Moon Coastal Carolinas Read online

  The Oregon Inlet Campground (Hwy. 12, 877/444-6777, $20), operated by the National Park Service, offers camping behind the sand dunes, with cold showers, potable water, and restrooms.

  HATTERAS ISLAND

  Cape Hatteras makes a dramatic arch along the North Carolina coast, sheltering the Pamlico Sound from the ocean as if in a giant cradling arm. The cape itself is the point of the elbow, a totally exposed and vulnerable spit of land that’s irresistible to hurricanes because it juts so far to the southeast. Along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Hatteras Island is just barely wide enough to support a series of small towns—Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Avon, Buxton, Frisco, and the village of Hatteras—and a great deal of dramatic scenery on all sides.

  Sights

  Lifesaving operations are an important part of North Carolina’s maritime heritage. Corps of brave men once occupied remote stations along the coast, ready at a moment’s notice to risk—and sometimes to give—their lives to save foundering sailors in the relentlessly dangerous waters off the Outer Banks. In Rodanthe, the Chicamacomico Life Saving Station (milepost 39.5, Hwy. 12, Rodanthe, 252/987-1552, www.chicamacomico.net, mid-Apr.-Nov. Mon.-Fri. noon-5pm, $6, $5 over age 62 and under age 17) preserves the original station building, a handsome gray-shingled 1874 structure, as well as the 1911 building that replaced it—and which now houses a museum of fascinating artifacts from maritime rescue operations—along with a complex of other buildings and exhibits depicting the lives of lifesavers and their families.

  Cape Hatteras Lighthouse (near Buxton, 252/473-2111, www.nps.gov/caha, mid-Apr.-May and Labor Day-mid-Oct. daily 9am-4:30pm, June-Labor Day daily 9am-5:30pm, $8 adults, $4 children, children smaller than 3 foot 5 not permitted), at 208 feet tall, is the tallest brick lighthouse in the United States. It was built in 1870 to protect ships at sea from coming onto the shoals unaware. It still stands on the cape and is open for climbing during the warm months. If you have a healthy heart, lungs, and knees and are not claustrophobic, get your ticket and start climbing. Tickets are sold on the premises beginning at 8:15am; climbing tours run every ten minutes starting at 9am.

  Sports and Recreation

  Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge (Hwy. 12, 10 miles south of Nags Head, 252/987-2394, www.fws.gov/peaisland) occupies the northern reach of Hatteras Island. Much of the island is covered by ponds, making this an exceptional place to see migratory waterfowl. Two nature trails link some of the best bird-watching spots, and one, the 0.5-mile North Pond Wildlife Trail, is fully wheelchair-accessible. Viewing and photography blinds are scattered along the trails for extended observation.

  Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge

  The Outer Banks owe their existence to the volatile action of the tides. The same forces that created this habitable sandbar also make this an incredible place for water sports. Canadian Hole, a spot in the sound between Avon and Buxton, is one of the most famous windsurfing and sailboarding places in the world, and it goes without saying that it’s also perfect for kite flying. The island is extraordinarily narrow here, so it’s easy to tote your board from the sound side over to the ocean for a change of scene.

  As with any sport, it’s important to know your own skill level and choose activities accordingly. Beginners and experts alike, though, can benefit from the guidance of serious water sports instructors. Real Kiteboarding (Cape Hatteras, 866/732-5548, www.realkiteboarding.com) is the largest kiteboarding school in the world. They offer kiteboarding camps and classes in many aspects of the sport for all skill levels. Outer Banks Kiting (Avon, 252/305-6838, www.outerbankskiting.com) also teaches lessons and two-day camps, and carries boarders out on charter excursions to find the best spots.

  There are all manner of exotic ways to tour Hatteras. Equine Adventures (252/995-4897, www.equineadventures.com) leads two-hour horseback tours through the maritime forests and along the beaches of Cape Hatteras. With Hatteras Parasail (Hatteras, 252/986-2627, www.hatterasparasail.com, parasail ride $60, kayak tour $35), you can ride 400 feet in the air over the coast, or even higher with Burrus Flightseeing Tours (Frisco, 252/986-2679, www.hatterasislandflightseeing.com, $35-63 pp).

  Accommodations

  UNDER $150

  Among the lodging choices on Hatteras Island is the Cape Hatteras Bed and Breakfast (46223 Old Lighthouse Rd./Cape Point Way, Buxton, 800/252-3316, $119-159), which is only a few hundred feet from the ocean. Guests rave about the breakfasts.

  Simpler motel accommodations include the clean, comfortable, and pet-friendly Cape Pines Motel (47497 Hwy. 12, Buxton, 866/456-9983, www.capepinesmotel.com, $49-159, depending on season, $20 pets); the Outer Banks Motel (47000 Hwy. 12, Buxton, 252/995-5601 or 800/995-1233, www.outerbanksmotel.com, $49-120), with both motel rooms and cottages; and the Avon Motel (Avon, 252/995-5774, www.avonmotel.com, $43-131, $10 pets), a pet-friendly motel that has been in business for more than 50 years.

  $150-300

  Another good choice on Hatteras Island is the very fine Inn on Pamlico Sound (49684 Hwy. 12, Buxton, 252/995-7030 or 866/995-7030, www.innonpamlicosound.com, $120-320, depending on season). The inn is right on the sound, with a private dock and easy waterfront access. The dozen suites are sumptuous and relaxing, many with their own decks or private porches.

  CAMPING

  Rodanthe Watersports and Campground (24170 Hwy. 12, 252/987-1431, www.watersportsandcampground.com) has a Sound-front campground for tents and RVs under 25 feet, with water and electrical hookups and hot-water showers. Rates are $19.25 per night for two people, $4.75 for each additional adult, $3 for children and dogs, and an extra $4.75 per night for electrical hookups.

  The National Park Service operates two campgrounds ($20) in this stretch of the National Seashore: The Frisco Campground (53415 Billy Mitchell Rd., Frisco, 877/444-6777) opens in early April, and Cape Point Campground (46700 Lighthouse Rd., Buxton, 877/444-6777) opens in late May. At Frisco, you actually camp in the dunes, while at Cape Point, like the other National Park Service campgrounds in the area, the campsites are level and located behind the dunes. Both have cold showers, restrooms, and potable water.

  Frisco Woods Campground (Hwy. 12, Frisco, 800/948-3942, www.outer-banks.com/friscowoods, $30-90) has a full spectrum of camping options, from no-utilities tent sites and RV sites with partial or full hookups to one- and two-bedroom cabins. The campground has wireless Internet access, hot showers, and a coin laundry.

  Food

  Though the Restaurant at the Inn on Pamlico Sound (Hwy. 12, Buxton, 252/995-7030, www.innonpamlicosound.com, $15) is primarily for guests of the inn, if you call in advance you might be able to get a reservation for dinner even if you’re staying elsewhere. The chef likes to use fresh-caught seafood, sometimes caught by the guests themselves earlier in the day. Vegetarian dishes and other special requests are served.

  For breakfast, try the Gingerbread House (52715 Hwy. 12, Frisco, 252/995-5204), which serves great baked goods made on the premises.

  S OCRACOKE ISLAND

  Sixteen miles long, Ocracoke Island is the southernmost reach of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The history of Ocracoke Island is, frankly, a little creepy. First of all, there’s the remoteness; one of the most geographically isolated places in North Carolina, it’s only accessible today by water and air. Regular ferry service didn’t start until 1960, and it was only three years before that that Ocracokers had their first paved highway. In 1585, it was one of the first places in North America seen by Europeans, when the future Lost Colonists ran aground here. It may have been during the time they were waylaid at Ocracoke (“Wococon,” they called it) that the ancestors of today’s wild ponies first set hoof on the Outer Banks. Theirs was not the last shipwreck at Ocracoke, and in fact, flotsam and goods that would wash up from offshore wrecks were among the sources of sustenance for generations of Ocracokers.

  In the early 18th century, Ocracoke was a favorite haunt of Edward Teach, better known as the pirate Blackbeard. He lived here at times, married his 14th wife here, and died
here. Teach’s Hole, a spot just off the island, is where a force hired by Virginia lieutenant governor Alexander Spotswood finally cornered and killed him, dumping his decapitated body overboard (it’s said to have swum around the ship seven times before going under), and sailing away with the trophy of his head on the bowsprit.

  All of Ocracoke Village, near the southern end of the island, is on the National Register of Historic Places. While the historical sites of the island are highly distinctive, the most unique thing about the island and its people is the culture that has developed here over the centuries. Ocracokers have a “brogue” all their own, similar to those of other Outer Banks communities, but so distinctive that, in the unlikely event that there were two native Ocracokers who didn’t know each other already, and they happened to cross paths somewhere out in the world, they would recognize each other right away as neighbors (and probably cousins) by the cadences of their speech.

  Ocracoke Lighthouse

  A lighthouse has stood on Ocracoke since at least 1798, but due to constantly shifting sands, the inlet that it protected kept sneaking away. Barely 20 years after that first tower was built, almost a mile stretched between it and the water. The current Ocracoke Lighthouse (village of Ocracoke, 888/493-3826) was built in 1823, originally burning whale oil to power the beam. It is still in operation—the oldest operating light in North Carolina and the second oldest in the nation. Because it’s on active duty, the public is not able to tour the inside, but a boardwalk nearby gives nice views.

  the Ocracoke Lighthouse

  British Cemetery

  The British Cemetery (British Cemetery Rd.) is not, as one might suppose, a colonial burial ground but rather a vestige of World War II. During the war, the Carolina coast was lousy with German U-boats. Many old-timers today remember catching a glimpse of a furtive German sub casing the beach. Defending the Outer Banks became a pressing concern, and on May 11, 1942, the HMS Bedfordshire, a British trawler sent to aid the U.S. Navy, was torpedoed by the German U-558. The Bedfordshire sank, and all 37 men aboard died. Over the course of the next week, four bodies washed up on Ocracoke—those of Lieutenant Thomas Cunningham, Ordinary Telegraphist Stanley Craig, and two unidentified men. An island family donated a burial plot, and there the four men lie today, memorialized with a plaque that bears a lovely verse by Rupert Brooke, the young poet of World War I and member of the British Navy, who died of disease on his way to the battle of Gallipoli.

  Sports and Recreation

  Ride the Wind Surf Shop (486 Irvin Garrish Hwy., 252/928-6311) gives individual and group surfing lessons, for adults and children, covering ocean safety and surfing etiquette in addition to board handling. A three-day surf camp ($200, or $75 per day) for kids ages 9 to 17 gives an even more in-depth tutorial. Ride the Wind also leads sunrise, sunset, and full-moon kayak tours around the marshes of Ocracoke ($35).

  The Schooner Windfall (departs from Community Store Dock, Ocracoke, 252/928-7245, www.schoonerwindfall.com, tours $40), a beautiful 57-foot old-fashioned-looking schooner, sails on three one-hour tours a day around Pamlico Sound. Passengers are allowed, and even encouraged, to try their hand at the wheel or trimming the sails.

  Accommodations

  The Captain’s Landing (324 Hwy. 12, 252/928-1999, www.thecaptainslanding.com, from $200 high season, from $100 off-season), with a perch right on Silver Lake (the harbor) looking toward the lighthouse, is a modern hotel owned by a descendant of Ocracoke’s oldest families. Suites have 1½ baths, full kitchens, comfortable sleeper sofas for extra guests, and decks with beautiful views. They also have a bright, airy penthouse with two bedrooms, an office, a gourmet kitchen, and even a laundry room. The Captain’s Cottage is a private two-bedroom house, also smack on the water, with great decks and its own courtyard.

  The Pony Island Motel and Cottages (785 Irvin Garrish Hwy., 866/928-4411, www.ponyislandmotel.com, from $108 high season, from $60 off-season) has been in operation since the late 1950s and run by the same family for more than 40 years. It has regular and efficiency motel rooms as well as four cottages on the grounds. Clean guest rooms, a good location, and year-round good prices make this a top choice on the island.

  Edwards of Ocracoke (226 Old Beach Rd., 800/254-1359, www.edwardsofocracoke.com, from $53 spring and fall, from $90 summer) has several cozy bungalows typical of coastal Carolina, referred to here as “vintage accommodations.” The mid-20th-century vacation ambiance is very pleasant, the cabins are clean and well kept, and the prices are great.

  The Island Inn (25 Lighthouse Rd., 252/928-4351, www.ocracokeislandinn.com, from $60 off-season, from $100 high season, no children) is on the National Register of Historic Places and bills itself as the oldest operating business on the Outer Banks. It was built in 1901 and first used as an Odd Fellows Hall; during World War II it was used as a barracks. The building is made of salvaged shipwreck wood. The resident ghost is believed to be a woman, because she seems to enjoy checking out female guests’ cosmetics and clothes, which will sometimes turn up in the morning in places other than where they were left the night before.

  CAMPING

  At Ocracoke Campground (4352 Irvin Garrish Hwy., Ocracoke, 877/444-6777, $23), campsites are right by the beach, behind the dunes. Remember to bring extra-long stakes to anchor your tent in the sand.

  TRANSPORTATION

  The northern part of Cape Hatteras National Seashore can be reached by car via Highway 12 south from Nags Head. Following Highway 12, you’ll go through the towns of Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, and Avon, then around the tip of the cape to Buxton, Frisco, and Hatteras, where the highway ends. From there, you have two choices: backtrack or hop a ferry.

  Ocracoke can only be reached by ferry. The Hatteras-Ocracoke Ferry (800/368-8949, May 13-Oct. 5 5am-midnight on the half-hour, Apr. 1-May 12 and Oct. 7-Dec. 31 5am-midnight on the hour, Jan. 1-Mar. 31 4:30am-12:30am alternating half hours, 40 minutes, free) is the shortest route to Ocracoke. If you look at a map, Highway 12 is shown crossing from Ocracoke to Cedar Island, as if there’s an impossibly long bridge over Pamlico Sound. In fact, that stretch of Highway 12 is a ferry route too. The Cedar Island-Ocracoke Ferry (800/856-0343, www.ncdot.org/transit/ferry, May 20-Sept. 29 7am-8pm every 90 minutes, Mar.18-May 19 and Sept. 30-Oct. 27 7am-4:30pm every 3.5 hours, Jan. 1-Mar. 17 and Oct. 28-Dec. 31 7am-4:30pm every 3.5 hours), which is a 2.25-hour ride, costs $15 per regular-size vehicle one-way. There’s also a ferry between Ocracoke and Swan Quarter (800/345-1665, May 20-Sept. 29 6:30am-4:30pm every 3 hours, Jan. 1-May 19 and Sept. 30-Dec. 31 7am-4:30pm every 6.5 hours, 2.5 hours, regular-size vehicle $15 one-way).

  Albemarle Sound

  Referred to historically as the Albemarle, and sometimes today as the Inner Banks, the mainland portion of northeastern North Carolina is the hearth of the state’s colonial history, the site of its first European towns and the earliest plantation and maritime economies.

  The Great Dismal Swamp is here, a region thought of by early Carolinians and Virginians as a diseased and haunted wasteland, the sooner drained the better. They succeeded to some extent in beating back the swamp waters and vapors, but left enough for modern generations to recognize as one of the state’s crown jewels.

  Early cities like Edenton and Bath were influential centers of government and commerce, and today preserve some of the best colonial and early federal architecture in the Southeast. The vast network of rivers and creeks include some of the state’s best canoeing and kayaking waters, and along the Albemarle Regional Canoe-Kayak Trail, there are a growing number of camping platforms on which to spend an unforgettable night listening to owls hoot and otters splash.

  S THE GREAT DISMAL SWAMP

  Viewed for centuries as an impediment to progress, the Great Dismal Swamp is now recognized for the national treasure that it is, and tens of thousands of acres are protected. There are several points from which to gain access to the interior of the Dismal Swamp. A few miles south of the North Carolina-Virginia line, on U.S. 17, is the Dismal Swamp Welcome
Center (2294 U.S. 17 N., visitors center 2356 U.S. 17 N., South Mills, 877/771-8333, www.dismalswamp.com, late May-Oct. daily 9am-5pm, Nov.-late May Tues.-Sat. 9am-5pm). Should you be arriving by water, you’ll find the Welcome Center at mile 28 on the Intracoastal Waterway. You can tie up to the dock here and spend the night, if you wish, or wait for one of the four daily lock openings (8:30am, 11am, 1:30pm, and 3:30pm) to proceed. There are also picnic tables and grills here, and restrooms open day and night.

  Another area of the swamp to explore is the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge (Suffolk, VA, 757/986-3705, www.albemarle-nc.com/gates/gdsnwr, daily dawn-dusk), which straddles the state line. Two main entrances are outside Suffolk, Virginia, off the White Marsh Road (Hwy. 642). These entrances, Washington Ditch and Jericho Lane, are open April-September daily 6:30am-8pm, October-March daily 6:30am-5pm. In the middle of the refuge is Lake Drummond, an eerie 3,100-acre natural lake that’s a wonderful place for canoeing. (Contact refuge headquarters for directions on navigating the feeder ditch that lets out into Lake Drummond.) You may see all sorts of wildlife in the swamp—including poisonous cottonmouths, canebrake rattlers, copperheads, and possibly even black bears. One more word of caution: Controlled hunting is permitted on certain days in October through December, so if you’re visiting in the fall, wear brightly colored clothing, and contact refuge staff in advance of your visit to find out about closures.