Hatteras Island Recreation

Cap’N Clam

• 57878 Oden's Dock, N.C. Highway 12
• Hatteras Village
• (252) 986-2365

Cap’N Clam hosts half-day fishing trips that are great options for families with young children because they are just the right length for a child’s attention span. They also offer a Children’s Pirate Cruise for all the rowdy mateys on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 6 to 7 p.m. This cruise promises lots of pirate-style shenanigans and pirate souvenirs. For celebrations or special events, consider a custom charter of the Cap’N Clam.

Cap’N Clam—Children’s Pirate Cruise

• 57878 N.C. Highway 12, Oden's Dock
• Hatteras Village
• (252) 986-2365

In addition to fishing charters, Cap’N Clam hosts a Children’s Pirate Cruise for all the rowdy mateys in your bunch. On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights from 6 to 7 p.m., this cruise promises lots of pirate-style shenanigans on the seas of the Pamlico Sound. For celebrations or special events, consider a custom charter of the Cap’N Clam.

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

• 46379 N.C. Highway 12 and Lighthouse Road
• Buxton
• (252) 995-4474

If any one thing represents all of Hatteras Island, it has to be the famous black-and-white, spiral-striped Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. The lighthouse has become the icon of the island, representing the hopeful, stalwart, survivalist attitude that is so pervasive among the people of Hatteras. This is one of the most famous lighthouses in the nation, especially since it survived a controversial, precarious move in 1999. Now in the hands of the National Park Service, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is open to the public.

Visitors 42 inches and taller can climb the spiral staircase up to the top of the lighthouse for an unforgettable view of the Atlantic Ocean, Cape Hatteras and Buxton. For the 2011 season, the climb costs $7 for adults and $3.50 for children 11 years of age and younger and seniors ages 62 and older. The lighthouse is open from the third Friday in April through Columbus Day. Lighthouse tours begin at 9 a.m. daily and run every 10 minutes with a limit of 30 visitors per tour. The last tickets of the day are sold at 5:40 p.m. between Memorial Day and Labor Day and 4:40 p.m. other times of the year. This is a very popular attraction and no advance tickets are sold, so the best thing to do is to get there early (before noon) and visit the ticket booth to buy a ticket, which will state the time of your tour. The ticket booth opens at 8:15 a.m. Be sure to be at the gate five minutes before your tour time. A museum about lighthouses and the history of the Outer Banks is located inside the historic Double Keepers’ Quarters Building just across the lawn from the lighthouse. Hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in summer and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. the rest of the year.

FYI: The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in Cape Hatteras National Seashore, along with Wright Brothers National Memorial, are designated Federal Recreation Fee Areas. Eighty percent of the funds generated by park fees are used to improve visitor facilities within the Outer Banks Group. The remaining 20 percent support projects in other National Park Service areas.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore/Hatteras Island Visitor Center

• 46379 N.C. Highway 12 and Lighthouse Road, at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
• Buxton
• (252) 995-4474

The National Park Service’s Hatteras Island Visitor Center is located at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse site. Maps, informational brochures and the park newspaper are available here, and staff can answer any questions you have about visiting Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Lots of parking and restrooms are on site. There’s also a bookstore with gifts. Inquire at the Visitor Center about the ranger-led history and nature programs that are held regularly from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The Visitor Center is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the summer months and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. the rest of the year. Check out www.outerbanksthisweek.com for detailed information on Park-sponsored activities.

Cape Hatteras Secondary School Tennis Courts

• 48576 N.C. Highway 12
• Buxton
• No phone

Cape Hatteras Secondary School has tennis courts that are open to the public in daylight after school hours.

Charlie’s Boat Rentals

• 25628 N.C. Highway 12
• Waves
• (757) 477-6475

Looking to get out on the water? Charlie’s Boat Rentals in Waves rents 19-foot skiffs and a 20-foot pontoon boat by the day or week. The 19-foot Caribbean Skiff flat bottom boats have either 50 hp or 115 hp motors. The two boats with 50 hp hold up to five people, while the one with 115 hp holds up to 10. The pontoon boat can hold a crowd. Charlie also rents Waverunners. You can launch the boats and Waverunners at his site or trailer them to your own site. All safety equipment is provided.

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.

Coastal Kayak Touring Company

• Locations throughout the Outer Banks
• Hatteras Island
• (252) 261-6262, (252) 441-3393

You haven’t seen the Outer Banks until you’ve seen it from the water, and Coastal Kayak can take you there. They offer trips to four different areas of the Outer Banks: Pine Island Audubon Sanctuary (between Corolla and Duck), Kitty Hawk Woods, Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge on Hatteras Island and the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge on the Dare County mainland. Tours last two to three hours. The guides offer kayaking instruction if you need it, plus they narrate about the local history and ecology along the way. Single and tandem kayaks are available. Children are welcome as long they are at least 30 pounds, but certain trips are better for kids than others. Reservations are required.

Down Under Tennis Courts

• 25920 N.C. Highway 12
• Waves
• (252) 987-2277

Down Under Restaurant and Lounge in Waves has installed new tennis courts. Call the restaurant to reserve a time.

DVO/Duck Village Outfitters

• 26689 N.C. Highway 12
• Salvo
• (252) 987-1222

A surf shop staple in Duck for decades, DVO has a second location in Salvo on Hatteras Island. DVO rents bikes, kayaks, surfboards and paddleboards and offers kayak tours and surf lessons for all ages. These guys have been offering lessons and tours on the Outer Banks for a long time, and they are a trusted local outfitter. The surf shop sells all the major brands of clothing for men, women and children, including Billabong, Hurley, Quiksilver and more.

Equine Adventures

• 52173 Piney Ridge Road
• Frisco
• (252) 995-4897

Equine Adventures offers two-hour guided horseback adventures through the scenic trails of the N.C. Coastal Reserve and maritime forest to the beaches of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. All levels of riders are accommodated, but children younger than 10 or people weighing more than 220 pounds are not accepted. Rides are offered year round. You must make reservations in advance. The price is $95 for all riders.

Fatty’s

• 46618 N.C. Highway 12
• Buxton
• (252) 995-FATT

Fatty’s is a kayak-tour business that focuses on the ecology and history of Hatteras Island, especially the history of the Lost Colony based on the research in the book, Croatoan: The Birthplace of America by Scott Dawson. They also sell ice cream — 24 flavors of Hershey’s ice cream as well as shaved ice and smoothies. Their milkshakes are hand-blended and therefore very thick and delicious. You’ll find it next to Daydreams.

Fessenden Center Skate Park

• 46830 N.C. Highway 12
• Buxton
• (252) 475-5650

The county-run Fessenden Center, across from Red Drum Tackle Shop in Buxton, has a small, skate-at-your-own-risk skate park. There is no supervision and you don’t have to sign a waiver, but helmets are required and pads are recommended. The park features a street course and a bowl. It’s open in daylight hours seven days a week.

Fessenden Center Tennis Courts

• 46830 N.C. Highway 12
• Buxton
• (252) 475-5650

The county-run Fessenden Center has tennis courts open for first-come, first-served play in daylight hours.

Fox Watersports

• 47108 N.C. Highway 12
• Buxton
• (252) 995-4372

Fox specializes in windsurfing, kiteboarding and surfing. You can buy all the gear you’ll need for these sports plus take lessons if you need them. You can also rent windsurfing equipment, surfboards, kayaks, standup paddleboards and body boards and purchase skim boards, sunglasses, clothes, flip-flops or a wetsuit. Sailboard, kiteboard and surfboard repair are offered in this location of Fox Watersports. Check out the new location of Fox in Hatteras Village.

Fox Watersports

• 56910 N.C. Highway 12, Stowe on 12
• Hatteras Village
• (252) 986-4008

Fox Watersports in Buxton has opened a second location in Hatteras Village at Stowe on 12. This location specializes in kiteboarding, surfing, standup paddleboards (SUP), kayaks and bodyboards. You can buy all this gear and the hard goods you need or rent surfboards, SUPs, kayaks and bodyboards. They also offer lessons in surfing and SUP. They’re considering bike rentals, too, so call and ask about those. Fox also sells surf-inspired clothing and accessories.

Frisco Art Center

• 53460 N.C. Highway 12
• Frisco
• (252) 995-3400

Frisco Art Center offers a unique shopping experience. Housed under one roof are three distinct galleries — Sea Glass Gallery, The Art Cottage and an old-fashioned Christmas Shop. Together, the galleries represent more than 75 local, North Carolina and coastal artists, and everything sold here is handcrafted by an artist. A few of the mediums you’ll find include pottery, jewelry, glass sculptures and photography, and there’s much more so plan to spend some time looking around here. The mission of the Frisco Art Center is to support the arts, sponsor students through scholarships and offer affordable prices to their customers.

Frisco Jubilee

• Various locations
• Frisco
• (252) 995-3540

Every Friday night from Memorial Day to Labor Day, be sure to catch Hatteras Island’s best musicians for a night of pickin’ and singin’ old favorites, classic bluegrass, gospel and Outer Banks originals at the Frisco Jubilee. Some of the musicians you might see include Speedy Price, Mahlon Blue, John Couch, April Trueblood, Caitlyn Gray, Johnnie Baum, Clifford Swain and Jaki Gray. The venue rotates between various locations, so look for local fliers or call the number above to find out where it’s going to be held when you’re here. The show begins at 7:30 p.m., and tickets are sold at the door for $10 each. Watch for special performances to be held in Rodanthe and Hatteras Village. Call for information.

Frisco Mini-Golf and Go-Karts

• 50212 Trent Lake Lane and N.C. Highway 12
• Frisco
• (252) 995-6325

For a day or night of good fun, head 1.5 miles south of Buxton to this Frisco recreational facility. The mini-golf course has 18 holes in a natural setting with waterfalls and fish ponds. There are two go-kart tracks here — a slick track and a family track. Go-kart rivers must be at least 54 inches tall, but little kids can ride with an adult for free. Bumper car drivers must be less than 54 inches tall. There’s also a game room here. In season, everything is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 11 p.m. on Sunday. Call for off-season hours. There’s plenty of parking for larger vehicles like RVs. 

Frisco Native American Museum & Natural History Center

• 53536 N.C. Highway 12
• Frisco
• (252) 995-4440

The Native American history of Hatteras Island and the Native American culture of our nation are preserved at this must-see museum in Frisco. The founders of this museum, Joyce and Carl Bornfriend, have taken great care to preserve Native American heritage, and their collection of artifacts, exhibits and natural history displays is nationally recognized and respected. The galleries include information on Native Americans across the United States. Particularly interesting to Hatteras Island visitors are the artifacts from the Native Americans who once inhabited this island. A dugout canoe, which was found on the museum property, is displayed with tools, instruments and other items uncovered on the island in an archaeological dig conducted by East Carolina University; these items offer a glimpse into the island’s previous life.

The museum recently opened almost 1,000 square feet of new exhibits, including an art gallery and a new room overlooking a beautiful bird garden. The gift shop has a great variety of Native American-made items, including arts and crafts, walking sticks, dream-catchers, moccasins, jewelry, paintings, drums, pottery, handmade knives and much more. The facility also includes a book store and even an antiques gallery operated by Friends of the Museum. While you’re here, be sure to walk on the museum’s nature trails that wind through several acres of maritime forest.

Museum hours are 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Winter hours may vary; call for confirmation. Cost is $5 per person, $3 for seniors or $15 per family. Guided tours for groups are available. The museum sponsors a not-to-be-missed annual Inter-Tribal Powwow and living history weekend on Hatteras Island in April.

Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum

• 59200 Museum Drive
• Hatteras Village
• (252) 986-2995 or (252) 986-2996

At the end of N.C. Highway 12 next to the ferry terminal, the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum attracts a lot of attention with its unique, ship-like building, porthole windows and curved timbers. One of three North Carolina Maritime Museums operated by the North Carolina Division of Cultural Resources, the museum focuses on the maritime history and shipwrecks of North Carolina’s Outer Banks, often called the Graveyard of the Atlantic. Exhibitions emphasize the periods from 1524 to 1945, with shipwreck artifacts and memorabilia on display and changing exhibits telling the dramatic tales of shipwrecks and life saving along the Carolina coast.

You can visit the museum for free and see the original 1854 lens to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the Enigma machine from the U-85, the bell from the Diamond Shoals Lightship (which was sunk by the Germans in WWI) and other exhibits on maritime history and shipwrecks.

From August 15, 2011, through July 15, 2012, the museum will host Flags Over Hatteras, an exhibition commemorating the Sesquicentennial (150th) anniversary of the Civil War on Hatteras Island. Historic events included the first Union victory of the war, which led to the loss of the inland waterways of eastern North Carolina. The exhibition is focused around the little-known assaults on Forts Hatteras and Clark, which took place August 28 and 29, 1861.  Displays will also explore the capture of the Fanny and The Chicamacomico Races and will feature items and documents from the period.

A Flags Over Hatteras conference will be held in Hatteras from August 22 through 28 and will feature the most prominent Civil War historians in the country.  Held at the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum and other locations, the conference will feature a VIP Blue-Gray reunion, lecturers, speakers, living history programs and an auction. See www.flagsoverhatteras.com for more information.
The museum holds frequent programs in the summer months. On Second Saturdays and Tuesdays at 2, you can hear speakers. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday there are activities for kids. Call for a schedule or go to the web site at www.graveyardoftheatlantic.com for more information.

From April through October, hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. From November through March, hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free. When you’re here, check out the historic markers in the parking lot, which tell interesting stories about the Civil War on the Outer Banks.

Hatteras Island Boardsports

• 41074 N.C. Highway 12
• Avon
• (252) 995-6160

Hatteras Island Boardsports rents kayaks, surfboards, bodyboards, skimboards and wetsuits, and delivery is available. You can also take group or private surfing lessons. The shop is a one-stop shop for surf gear and apparel for men, women and kids. Some brand names you’ll find here include Billabong, Quiksilver, Volcom, Roxy and Rusty, along with surfboards by Dewey Weber, Rusty and Imagine.

Hatteras Island Sail Shop

• 25199 Vela Court and N.C. Highway 12
• Waves
• (252) 987-2292

This soundfront recreation center offers rentals of kayaks, sailboats and windsurfing equipment plus lessons in windsurfing and kiteboarding. An on-site launching facility makes it easy to slip into the water. They sell kiteboarding and windsurfing equipment as well as active-inspired clothing and all the gear you need for your favorite watersports.

Hatteras Island Surf Shop

• 25410 N.C. Highway 12
• Waves
• (252) 987-2296

This classic surf shop in an old cottage has been a fixture on the island surf scene for more than 40 years. The shop sells new and used boards and surf-related gear and rents surf, body, skim and standup paddleboards plus beach gear. Surf lessons are available for adults as well as kids. They sell all the watersports equipment, accessories and wetsuits you could need along with surf-inspired clothing and accessories.

Hatteras Parasail and Watersports

• 57878 N.C. Highway 12, Oden’s Dock
• Hatteras Village
• (252) 986-2627

There’s nothing like a bird’s-eye view of the Outer Banks to lift your spirits. Hatteras Parasail can take you to hundreds of feet above the islands for a view you won’t forget. Parasailing can be done as singles, tandems or triples. This family-owned company has been operating for nearly 20 years, and they also offer guided kayak eco-tours in single or tandem kayaks. The tours take you along the Pamlico Sound and through the waterways of Hatteras Village. They also rent Waverunners that carry up to three people. This business is closed on Sundays. Reservations are recommended.