Hatteras Island Recreation

Island Cycles & Sports—Avon

• 41934 N.C. Highway 12, Hatteras Island Plaza
• Avon
• (252) 995-4336

Island Cycles & Sports rents kayaks, surfboards, skimboards, boogie boards and other fun stuff for the beach. They sell Flexifoil kiteboarding gear. Island Cycles is a full-service bike shop selling and renting bikes and scooters for the whole family, and they will deliver bikes to your location. They also sell cycling gear and make repairs.

Island Time Cups and Cones

• 40146 N.C. Highway 12
• Avon
• (252) 995-0202

Island Time Cups and Cones shows a family-friendly movie outside every night in the summer starting at dark, usually about 9 p.m. Sit outside on a blanket or lawn chair, or pull your car up like the days of drive-in theaters. While you’re there, enjoy a Hawaiian ice, ice cream, shake, smoothie or coffee. Island Time is open every day until 11 p.m.

Kitty Hawk Sports

• 24502 N.C. Highway 12, Waves Village Kiteboarding Resort
• Rodanthe
• (252) 987-2297

Kitty Hawk Sports offers gear and equipment for surfing, standup paddleboarding and kayaking. Ask about surf lessons. Kitty Hawk Sports also carries the name brands that everybody wants: Quiksilver, Billabong, Volcom, O’Neill, Roxy, The North Face and many more for men, women and children.

Miss Hatteras—Dolphin and Wildlife Sunset Cruise

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

This 75-foot head boat makes daily full or half-day trips to the fishing grounds, but if you don’t want to fish, you can join them for a Dolphin and Wildlife Sunset Cruise from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings. You just relax and enjoy the breezes and spectacular Hatteras sunset while the crew points out dolphin, native birds and other local wildlife. Miss Hatteras also is available for private charter for weddings, parties and other events.

Natural Art Surf Shop

• 47331 N.C. Highway 12
• Buxton
• (252) 995-5682

Natural Art has been a fixture on the island surfing scene since 1977, and it’s all about serious surfing. They shape custom boards and create custom artwork so you can design your own. They sell new and used surfboards and skimboards and rent surfboards, body boards and wetsuits. They also repair surfboards. All the surfing support gear is here too: clothing, footwear, wetsuits, rash guards, accessories, sunscreen, art, you name it.

New Inlet Boat Ramp

• Pea Island Wildlife Refuge
• Rodanthe

The New Inlet ramp is for small boats only, and you may launch here for free. It’s in the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, so you’re surrounded by natural beauty.

Oregon Inlet Fishing Center

• 98 N.C. Highway 12
• Oregon Inlet
• (252) 441-6301

The Fishing Center is located on the north side of Oregon Inlet on Bodie Island. It’s free to use the boat launch here, and there’s plenty of parking for vehicles and trailers. The Fishing Center sells fuel (there are pumps for boats in the water and pumps on land) and has air for filling up tires, restrooms and a store selling bait and tackle, clothing, food and snacks, ice and beverages. In the afternoon, it’s fun to come here and watch the anglers from the offshore boats unloading their catches of the day.

Outer Banks Marathon, Gateway Bank Half-Marathon

• Throughout the Outer Banks, from Kitty Hawk to Manteo

If you’re a runner or walker, you don’t want to miss this event on a flat course with awesome scenery and the spirited residents of the Outer Banks cheering for you all along the way. On Sunday, November 14, 2010, you can participate in the fifth annual Outer Banks Marathon or the Gateway Bank Half-Marathon. The course for the marathon begins in Kitty Hawk, travels on through Kill Devil Hills and around the Wright Memorial, goes through Nags Head and ends on Roanoke Island. The Gateway Bank Half-Marathon begins in Nags Head and ends on Roanoke Island. Walkers are welcome. There is a $25,000 prize purse for the marathon. The Fun Run is held on Saturday, November 13. For information and to register, go to www.obxmarathon.org.

Pam Bailey Massage, Hypnotherapy and Yoga

• 40246 N.C. Highway 12
• Avon
• (252) 305-8822

Pam Bailey teaches yoga classes at the Community Center in Hatteras Village and offers private classes for small groups at her office or at your location. Give her a call for the class schedule and prices. Pam is a licensed massage therapist offering Swedish massage, cranio-sacral therapy, deep tissue and sports massage, energy work and other healing modalities. She teaches classes for national and state recertification of massage therapists. She also offers hypnotherapy in all aspects, focusing on weight reduction and addictions. Her office is located next to Island Spice and Wine.

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 ecosystem and wildlife of the refuge and the activities that are permissible there. You can also pick up informational brochures, the National Park Service’s newspaper and trail maps. A restroom and plenty of parking are available. You can start a hike around North Pond here (see the Hiking section below). Ask at the Visitor Center about the canoe tours and guided bird walks that are offered almost year round or other programs that might be held during the summer. 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.

A good, flat, easy hike 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 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. After the boardwalk ends, you can keep going on an unpaved service road that takes you all the way around the pond. The North Pond Trail connects with the Salt Flats Trail, and at the end (N.C. Highway 12) you can either turn back and go the way you came or walk down N.C. 12 or 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 mosquito habitation at all times of the year. Don’t let that keep you away; just bring insect repellent. You can also park at the Salt Flats 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 can pick up trail maps at the Visitor Center from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day. Ask about the guided bird walks held here.

RC Hatteras Movies 4

• 41934 N.C. Highway 12, Hatteras Island Plaza
• Avon
• (252) 995-9060

RC Theatres offers four first-run movies daily in the summer months, and they close in the off-season. Beware the rainy day, when the theater is most crowded — you can buy advance tickets on those days. For movie info, call the hotline at the number above or rely on your phone app.

REAL Watersports

• 25676 N.C. Highway 12
• Waves
• (252) 987-6000; (866) REAL-548

REAL Watersports teaches kiteboarding, surfing and standup paddleboarding lessons and camps seven days a week. REAL’s Zero 2 Hero camp program was ranked by Outside magazine among the Top 10 Adventure Camps in the world. Inside REAL, you’ll find hundreds of kites, kiteboards, surfboards and standup paddleboards for sale as well as a fully stocked rental shop to get you geared up for your next session. Also onsite is MOJOs Sunset Café with waterfront seating and live entertainment. REAL is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

Ride Hatteras

• 40168 N.C. Highway 12
• Avon
• (252) 995-6755

Ride Hatteras offers surfing, windsurfing and kiteboarding lessons for beginner, intermediate or advanced riders. Equipment is tailored to meet the needs of the student and the wind conditions of the day. Kids’ lessons are available, and class sizes are small. You can rent equipment for standup paddleboarding, windsurfing, surfing, body boarding and skimboarding here, and they sell other essential gear.

Rodanthe Surf Shop

• 23580 N.C. Highway 12
• Rodanthe
• (252) 987-2412

Rodanthe Surf Shop exists for the love of surfing alone. They rent body, surf and skim boards and offer surf lessons.

Sailing OBX

• 24170 N.C. Highway 12
• Rodanthe
• (252) 216-9283

Sailing OBX is the sailing component of Rodanthe Watersports. You can rent a 16-foot Hobie cat, an 18-foot American daysailer or a Sunfish to sail on your own, and they’ll give you lessons if you need them. If you prefer to let someone else do the sailing, they offer sunset charters on the American 18-foot Daysailor. Sailing OBX can deliver two of its sailboat models — a Hobie 16 or a Lightning Daysailor 19 — to your location.

Salvo Day Use Area

• N.C. Highway 12
• Rodanthe

This is a very cool spot for hanging out by the sound. The site is a former National Park Service Campground that was closed due to lack of funds. The former campground area is a little overgrown, but the roads and soundside beach are kept up nicely. When you turn in, head to the right to the northwest corner of the lot. There you’ll find a parking area and restroom facilities next to a small cemetery. The sound beach is an awesome spot for fishing, launching a kiteboard, sailboard, paddleboard or kayak, swimming or sitting in the sun. It’s usually not very crowded, and the calm water is great for kids when the ocean is rough. Be sure to walk through the little cemetery before you leave. Some of the oldest island names are on the headstones.

Sandbar and Grille

• 49250 N.C. Highway 12
• Buxton
• (252) 995-3413

The Sandbar restaurant has a whole level devoted to its game room. You’ll find a pool table, video games and more. Parents get to enjoy a quiet meal in the restaurants (see Restaurants section) with an awesome sound view while the kids play in the game room.

Scotch Bonnet Boat Ramp and Dock

• 51684 N.C. Highway 12
• Frisco
• (252) 995-4242

The marina next to the Scotch Bonnet gift shop offers a boat ramp, which can be used for a $10 fee; parking is available.

Sunsational Designs Gallery, Coffee and Beads

• 53255 N.C. Highway 12
• Frisco
• (252) 995-5960

This gallery, owned by a native Hatteras Island family for more than 20 years, is not an ordinary art gallery. Sure, they offer paintings and other artwork by their family of artists, including the jewelry of Sarah Jackson, but they also offer rock art, buoy art and fun gifts like hats and T-shirts. They also sell hundreds of beads, so this is a great place to make your own custom jewelry. Sunsational now offers gourmet coffee and espresso-based drinks and specialty teas.

Teach’s Lair Marina

• 58646 N.C. Highway 12
• Hatteras Village
• (252) 986-2460

Teach’s Lair full-service marina has a ramp for launching boats that can be used for a $10 fee, and there is parking across the street.

The Frisco Jubilee

• 52859 Piney Ridge Road and N.C. Highway 12, Little Grove Church
• Frisco
• (252) 995-3540

Every Saturday night from May 28 through October, 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 Martin Garrish and Friends, Speedy Price, Stash Lawrence, Mahlon Blue and John Couch, April Trueblood, Caitlyn Gray and Johnnie Baum. 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.

The Glass Bead

• 39774 N.C. Highway 12, Dairy Queen Shopping Center
• Avon
• (252) 995-7020

Let your creative streak shine at this make-your-own-jewelry store. The Glass Bead has thousands of beads, including handmade beads, crystals, semiprecious stones, charms and seed beads, plus hemp for designing your own necklaces, bracelets, earrings and other jewelry. You can make the jewelry here, and lessons are offered. All the supplies you need are available, including cording, thread, clasps and idea books. Pre-made jewelry is for sale as well. Java Junction, a coffee shop and internet café, is right next door.

Uglie Mugs Coffeehouse

• 40534 N.C. Highway 12
• Avon
• (252) 995-5590

Uglie Mugs offers quite the combination of enticements — coffee, baked goods, internet access and beads galore. The bead shop offers thousands of beads and all the supplies you need to make your own jewelry.

Uncle Eddy’s Frozen Custard and 18-Hole Minigolf

• 46860 N.C. Highway 12
• Buxton
• (252) 995-4059

Next to Falcon Motel, this is the place for summer fun. The 18-hole mini-golf course is nestled under live oaks, providing a shady spot to get out of the sun. Unlimited play is available for a very reasonable price. After golf, cool down with the delicious homemade frozen custard and ice cream this place is known for.

Unloading Catches at the Docks

• Hatteras Village Marinas
• Hatteras Village

For a chance to see the offshore boats unloading the day’s deep-sea catches, head down to one of the Hatteras Village marinas between 3:30 and 5 p.m. When the boats come in, the fishing mates unload the day’s catches onto the docks so the fish can be taken away and cleaned. Most days you’ll see something, usually yellow-fin tuna, mahi-mahi and Wahoo plus some other interesting fish. The big-game fish are caught and released, so you won’t see all the white marlin, blue marlin and sailfish that were caught that day, though you can count the flags on the boats to see how many were released.