Things to Do in the Outer Banks: Attractions Map & Guide

From wild horses and historic lighthouses to fishing piers, beaches, and great food, the Outer Banks has something for every kind of traveler. Use the map and guides below to plan your trip and find the best things to do across the OBX. Not sure which month to come? Check our month-by-month guide to the best time to visit before you lock in dates. And when the day winds down, don’t miss our sunset spots guide for the eight best places to watch it happen. Prefer dry land? Our nature trails & bike paths guide maps every real trail on the islands.

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Top Outer Banks Attractions

Drive the Beach to Carova — 11 miles of sand north of Corolla with the wild horses on it. 4x4 only, and you can rent one.
See the Wild Horses — the famous Corolla wild mustangs.
Stand Where Flight Began — the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills.
Climb a Lighthouse — Currituck and Bodie Island are open to climb; Cape Hatteras is closed to climbing during a major restoration, and Ocracoke was never climbable. Check the National Park Service for current climbing status.
Hit the Beaches — the best stretches of sand by town.
Go Pier Fishing — every ocean pier on the Outer Banks.
Filming locations — where the TV series was actually shot, which is mostly not here.
See the Shipwrecks — eight wrecks visible from shore, mapped with access points.
Fly Over It in a Biplane — open-cockpit WACO flights from the airport in Manteo, out over the lighthouses and Oregon Inlet.

For more on the aviation side of that story, see First Flight Airport (KFFA). If you would rather be up there than reading about it, Barrier Island Aviation and OBX Airplanes both fly open-cockpit WACO biplanes out of Dare County Regional Airport in Manteo — short hops over Roanoke Island up to hour-long runs past Bodie Island Lighthouse and Oregon Inlet. Two people ride together in the front cockpit and the price is per flight rather than per person, and there is a combined weight limit, so ask when you book.

Things to Do by Town

Each OBX town has its own personality. Explore our local guides for each:

Crossing the Wright Memorial Bridge, H2OBX Waterpark at Powells Point is the area’s only true waterpark — slides for every age, wave pools, a lazy river, and cabanas, fifteen minutes from the beach towns. It’s seasonal and it’s popular: on peak summer days, buy tickets ahead.

Self-Guided Treasure Hunts

Seven of these run on the Outer Banks, and they are ours — so read the list knowing we have an interest in it. Each one is a game you play on your own phone at your own pace — GPS check-ins, photo challenges and questions you can only answer standing in front of the real thing. No guide, no start time, no strangers. One pass covers the whole team, $29 rather than per person, and once you start it stays open for 24 hours.

The useful way to pick is by what you have with you — feet, any car, or a 4WD that can air down for the sand.

Hunt	Where	How long	What you need
The Corolla Wild Goose Chase	Historic Corolla village	About two hours	On foot — a flat 1.5-mile loop
Duck, Duck, Goose Chase	Duck	About two hours	On foot — two miles, most of it on the boardwalk
The Salty Dog	Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills	Half a day	Any car, and the dog
Shifting Sands	Nags Head south to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse	A full day	Any car
Blackbeard’s Gold: The Crossing	Hatteras to Ocracoke	About three hours on the island, plus 70 minutes on the ferry each way	Any car, and the ferry
The End of the Road	Corolla ramp north to the Virginia line	A full day	4WD, aired down
Off-Roading with Fido	Corolla ramp north to the Virginia line	A full day	4WD, aired down, and the dog

All seven are $29 per team. Full write-ups, starting points and parking are on our hunts page.

Where to Eat & Stay

Round out your trip with our Outer Banks Restaurants map, Pet Friendly Travel guide, and RV Parks guide.