Top Things to do in North Carolina Coast
Top Hotels in North Carolina Coast
- 1. Clarion Pointe New Bern
- 2. Hampton Inn & Suites Outer Banks / Corolla
- 3. Embassy Suites by Hilton Wilmington Riverfront
- 4. Bridgepointe Hotel and Marina
- 5. Sea Ranch Resort
- 6. Hampton Inn & Suites Carolina Beach Oceanfront
- 7. Best Western Ocean Reef Suites
- 8. Holiday Inn Express Nags Head Oceanfront, an IHG Hotel
- 9. Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Rocky Mount, NC
- 10. Sanderling Resort
Top 10 Hidden Gems Things to do in North Carolina Coast, North Carolina Coast
North Carolina's coast and 300 miles of barrier island beaches are filled with lovely state parks, top restaurants and world-class golf courses. Cape Fear's beaches attract surfers. Wilmington's downtown contains fine antebellum homes and exciting shopping and dining. The wind-swept Outer Banks offer historic lighthouses, mysterious Roanoke Island and the Wright Brothers National Memorial. Cape Hatteras National Seashore offers hiking, biking and fishing. Ferry trips link islands with the mainland.
Restaurants in North Carolina Coast
1. Cape Lookout National Seashore
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 322 reviews
Popular recreation area for surf fishing and shelling, these 28,500 acres of undeveloped barrier islands are accessible only by boat
Reviewed By dbaaronson - Asheville, United States
This is one of the must-do experiences in my hone state of NC. You can literally have a ferry drop you off on a deserted island for the day. Cape Lookout is not quite as deserted although it can feel that way on the inlet side. On the ocean side there are cars that can access the island from farther north. Despite that it's a pretty remote place, the lighthouse is very scenic and if you're looking for a wild beach with no frills, this is the place for you.
2. Cape Lookout Lighthouse
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 186 reviews
Reviewed By loisp297 - Candler, United States
This was my second visit to the Cape Lookout lighthouse & I still haven’t climbed it! I was very disappointed last time, as I visited in April three years ago and found that it is only open for climbing from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Thus time, it was closed due to COVID. You can still take one of two ferry services to the island, the keepers quarters is open and manned by two very knowledge volunteers, the gift shop is open, but not very well stocked, and of course the beaches are open for swimming & fishing. Most importantly, the restrooms ARE open! This beautiful lighthouse sports a fresh coat of paint and is still operational, although it no longer has its first order fresnel lens. You can see it at a distance from the east end of Shackleford Banks and Harker’s Island. When in the area, don’t miss this regal lady!
3. Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station Historic Site & Museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 392 reviews
Reviewed By allisonk835 - South Riding, United States
My husband and I were greatly impressed by the staff knowledge. Self guided tour was wonderful giving us time to explore the property and consider the lives of the USLSS a century ago.
4. Blue Pelican Gallery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 29 reviews
Shop American Made, Shop Handmade, Shop LOCAL. Blue Pelican Gallery and Gifts is a unique little shop with a lot of heART.With hundreds and hundreds of handmade and individually produced items, Blue Pelican is a great place to pick out an affordable, special, often one of a kind gift for a special person...including yourself. We have a huge selection of items under $20. We are constantly changing and adding new art and artists. Three generations of our family own and staff the shop. Remember to shop LOCAL on Hatteras Island!Some of the items you can find are: jewelry, pottery, prints, photography, soap, candles, ornaments, sun catchers, clay wall art, metal art, blown glass art, Outer Banks SeaSalt, pet sitter gifts, art cards, and much, much more.
Reviewed By TyiaP1
I ordered online from Blue Pelican Gallery. At the time of my order, the Gallery was up on stilts, being raised due to flooding. Jennifer contacted me and let me know that she couldn't get in her store (safety) at the time and asked me if I wanted a refund or if I wanted to wait until the Gallery was lowered back down. I told her I would be fine with waiting. It wasn't more than a week, but one of the items I had ordered got lost when they lowered the house and the display fell. Jennifer wrote me a note and sent it along with my order explaining that one item had been lost, she sent several replacements, refunded my shipping, and said that she will ship the lost item when she finds it. This woman is BEYOND NICE!!! She has gone above and beyond in making up for the loss of an item that was beyond her control! She is an example of what not only quality customer service, but a quality human being, should be! Thanks Jennifer! I will definitely be recommending and shopping from your store again!
5. Walton's Distillery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 189 reviews
Walton's Distillery is a craft distillery making Moonshine, Whiskey and Bourbon. It is a full production facility with daily activities related to the mashing, fermentation, distillation and bottling of spirits. Tours offer a very thorough understanding of the process and the unique experience of seeing a functioning moonshine still. Free tastings of all Walton's products are offered and the facility has a gift shop which has lots of antiques and souvenirs. The Hours of Operation are Monday - Saturday from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm with tours running every hour, on the hour. The final tour runs at 4:00. Please call in advance if you have a group of more than 10 people coming. Times of tours may vary depending upon staffing and traffic volume. We will do our best to accommodate all visitors at arrival.
Reviewed By ericgY3142PB
We really enjoyed the tasting session and decided on the Pina Colada flavored moonshine. The store is full of interesting things to look at and buy
6. North Carolina Maritime Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 856 reviews
Premier museum that has a large collection of boats, models, decoys and dioramas about life in coastal North Carolina.
Reviewed By 972doloresm - Pinehurst, United States
Very comprehensive museum with many of Blackbeard's artifacts on display.His ship the Queen Anne's Revenge sunk right off the shore of Beaufort NC. Many very nice exhibits encompassing the maritime history.
7. Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 315 reviews
An off-beat wildlife refuge that is interesting for children.
Reviewed By annecolorgreen - Louisville, United States
My husband and I actually visited two different times. The first, was just after lunch on a hot July day. We had quite the delay getting there because I mistakenly thought that the trail was close to the visitor's center--it's not. and then I couldn't figure out how to find it. Don't put the visitor's center in your GPS, put in the Creef Cut Wildlife Trail (which is actually the 1/2 mile nature trail that you can hike at the beginning of the motor trail). My husband and I kept driving in circles trying to find it! When we actually did get there, I was very impressed. There are very well maintained gravel roads that go in/out through this part of the refuge. There were also some dirt roads (not necessary to drive on) but they were well marked that they could be potentially hazardous during wet weather. We saw birds, a bear from a LONG distance, many turtles sunning on logs, and an alligator. Also, lots of pretty late summer flowers. Because we took awhile to get there and there are no restrooms, we eventually did have to leave. I made a plan to go back the next day and was up well before dawn to drive back over from Kitty Hawk (30'ish minutes?). This time, my plan was to drive along the areas with big fields keeping an eye out for bear. If this is your goal, don't turn off onto Sawyer Lake Rd (to the right) but keep going straight until you can turn left onto Long Curve Road. Drive slowly and pull off to the side if you want. You will soon see some big open fields--keep your eyes peeled. Through the help of a local, I was directed to the area by the "dump" where there are NUMEROUS bears that gather at least in the early hours of the day. Sadly, I didn't see or hear the wolves, but the bears were fun to watch.
8. Hammocks Beach State Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 236 reviews
Located on Bear Island, this is a great swimming beach.
Reviewed By ElHaKa - Raleigh, United States
We kayaked and camped in the boat in only sites (#12). The experience exceeded all expectations - however we had perfect weather (high of 84, low of 69). You are required to book the site ahead of time and the only thing I would request is that if you book the site and your plans change, be sure that you cancel your site so others can use. There were many no shows. The kayak trail Bear Island is about 1.5 hours from the mainland. We came back via the Bear inlet trail which was more like 3 hours. Hammock Beach is lovely, waves mild. There is a kayak access from the boat-in sites which are also convenient to beach sites #8-11. Although the boat-in sites do not have facilities, it is a 100 yd kayak up the lagoon to the beach and then a walk down the beach to fresh water showers (we rinsed off before heading to our site.) The boat-in sites had a nice breeze and surprisingly no bugs (but I think we were lucky with that). The lagoon trail gets low at low tide.
9. Museum of Coastal Carolina
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 166 reviews
The interesting exhibits, dioramas and interactive displays of this museum depicts the natural history of coastal North and South Carolina.
Reviewed By juliacI5670VL
Whenever we are in the area we try ti pop in here. Informative and great displays. Lovely staff and always a new exhibit to see. Good value for money, varied displays that teaches you about the area and wildlife.
10. Nags Head Woods Ecological Preserve
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 260 reviews
Located in the Outer Banks, this preserve is one of only a few maritime forests left in its natural state.
Reviewed By akvolkan
If you're looking for a change of scenery or some trail running (can get runs in between 1-7miles), you have to visit this unique corner of the Outer Banks
