Recreation - Rodanthe, Waves & Salvo

Big Wave Dave’s

• 40618 N.C. Highway 12, next to Village Grocery
• Rodanthe
• (252) 995-7033

Big Wave Dave’s convenience store has an unexpected feature: a cool theater space where you can catch a movie or live music and enjoy a beer or glass of wine. It’s an intimate theater – only 32 seats – and they show independent, up-and-coming movies that you won’t see at the blockbuster theaters. Stop by or call to get the movie and live music schedule. In the off-season you might catch a televised sporting event in the theater. The theater is also available to rent.

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, the age of shipping, 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.

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. 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.

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.

DVO/Duck Village Outfitters

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

A surf shop staple in Duck for decades, DVO now has a location on Hatteras Island. DVO rents bikes, kayaks, surfboards and paddleboards and offers kayak tours and surf lessons for all ages. The surf shop sells major brands of clothing for men, women and children, including Billabong, Hurley, Quicksilver and more.

Good Times Surf Shop

• 23280 N.C. Highway 12
• Rodanthe
• (252) 987-2245

Good Times is dedicated to sharing the love of surfing. Experienced instructors offer group, semi-private and private surf lessons and surfing day camps that are great for kids. They also rent surfboards, boogie boards, skim boards and kayaks, and their store sells some surfing-related gear.

Hatteras Island Massage

• 23280 N.C. Highway 12
• Rodanthe
• (252) 305-5551

Licensed therapist Chris Rutledge has a massage studio next to Good Times Surf Shop and offers a variety of therapeutic massage techniques.

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 onsite launching facility makes it easy to slip into the water. Kayak eco-tours are offered here.

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 35 years. The shop sells new and used boards and surf-related gear and rents surf, body and skim boards plus beach gear. Surf lessons are available for adults as well as kids.

Island Cruisers

• 23902 N.C. Highway 12
• Rodanthe
• (252) 987-1250, (252) 202-8388

Island Cruisers offers car rentals on Hatteras Island, including four-wheel-drive vehicles. RV campers who need a car to get around like this service. You can also rent a classic VW–powered fiberglass convertible Buggy that’s a blast to drive. All of the vehicles are street legal and get excellent gas mileage. Fishing gear packages are available to rent as well. Reservations are required.

Moneysworth Rentals

• N.C. Highway 12
• Rodanthe
• (252) 987-1002

Moneysworth rents bikes for all sizes and ages, including pull-behind carts and child seats. They also rent beach gear and watersports gear. They offer free delivery and pickup anywhere on Hatteras Island.

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 launch here, and there’s plenty of parking.

REAL Watersports Lesson Center

• 25706 N.C. Highway 12
• Waves
• (252) 987-6000; (866) REAL-548

If you’re thinking of becoming a kiteboarder or surfer or advancing your current skills, REAL lessons and camps are your ticket to accelerated, safe and progressive instruction. REAL’s Zero 2 Hero kiteboarding and surfing camps have been rated by Outside magazine as one of the Top Ten Adventure Camps in the world. The new REAL flagship store is an 18,000-square-foot aquaplex with specific areas for the retail store, school, rental shop, restaurant and spa. Also included in this new space is an additional 4,000-square-foot deck facing the Pamlico Sound, allowing views of all the kiteboarding action and the sunsets on the sound. The REAL rental shop offers everything you need for kiting, surfing or standup paddleboarding. Ask about REAL’s instructional DVDs for these sports.

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 this is the place to custom order your own Hatteras Glass Surfboard, shaped on site.

Rodanthe Watersports and Campground

• 24170 N.C. Highway 12
• Rodanthe
• (252) 987-1431

Rodanthe Watersports offers affordable rentals of Jet Skis, kayaks, sailboats, surfboards, skim boards, body boards, wetsuits, beach chairs, bikes and umbrellas. Right on the sound, it offers easy, uncrowded access to the water. Look for this business next to the Chicamacomico Water Tower.

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.

Video Arcade

• St. Waves Plaza
• Waves
• (252) 207-3400

For fun times out of the sun, stop by the Video Arcade at St. Waves Plaza. There are pool tables, air hockey, a variety of video games, a skiing simulator and a few games for little kids.