Recreation - Hatteras Village

Blue Marlin Display

• 57690 N.C. Highway 12, Hatteras Village Library and Community Center
• Hatteras Village

Hatteras Village is the offshore fishing capital of the Outer Banks. Big-game marlin fishing began here in the 1930s. To see a blue marlin (one that’s been mounted and preserved), go over to the Hatteras Village Library and Community Center. On the outside wall, encased in a glass box, is a world-record, 810-pound blue marlin that was caught on June 11, 1962, off Hatteras Island. The world record has since been broken, but this is still an impressive specimen.

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.

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 in its unique, ship-like building with porthole windows and curved timbers. Now a regional history museum operated by the North Carolina Division of Cultural Resources, the museum has several exhibits plus a gift shop, lobby and community room. The museum focuses on the maritime history and shipwrecks of North Carolina’s Outer Banks, often called the Graveyard of the Atlantic. The exhibits emphasize the periods from 1524 to 1945, with shipwreck artifacts and memorabilia on display and changing exhibits telling the dramatic tales of shipwrecks and lifesaving along the Carolina coast.

All of the planned exhibits are not finished yet. For now, 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 WWII) and other exhibits on maritime history and shipwrecks. 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 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 or tandems. This family owned and operated company, now in its 18th season, also offers guided kayak eco-tours in single or tandem kayaks. The tours take you along the Pamlico Sound and through the waterways of Hatteras Village. New this year are Waverunners that carry up to three people. This business is closed on Sunday.

Hatteras Tours

• Hatteras Island
• (252) 475-4477

For a local historian’s perspective of Hatteras and Ocracoke islands, you won’t want to miss this bus tour of Hatteras Island. Island native Danny Couch leads tours in a 25-passenger mini-bus, telling fascinating stories and bits of island history along the way. Couch grew up on the island and is passionate about its history. The stories he tells will intrigue you. Tours include Chicamacomico (Rodanthe, Waves & Salvo), Kinnakeet (Avon), The Cape (Buxton), Hatteras Village, Ocracoke Island and Roanoke Island. Family groups are encouraged. Call ahead for more information or to organize a custom tour. Ticket prices range from $45 to $60, depending on the season and the tour. Call the number above for more information or to reserve your seat.

Hatteras-Ocracoke Ferry

• End of N.C. Highway 12
• Hatteras Village
• (252) 986-2353, (800) BY FERRY

For a free boat ride, drive onto the ferry at the south end of Hatteras Island. You’ll cross Hatteras Inlet and end up on the absolutely charming island of Ocracoke, where you’ll definitely want to spend a few hours or a whole day exploring the village shops, restaurants and historic sites (and pick up a copy of our sister paper, the Ocracoke Island tabloid). The ferry ride is about 45 minutes long. Once you get off the ferry onto Ocracoke Island, you’ll need transportation—your car or a bicycle—because it’s about 13 miles from the ferry dock to the village. The ferry is free and it runs every 30 minutes in the summer season. Call for off-season hours.

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. There’s also a location in Hatteras Village.

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 trips to the fishing grounds, but if you don’t want to fish, you can join them for a Dolphin and Wildlife Sunset Cruise. 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.

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.

Teach’s Lair Marina

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

Teach’s Lair has a ramp for launching boats that can be used for a fee as well as a full-service marina and slip rentals.

U.S. Weather Bureau Station/Hatteras Welcome Center

• Hatteras Village
• (252) 986-2203

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, weather observations gathered near Cape Hatteras were important for forecasters all along the East Coast. The Hatteras Island weather station was so critical that in 1901 the U.S. Weather Bureau constructed a dedicated Weather Bureau building in Hatteras Village, one of only 11 such buildings constructed in the nation at the turn of the century. The building still stands in Hatteras Village and is next to the Burrus Red & White grocery store at the corner of Saxon Cut and Kohler roads. The National Park Service restored the building to its original 1901 appearance, yellow exterior and all. The NPS had the benefit of the original building plans to aid in its restoration, so the building is true to its original. The Outer Banks Visitors Bureau operates a visitors/welcome center in one room of the building; stop by to pick up tourist information and also to see the interior of this historic building.

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. If you’re really lucky in the winter months you might see a boat bring in a giant blue-fin tuna, a rare spectacle.

Village Marina

• 57980 N.C. Highway 12
• Hatteras Village
• (252) 986-2522

In Hatteras Village, this marina charges a small fee per launch but it’s a convenient spot to put in.