Attractions - Rodanthe, Waves & Salvo
This page provides information for attractions in Rodanthe, Waves & Salvo, NC on the Outer Banks.
Rodanthe—Waves—Salvo
- General Information
- Rodanthe
Known as the Tri-Villages, the communities of Rodanthe, Waves and Salvo border one another on the north end of Hatteras Island (just south of Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge). The locals know where the villages begin and end, and while the distinction may not really be important to the visitor, it is very important to someone who grew up here. All three villages are small but filled with vacation rentals, campgrounds, small motels, restaurants, shops and watersports outfitters.
Rodanthe is home to the Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station Historic Site, one of the nation’s most complete life-saving sites. Visiting the restored station offers a great history lesson about the service that preceded the U.S. Coast Guard. There’s also an oceanside fishing pier in Rodanthe. Waves is home to two of the Outer Banks’ largest kiteboarding centers and their attendant amenities like restaurants, accommodations and shops. Salvo is the quietest of the three villages, predominantly residential and perfect for a quiet vacation.
Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station
- 23645 N.C. Highway 12, MP 39.5
- Rodanthe
- (252) 987-1552
The Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station is the nation’s most complete existing example of the life-saving stations that were built along the coast in the late 19th century to attend to shipwrecks and rescue survivors. The 1874 station was the first operational life-saving station built in North Carolina, serving until 1954. Chicamacomico has been partially restored, thanks to numerous volunteers who formed a nonprofit organization to save it, and it is now a fine museum and historic site; all structures are original buildings. It is also the only place anywhere in the world that re-creates the full historic beach apparatus life-saving drill on a regular basis.
On a visit here you’ll see the 1874 Station, the 1911 Station, two cookhouses, water tanks and cistern, a stable, a tractor shed, the smaller boathouse (now the Visitors Center) and a village home built in 1907. In the museum, you’ll learn about the U.S. Life-Saving Service and some of the rescues that occurred here. Artifacts, uniforms, rescue equipment, displays and video presentations abound, and self-guided tours help complete your knowledge of place and history. These stations have many stories to tell. Life-saving crews at Chicamacomico performed many daring rescues, including one of the greatest rescues of WWI, that of the British tanker Mirlo in 1918. When the Mirlo was sunk by the German submarine U-117, Chicamacomico’s crew rescued 42 of 51 British sailors. The gift shop is full of unique nautical items and works by local craftspeople plus books and old-fashioned toys.
June through August, try to catch any of the special programs offered Monday through Friday at 2 p.m. Mondays, hear about the movie Nights in Rodanthe, which was filmed on Hatteras Island. Tuesdays hear true shipwreck and rescue stories. Wednesdays hear native Hatteras Islander Carol Dillon speak about being the real-life inspiration for the book Taffy of Torpedo Junction. Thursdays is the popular historic Beach Apparatus Drill Re-enactment – the only Breeches Buoy demonstration in the country performed by active-duty U.S. Coast Guard personnel. Fridays hear author Scott Dawson’s ideas about what really happened to the Lost Colony. Programs are free with paid admission to the site.
In 2011, Chicamacomico is celebrating the centennial anniversary of the 1911 station. On August 4, 2011, the 1911 station will be the focus of a 100th anniversary celebration at Chicamacomico, in conjunction with the site’s annual American Heroes Day. It’s a fun day with Coast Guardsmen, firefighters, ocean rescue personnel, police officers and EMS officials together on the Chicamacomico site, plus the beach apparatus drill and a very exciting Coast Guard helicopter search and rescue demo. The centennial celebration will add even more excitement to the annual event.
The site is open from mid-April through Thanksgiving weekend, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission fees are charged.
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge
- N.C. Highway 12
- Hatteras Island
- (252) 987-2394
The refuge’s Visitor Center, located on the northern end of Hatteras Island about 4 miles south of Oregon Inlet, is a good place to start a Pea Island visit. It gives an introduction to the ecosystems and wildlife of the refuge and the activities that are permissible there. You may also pick up informational brochures, the National Park Service’s newspaper and trail maps. A restroom and plenty of parking are available. You may start your walk on North Pond Wildlife Trail here.
The Visitor Center is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day. Beyond the Visitor Center, Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge is a 13-mile stretch of pristine barrier island. The beaches are wonderfully devoid of people most of the time, and there are several access points for getting to the beach. Pea Island is also great for surfing, surf fishing, shell hunting, kayaking, photography and other eco-friendly outdoor activities. Driving on the beach is not allowed here. Leashed pets are allowed on the beach, but not on the walking trails or overlooks.
North Pond Wildlife Trail is a good, flat, easy trail that starts at the Pea Island Visitor Center, about 4 miles south of Oregon Inlet. Park in the parking lot and look for the North Pond Wildlife Trailhead behind the restrooms. A sturdy, handicapped-accessible boardwalk leads back into the marshy areas around North Pond where you’ll see a variety of birds and wildlife. The trail turns into a hard-packed natural surface that extends for a half-mile and ends in a two-level observation tower where you can see from sea to sound. After North Pond Wildlife Trail ends, you may keep going on an unpaved service road that takes you all the way around the pond. This service road connects with the Salt Flats Wildlife Trail, and at the end (N.C. Highway 12) you can either turn back and go the way you came or cross over the dunes and walk along the beach to get back to the Visitor Center. The entire loop, if you take the beach route, is about 4 miles. The northern leg of the North Pond circuit is prone to excessive mosquitoes at all times of the year. Don’t let that keep you away; just bring insect repellent.
You may also park at the Salt Flats Wildlife Trailhead, a little over a mile north of the Visitor Center. You’ll see a lot of birds on these trails no matter what time of year you’re here, but this hike is most phenomenal in the fall and winter, when thousands of migratory birds are resting over on the pond. You’ll see snow geese, Canada geese, tundra swan and numerous species of ducks. You may pick up trail maps at the Visitor Center from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day or from the racks on the front porch after hours.
Guided bird walk programs are offered at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge year round, and other programs — Turtle Talks, Soundside Adventures and Birds and Their Adaptations — are offered in the summer months. Canoe tours are offered during the warmer months as a fee-based program. See www.fws.gov/alligatorriver/spec.html for a list, or call the visitors center. Also see our writeup on Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge Activities in our Recreation section.
