North Carolina’s Outer Banks are a popular destination for RVers exploring the Mid-Atlantic Coast.
With over 200 miles of some of the cleanest beaches on the East Coast, both on the ocean and sound side, the Outer Banks is a great place to kick back and relax. It’s also a fascinating place to explore with attractions ranging from sand dunes at Jockeys Ridge State Park, the tallest sand dunes on the Atlantic Coast, to the five lighthouses that protect and guide watercraft along its shores, including the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the tallest brick lighthouse in the country.
History buffs will want to visit the little town of Kitty Hawk, where Orville and Wilbur Wright made the first successful airplane flights on Dec. 17, 1903. The National Park Service operates a visitors center there where you can see replicas of their original planes and see the hill where the Wright brothers flew for the first time.
Other Outer Banks attractions include Cape Hatteras National Seashore, the nation’s first national seashore, which was established to preserve unspoiled segments of North Carolina’s barrier islands. These islands are constantly being reshaped in response to storms, ocean currents, sea level changes and wind.
Other scenic attractions include Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, which provides 154,000 acres of wetland habitat for everything from wood ducks and alligators to black bears and red wolves. You can also visit the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, which provides habitat for migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds, raptors as well as endangered and threatened species, such as Loggerhead sea turtles. The Outer Banks also provides numerous recreational opportunities, including dolphin and whale watching, sports fishing and hang gliding lessons as well as opportunities to go kayaking and horseback riding on the beach. Really cool kayaking opportunities are also available in the Kitty Hawk area.
