In the days and weeks after October 9, 2016, the day that Hurricane Matthew struck Hatteras Island, the drive down Highway 12 offered a shocking look at the face of disaster.  Piles of furnishings, appliances, toys and water-soaked debris lined the sides of the highway.  The first thought that occurred was “What is left for […]

History is all around us on Hatteras Island.  The Hatteras Light and the Chicamacomico Life Saving Station symbolize the heritage of generations of lighthouse and lifesaving personnel.  Our museums preserve artifacts of naval engagements dating from the Civil War and World Wars I and II, and a walk along the shoreline can reveal the remains […]

For those of you who enjoy entertaining house guests and family on the Outer Banks during the holiday season and into the New Year, here’s a program note.  There is much to be done to amuse and enthrall our guests during these winter months.  The days can be sunny and mild or you can huddle […]

Anyone who has heard the Red Clay Ramblers tune “King Mackerel and the Blues are Running” knows that part of the excitement of fishing is the word-of-mouth communication about what fish are biting and where. The local filling station and tackle shop are where you stop for intelligence reports after you’ve heard the first whisper […]

Bodie Island Lighthouse on Bodie Island just off NC Highway 12 on the Outer Banks is possessed of a uniquely desolate, yet appealing landscape. Situated on the north side of Oregon Inlet and bordered by dense pine forests and undergrowth, the lighthouse with its distinctive black horizontal bands was constructed in 1872.  It retains the lonely […]

The history of Pamlico Sound and Hatteras Island is a compelling story of the first Native American inhabitants and later European explorers who were blessed with the bounty of the area’s sounds, inlets, creeks and marshes.  Archaeological evidence and historic journals describe mountains of discarded oyster shells, known as “middens,” that testify to the abundance […]

It is the tallest lighthouse in the nation.  It stands 210 feet, and its beacon can be seen 20 nautical miles at sea.  From its spectacular location amid sand dunes set with sea oats and bordered by the thick growth of maritime forest, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, constructed in 1870, is the jewel in the […]

Hatteras Village, one of the seven historic villages on Hatteras Island, has its own distinctive charm.  Its appeal is a combination of small scale businesses situated along NC Highway 12, a historic residential area tucked under gnarled live oaks festooned with Spanish moss, a string of picturesque marinas and harbors accessible to Pamlico Sound, and […]

Hatteras Island’s famous (sometimes infamous) NC Highway 12 is now part of the Outer Banks National Scenic Byway, designated in 2009 by the US Department of Transportation as the 150th and final highway in the nation to be so designated.  Scenic Byways exist to “recognize, preserve and enhance the many cultural traditions of a distinctive […]

Here comes summer! Visitors are returning to Hatteras Island for longer stays, many with extended families and school age children, and finding this a wonderful place and time for fun, relaxation and even learning. One of the best opportunities for visitors of all ages to learn about Hatteras Island and its connection to other communities and […]