• Whalebone Junction Information Center - Outer Banks Visitors Bureau - Welcome to The Outer Banks and Cape Hatteras National Seashore! This beautiful stretch of coastline is filled with tales of lost colonists, shifting sands, and, of course, pirate ghosts! Let’s begin our adventure!

Note: This 97-mile-long tour highlights the essentials of the Outer Banks in 3-4 hours.

Purchase once, enjoy for a year! Perfect for extended stays and return visits over the next 12 months.

• Bodie Island Lighthouse - In 1921, the four-masted schooner Laura Barnes was en route from Massachusetts to South Carolina to collect cargo. However, the weather turned nasty. A thick fog descended, and the waves became perilous. Unable to see, the captain didn’t notice the shore until it was too late! The ship crashed onto the beach and broke apart. Fortunately, the entire crew survived, but the ship remained stuck! Salvagers took most of it, but some remnants are still embedded in the sand today!

• Oregon Inlet - Shortly, we’ll cross the Oregon Inlet. This waterway connects the Pamlico Sound with the Atlantic Ocean. Interestingly, it didn’t exist until 1846, when a massive hurricane struck! A ship named the Oregon was in Pamlico Sound during that storm. As the story goes, the Oregon was returning to Edenton, North Carolina, from Bermuda. It was near the Outer Banks when the hurricane hit. The turbulent seas lifted the entire ship and safely placed it on a sandbar! Talk about luck!

• Herbert C. Bonner Bridge - The vast body of water to the right of the bridge is the Pamlico Sound. It stretches 80 miles long and about 18 miles wide, though it never exceeds 26 feet in depth! Rivers from the mainland flow into the sound, creating the second-largest estuary in the US, after Chesapeake Bay. The shallow waters offer excellent fishing opportunities. Pamlico Sound is where 90% of North Carolina’s commercial fishermen catch their crabs, oysters, and clams!

• Oregon Inlet Life Saving Station - On our left is the Oregon Inlet Life-Saving Station from 1874. It’s the only structure visible when the bridge meets land again; you can’t miss it.
  Imagine being on a ship in the dark, trying to find a dock along this coast. Before radar, GPS, or sonar, sailors had a challenging time navigating this cape or the Oregon Inlet. Shipwrecks were incredibly common, earning the Outer Banks the nickname “The Graveyard of the Atlantic.”

• Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge - We’re now driving through 13 miles of nature preserve! It’s the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, stretching from the bottom of the Oregon Inlet to the northern border of the Rodanthe community. It’s part of what scientists call “the Atlantic Flyway,” a corridor that migratory birds use to travel up and down the coast, like a highway in the sky! Birds use these beaches as pit stops along their journey.

• Pea Island Beach - Parking for Pea Island Beach is coming up shortly. This is a popular beach, but it’s so expansive you wouldn’t guess it! Even if you don’t venture into the water, take some time to relax on the sand and enjoy the stunning view.

• Jughandle Bridge - We’re traveling along Jughandle Bridge. But why does this bridge exist? After all, we’re not moving from one island to the next; we’re just traveling alongside the island!

• Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station Historic Site and Museum - To our left is another life-saving station, the Chicamacomico US Life-Saving Station. Like the Oregon Inlet Life-Saving Station, it served as a hub for rescue crews to live, observe the coast, and conduct training exercises with the unique device known as a beach apparatus. But what exactly is that?

• The Mother Vine - The Outer Banks are home to some fascinating historical pieces, but one of the most unusual can be found on Roanoke Island. It’s known as the Mother Vine, the oldest grapevine on the continent still producing grapes! The vine is about 400 years old, though its exact date of origin is unknown.

• Kite Point - We’re approaching a small spot on our right that locals call “kite point.” It’s just a strip of sandy beach, but it’s become a haven for kitesurfing! The beaches near here have been popular with windsurfers since the 1970s. Kite Point is the perfect spot to watch this high-speed sport in action. But where did kitesurfing originate?

• Cape Hatteras Lighthouse - Remember how the Bodie Lighthouse was so poorly constructed that it leaned like the Tower of Pisa? Well, you’re about to see the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, which also had a challenging start.

• Cape Point - Cape Point in North Carolina is more than just a location; it’s where nature and history converge. Its ever-changing sands and maritime stories connect visitors to a rich maritime heritage and the relentless shaping of the Outer Banks. Cape Point offers a unique blend of natural beauty and historical significance.

• Hatteras - We’re entering the quaint village of Hatteras. If you love fishing, this little village is the place for you! Locals and visitors alike spend their time with a rod and reel in hand. With a population of around 400, it’s as peaceful and charming as a small town can be. The roads wind and meander with no grids or official plots. Everything here feels connected to nature.

• Teach’s Lair Marina - We’re approaching Teach’s Lair Marina. It will be the collection of boats on our right in just a minute. As you might have guessed, the marina and many other landmarks here are named after Edward Teach, also known as Blackbeard.

• Hatteras Ferry Terminal - Soon after, we’ll see the Hatteras Ferry Terminal. From there, you can take a ferry to Ocracoke Island if you’re in the mood to see those horses or search for Blackbeard’s ghost. Ferries depart three or four times a day, depending on the season. You can walk or take your car on the ferry.

• WWII British Sailor Cemetery - Do you recall the story of the German U-Boats lined up near the Outer Banks, attacking cargo ships leaving North Carolina? What wasn’t mentioned was that a few Allied forces were sent from Europe to help combat those Germans here in North Carolina. Those who perished are laid to rest at the WWII British Sailor Cemetery.

• Jockey’s Ridge State Park - In just a moment, we’ll see huge sand dunes on our left. These belong to Jockey’s Ridge State Park, the tallest sand dune system in the Eastern United States! But why are there sand dunes in the middle of this island? Aren’t the islands themselves sand dunes? Scientists believe that over many years, storms and hurricanes wash sand inland, while winds from the mainland blow in the opposite direction.

• Wright Brothers National Memorial - To visit the Wright Brothers National Memorial, turn left onto Wright Memorial Drive. It features full-scale models of the brothers’ planes, markers of the distances of each flight the Wright Flyer took, and more.

• Avalon Pier - If you’d like to visit Avalon Pier, turn right onto E. Sportsman Drive ahead. It’s a 440-foot-long wooden pier with a fantastic ocean view and plenty of restaurants and shops. The fishing is excellent from there too!

• Wright Brother’s Garage Monument - Want to see where the Wright Brothers built one of their earliest gliders? Like many great American inventors, they started in a garage! I’ll let you know where to turn shortly to see the site of the garage where it all began.

• Kitty Hawk Woods Reserve - We’re driving through the town of Kitty Hawk. You’ve probably heard the name before. After all, historians credit this town with being where Wilbur and Orville took their first flight. However, technically, the brothers took their flight a few miles south of the town line, in a place called Kill Devil Hills. Quite a name, I know! Since that wasn’t an official town in 1903, Kitty Hawk gets the credit for Orville and Wilbur!

• Duck Town Boardwalk - Coming up on our left is the Duck Town Park Boardwalk. This scenic park features waterfront trails, shops, restaurants, and more. If you’d like to visit and stretch your legs, turn left at the sign that says, “Town of Duck.” Otherwise, continue straight.

• Pine Island Audubon Sanctuary - Approaching is the Pine Island Audubon Sanctuary, containing 2,600 acres of preserved land. This land is home to hundreds of bird species, but it would have been home to many more if not for the hunting craze that swept this part of the Outer Banks over a century ago.

• Corolla - We’re entering the town of Corolla. Off to our right, beyond the houses, stretches the seemingly endless expanse of sand known as Corolla Beach. The local population is around 500, but in the summer, it surges into the thousands! Vacationers flock here from all over to enjoy the small-town feel, watersports, and the herd of wild horses.

• Currituck Beach Lighthouse - Currituck Beach Lighthouse is coming up in a few minutes. I’ll let you know when to turn if you want to see it.
  On December 1, 1875, engineers completed construction on this “first-order” lighthouse. “First order” means the largest kind of lighthouse. The Fresnel lens at the top of the tower stands about eight and a half feet tall and stretches to around six feet wide! Its light can be seen from 21 miles away! The lighthouse itself stands 162 feet tall.

• Whalehead Club - Just before the lighthouse, you’ll also have the chance to see the historic Whalehead Club. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, this area became the go-to place for wealthy Americans who wanted to do a little hunting. Edward Collings Knight, Jr. was heir to many fortunes—sugar, railroads, and steamships! He and his second wife bought a large tract of land here in 1920 and began building a house on it. The resulting house is called the Whalehead Club. It’s a 22,000 square foot home designed in the Art Nouveau style. The Knights used it and offered it to their friends as a hunting lodge.

• Easy-to-use app: download Action’s Tour Guide App onto your phone
• Great value: purchase per car, not per person. More affordable than bus or guided tours!
• Engaging storytelling: Uncover unique tales and thrilling history for a memorable journey!
• Perfect narrator: nothing can beat listening to a great voice. Proven with tons of rave reviews!
• Offline maps: no signal, no problem! Works perfectly without cellular or wifi.
• Comprehensive route and stops: See it all, miss nothing, leave no stone unturned!
• Go at your own pace: Start anytime, pause anywhere, enjoy breaks for snacks and photos freely!
• Hands-free: audio stories play on their own based on your location. Easy to use!

• Attraction passes, entry tickets, or reservations

Discover the beauty of North Carolina’s Outer Banks with this self-guided car tour. Begin your journey at the impressive Bodie Island Lighthouse and the serene Coquina Beach, where nature and history intertwine. Proceed to the Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station Historic Site, a tribute to maritime heroes. Then, visit the Currituck Beach Lighthouse, a notable coastal landmark. Conclude your tour at the Wright Brothers National Memorial, the birthplace of aviation dreams. Experience maritime history and the pioneering spirit amidst breathtaking coastal landscapes.

After booking, check your email to download the separate Audio Tour Guide App by Action. Enter your unique password to access your tour. Ensure you have a reliable internet/Wi-Fi connection for these steps. Follow the audio instructions and the designated route.

Purchase once and enjoy for a full year! Perfect for extended stays and return visits within the next 12 months.

Please note, this is not an entrance ticket. Verify opening hours before your visit.

• How To Access: After booking, you’ll get an email and text with setup instructions and password (search “audio tour” in emails and texts). • Download the separate tour app by Action • Enter the password sent by email and text. • MUST download the tour while in strong wifi/cellular. • Works offline after download.
• How to start touring: Open Action’s separate audio tour guide app once onsite. • If there is just one tour, launch it. • If multiple tour versions exist, launch the one with your planned starting point and direction.
• Go to the starting point No one will meet you at the start. This tour is self-guided Enter the first story’s point and the audio will begin automatically Follow the audio cues to the next story, which will also play automatically. Enjoy hands-free exploring. If you face audio issues, contact support. Stick to the tour route & speed limit for the best experience.
• Travel worry-free: Use the tour app anytime, on any day, and over multiple days. Start and pause the tour whenever you like, taking breaks and exploring side excursions at your own pace. Skip anything you don’t care about or explore bonus content for everything that interests you
• Savings tips: Driving tours: purchase just one tour for everyone in the car
• Buy once, use for one year! Ideal for extended visits and return trips over the next 12 months.

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.