon. They were super cute and very picturesque! But honestly speaking, all of these towns are actually very beautiful. You can't deny that! They all have something to offer that everyone will love. Amazing shops, yummy food and restaurants, endless, unspoiled beaches, super friendly locals, the list goes on! These town are perfect locations for a relaxing weekend getaway, and offer a slower pace trip with endless breathtaking views of the ocean.
These stretch of quaint towns offer some of the most gorgeous private public beaches. I spent many hours strolling along the shores, playing Frisbee, and just enjoying the unfiltered, unpopulated beachy views.
Of all of the beaches I have been to in the US, the Outer Banks has by far, the biggest and prettiest sea shells I've ever seen! I had to bring some home as mementos of my trip out here! It's also teeming with sea-life, everything felt so rich and alive on the shores of the OBX.
Beautiful.
5. Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
#CapeHatterasLighthouse, a National Park Service area, is located on Hatteras Island. The triangle shaped island at the bottom of the Outer Banks. This light house, protects one of the most hazardous sections of the Atlantic Coast, also known as, Graveyard of the Atlantic....creepy right?
I couldn't get over how MASSIVE this lighthouse was! I've seen a lot of lighthouses in my time, and I have to say, this is possibly one of the best ones I've ever seen.
***FUN FACT*** The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, with its black and white candy-cane stripes, is one of the most famous and recognizable lighthouses in the world. Protecting one of the most treacherous stretches of the Outer Banks, with a beam of light that spans 20 miles into the ocean, the lighthouse is also the world's tallest brick lighthouse at a staggering 208' ft. tall!
Unfortunately, I didn't get to climb the lighthouse during my visit here because they had closed it for restorations. I would check this website for updates on whether it's opened again. It's well worth the visit while you are here though, and there is a lovely gift shop where you can get some mementos from your trip too!
I will say, the town of Hatteras has a completely different vibe compared to the other towns up north like Buxton, Avon, Waves & Rodanthe. Honestly speaking, Hatteras was actually my least favorite town of all of the Outer Banks towns I drove through. It wasn't to me, as 'charming' as the other towns, and had a bit of a run down, sort of 'basic seaside town' vibe. This is not to say that it was unpleasant in any way, I just personally preferred the other towns to this one. I also say this as a black traveler too. I felt a little more welcomed in the other towns that I did down in Hatteras. That being said, It was definitely worth a pit stop driving down here. I went to a few local gift shops and the staff were lovely, I visited the epic lighthouse, and perused the area for a couple of hours. This was my last stop during my Outer Banks trip so after this I headed back North on route 12 and departed from the OBX.
write about how Hatteras is my least favorite area of all the towns - for when I pick up on this post
Round Up!
All in all I really enjoyed this road trip out to the Outer Banks! You can easily drive the entire stretch in a day. But obviously, with stops in the beautiful towns, you would need an extra day or so. I'm really glad that I visited during the off peak season because it really gave me the chance to be completely and utterly alone on the beaches most times which I absolutely LOVED! There were a plethora of boutique shops, seafood restaurants, gift shops, bars, and so much more. I think the next time I visit the Outer Banks, I would definitely book a room at one of their super cute inns that I saw while I was out there.
I would also explore the other parts of the Outer Banks like the northern beaches in Corolla, Carova & Duck. Apparently Corolla is a beautiful area and they also have wild horses and ponies that live on the beaches up here! You can even book tours to go see them. I also remember hearing that this area is known as the 'posh' or up-market area of the outer banks. Maybe it's worth a look next time! I would also like to explore Frisco, and take the ferry out to Ocracoke island to explore the undeveloped beaches. I wasn't able to do that during this trip due to the bloody Nor'easter storm. But maybe next time!
The Outer Banks had one of the prettiest sunsets that I've seen on the Atlantic coast. So beautiful. Look at that glow!
I also highly recommend waking up before dawn and viewing the sunrise over the Atlantic ocean at the beach.
This was my absolute highlight of my entire trip to the Outer Banks. It was so beautiful, and there wasn't a single soul in sight. Except for the pretty birdies.
When I went to see the sunrise, there were all of these eerie washed up tree branches all along the beach! It was so surreal. It felt like I was in a movie set. Amazingly haunting and stunning.
Some tips to keep in mind for your trip:
Tip #1 - Make sure you check the weather ahead of your trip!
This location is prone to a lot of Nor'easter storms. They can happen anytime of the year, but are more likely to take place from September to April. I traveled in November and I had just missed one by days! It really affected my trip a lot actually and I was stuck out in the OBX for a couple of days because the sand had blocked the roads! It's insane to think that high tide can really
cause so much unpredictable road closures in this area. I took this photo while driving through route 12, they had finally opened the road after waiting 2 days to drive through it! The water was literary on the road and you had to watch out for big puddles.
One thing to also make a note of, is if you happen to go through what I went through, and drive through any sea water, make sure you go to a car wash soon after! Salt water can really ruin your car and causes rust. I learned that from the OBX locals.
Tip #2 - If you're exploring this area with a camper-van/via camping, make sure you are stocked up on food and have extra charge for your devices.
I ended up being stuck out here for 2 extra days (which didn't bother me much!) and I was so glad that I had packed extra food from my stop at Kitty Hawk. You never know if you might get stuck at a specific location, or campsite out here, because the roads are prone to flooding, it's always best to be fully prepared! All of the campsites on Hatteras island have to be booked online through recreation.gov. You cannot pay for any campsites via cash or through the campground hosts, so you need to be sure that you have enough battery on your phone to do so, and wifi too.
Learn more about 'Outer Banks Camping Guide' through my post here.
You can also check out my 'Black Girl Traveler Guide to the OBX.'
I hope you found this post helpful and that you will have a blast if you decide to go to the Outer Banks. It's a wonderful place to explore!
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