Pamlico & the Outer Banks

An image of a Map of Pamlico and the Outer Banks Area

This Drive Comes From...

National Geographic Driving Guide: Florida and the Southeast

For more National Geographic travel guides—from Europe to Antarctica and everywhere in between—visit National Geographic Books >>

Exploring the state’s oldest towns and some of its prettiest scenery, this eastern North Carolina route around Pamlico Sound ambles along two-lane country roads, crosses long causeway bridges, and hops ferries, without once passing through a town larger than 17,000 people. Beginning in historic New Bern, you travel north through a rural landscape to tiny Bath, the oldest town in North Carolina. After crossing Albemarle Sound, you visit the waterfront town of Edenton, then double back and head east to Roanoke Island, site of a 16th-century colony that mysteriously disappeared. On the Outer Banks, you’ll see hang gliders and windsurfers, climb a famous lighthouse, visit national wildlife refuges, and stop for a while on an island that still harbors the look and traditions of an old fishing village. Finish up—and try to resist staying indefinitely—in one of the state’s most charming little towns, beautiful Beaufort. CONTINUED

- New Bern
- Bath
- Edenton
- Wright Brothers National Memorial
- Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
- Beaufort

(Continued From Top)

New Bern

Tryon Palace

Photograph © Raymond Gehman

Situated at the place where the Trent and Neuse Rivers meet, New Bern (Convention & Visitors Bureau, 314 South Front St. +1 252 637 9400 or 800 437 5767) stood at the confluence of clashing beliefs between North Carolina Patriots and the British when royal governor William Tryon built his palace in 1770, putting the town in the political center of the colony. For a lovely stroll through time, walk the 6 blocks of Pollock Street from Front Street up to Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens (610 Pollock St. +1 252 514 4900 or 800 767 1560. Adm. fee). Along the way you’ll see a number of handsome old churches and houses. The palace itself burned in 1798; the current model of Georgian symmetry is a 1959 reconstruction. Costumed lords, ladies, and servants busy themselves in parlors and formal gardens, bringing the colonial period to life. Tickets include admission to the 1830s Dixon-Stevenson House; the 1783 John Wright Stanly House; and the New Bern Academy Museum (508 New St.), with exhibits on New Bern architecture and early education.
Cross the broad Neuse River and head north on US 17 through flats green with beans, corn, and tobacco. Make a brief stop in Washington (Visitor Center, 102 Stewart Pkwy. +1 252 946 9168 or 800 999 3857), a supply port for the Confederate Army. Though burned seriously by Union troops in 1864, the town still has a noteworthy historic district. You can also meander the old wharf and warehouse area and watch gulls and boats plying the Pamlico River.

Bath

Bath B&B

Photograph © Raymond Gehman

A detour east on US 264 and N.C. 92 leads through open countryside to a forgotten pocket of the state. About 200 people claim residence in Bath, a 1690s settlement that became the state's first official town in1705. Edward Teach, a.k.a. the pirate Blackbeard, lived here for a time after being pardoned by the governor. But Indian attacks, drought, and yellow fever kept the number of early settlers down.
People here like the quiet of their isolated little peninsula. Begin a tour at the Historic Bath Visitor Center (207 Carteret St. +1 252 923 3971. Closed Mon. Nov.–March), which offers an informative 15-minute film and walking tours. A crushed-shell path leads to the 1790 Van Der Veer House, which has exhibits on local history and archaeology; and the 1751 Palmer-Marsh House (Adm.fee), with its tremendous double chimney and original plank floors. Drive or walk to St. Thomas Episcopal Church (CravenSt.), built of brick in 1734. Walk around the ancient cemetery and enter the church—a simple interior with brick floors and wooden pews. The silence is near absolute. On the peninsula’s point, the 1830 Bonner House (Main and Front Sts. Adm. fee), surrounded by a white picket fence, claims the town’s best view. Here Bath Creek caresses the shore, while cool breezes find their way through tall pines.

Edenton

South Broad Street, Edenton

Photograph © Raymond Gehman

Backtrack on US 264 to N.C. 32 north. In about 30 miles you�ll reach the 3.5-mile [5.6-kilometer] bridge that spans sparkling Albemarle Sound�the largest freshwater sound on the continent. On the other side, you find yourself in delightful Edenton, a 1722 town with immediate eye appeal. Like an oil painting of a perfect colonial village, Edenton embraces its bay with ancient oaks and double-veranda homes from the 18th and 19th centuries.
Tours of the historic district begin at the Visitor Center (108 N.Broad St. +1 252 482 2637. Closed Mon. Nov.-March; fee for tours), and wind around the town, stopping at various buildings: St. Paul�s Episcopal Church (N.Broad and W. Church Sts.), completed in 1760, contains a 15th-century English brass chandelier. Magnolias 150 years old shade old graves out in the churchyard. The Cupola House (408 S. Broad St.), built in the Jacobean style in 1758, features period furniture, exquisite woodwork, and a floor that has slanted so much over the ages you�ll feel like you�re on a ship. The 1767 Chowan County Courthouse State Historic Site (117 E. King St.) lords over a grassy green flanked by some of the most prominent houses in town, each with special architectural features and a bay view. The James Iredell House State Historic Site (105 E.Church St.) was the home of an associate justice appointed to the first U.S. Supreme Court in 1790, when Edenton was still an important port and cultural center.
Recross Albemarle Sound and follow US 64 east through boggy farmland edged by beautiful wildflowers spring through fall. A long bridge fords the Alligator River, and in a few miles look for the entrance to Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge (+1 252 473 1131). A half-mile trail ends at a boardwalk and 50-foot [80-kilometer] observation tower overlooking a freshwater wetland. The 152,000-acre [61,512 hectares] refuge supports wood ducks, alligators, and red wolves, as well as bald cypresses.
Just before Manteo, stop at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site (US 64/264.+1 252 473 5772). England�s first attempt to permanently colonize the New World has for generations fired the imagination of scholars and tourists. Settled in 1587, the 117-person colony appears to have completely disappeared by 1590, leaving behind only the letters �croatan� carved on a palisade post and �cro� carved on a tree as clues to their still unknown fate. The Visitor Center presents artifacts and an introductory film on the colony, while out back stands a reconstructed earth fort, and nature trails loop past Roanoke Sound. The Lost Colony (+1 252 473 3414. Summer evenings Sun.-Fri.; Adm. fee), a symphonic outdoor drama that has played since 1937, also recounts the colonists� story. Adjacent to the fort, The Elizabethan Gardens (+1 252 473 3234. March-Nov.; Adm. fee), a vision of 16th-century England in America, offer an enchanting mix of formal and natural plantings.
In Manteo the newly expanded Roanoke Island Festival Park (Waterfront. +1 252 473 1144. Adm. fee) also deals with the colonists� travails. The park�s signature attraction, the Elizabeth II, is a full-scale, seaworthy representation of a 16th-century sailing ship. The 69-foot [21-meter] square-rigger carried 55 people, so personal space on those long ocean voyages was almost nil. Tiny downtown Manteo claims a couple of blocks of quaint inns and restaurants. Or you can eat where the locals do�Doug Saul�s Bar-B-Q (US 64/264. +1 252 473 6464), offering a fine barbecue and seafood buffet.
Beyond Roanoke Island, you come to the Outer Banks, a 125-mile-long [201-kilometer] chain of barrier islands that curve far out from the mainland, dividing the Atlantic from a chain of sounds. As the islands erode on the seaward side and build up on the sound side, they are slowly tumbling over themselves and moving west.
Driving along, notice the contrast between Manteo�s quiet woods and streets, and Nags Head�s busy strip of hotels and cottages. But as you go north on N.C. 12, you�ll find development only in the towns, buffered by long stretches of pristine seashore, sand dunes, and marshes.

Wright Brothers National Memorial

Wright Brothers National Memorial, Kill Devil Hills

Photograph © Raymond Gehman

About ten minutes north of Nags Head on US 158, the Wright Brothers National Memorial (Milepost 8, Kill Devil Hills. +1 252 441 7430. Adm. fee) commemorates the place where Orville and Wilbur Wright made the world’s first powered airplane flight in December 1903. The site holds a reconstructed hangar for the 1903 glider, living quarters and workshop, model aircraft, and a visitor center where a historian gives a lively presentation on early flight.

Jockey's Ridge State Park

Photograph © Raymond Gehman

Originally from the Midwest, the brothers went searching for an isolated place with strong winds, high elevations, and soft landings. The high dunes around here were just what they wanted, the gorgeous sunsets an added bonus—“The prettiest I have ever seen,” wrote Orville. The dunes still make for good launches: At Jockey’s Ridge State Park (Mile 12 on US 158, NagsHead. +1 252 441 7132), to the south, hang glider pilots enjoy bird-like freedom. Kitty Hawk Kites (Mile 12.5 on US 158. +1 252 441 4124. Fee) can have you trained and flying in about three hours; the more adventurous can try boat-tow and aero-Ultralight flights. Or hike up the approximately 100-foot [30-meter] Sahara like dune and enjoy magnificent views of the coast and Roanoke Sound. A 1.5-mile [2.4-kilometer] interpretive trail courses through dune, shrub forest, and estuarine environments.
Return through the town of Nags Head (Visitor Center +1 252 441 8144). If you didn’t bring your windsurfer or kayak or parasail, this is the town for renting one and trying out the sheltered bays in the sound.
The drive continues down N.C. 12 as it threads through the Cape Hatteras National Seashore (Visitor Center, off N.C.12 near Buxton.+1 252 995 4474. Late spring—early fall), the country’s first national seashore. Its 70-mile [113-kilometer] sweep of protected coastline extends all the way down to Ocracoke Inlet. The seashore’s north end is interrupted by the 5,915-acre [2,394-hectare] Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge (+1 252 473 1131 or +1 252 987 2394. Closed Mon.-Fri. in winter). A nature trail here leads through wetlands frequented by herons, egrets, terns, and more. On the ocean side, look for the exposed boiler and smokestack of a Federal transport ship, grounded in 1862.
Traveling south, you pass an endless stretch of dunes and wind-pruned shrubs, with civilization represented only by a lonely telephone wire that connects with nothing for miles and miles. At any number of pullouts, you can park and go find your own acre of beach. If it’s company you want, try Canadian Hole, a big shallow cove on Pamlico Sound that’s absolutely perfect for windsurfing, kayaking, swimming, and lazing.

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

Cape Hatteras Light Station

Photograph © Fred Hirschmann

Not far down the road, the much photographed 208-foot [63-meter] Cape Hatteras Lighthouse (+1 252 995 4474) is the nation's tallest brick light. From late spring to mid-fall, visitors may climb the 268 steps to the top for breathtaking views of cape and sound. When completed in 1870,the tower stood a half mile from the sea, but by 1935 waves were lapping its base. Man-made dunes and steel pilings were put in to protect it. In 1999 the whole structure was moved 2,900 feet [884 meters] to the south—1,600 feet [488 meters] away from the waves�facing the sound. The light warns mariners away from Diamond Shoals�called the Graveyard of the Atlantic, because well over 1,000 boats have wrecked off here in the past 400 years.
The low-key village of Hatteras has managed to hold back the breathless pace of development that afflicts many Atlantic coast communities. This is still a pleasant town without a lot of high-rises or traffic.

On Ocracoke Island

Photograph © Raymond Gehman

A free, 40-minute ferry (800 368 8949. Every half hour May–Oct., on the hour Nov.–April) runs from Hatteras to Ocracoke Island. Pick up schedules at information booths throughout the islands. Each ferry holds only 30 cars and the wait can be up to two hours in summer. On board, get out of your car, feel the salt breeze, watch the trailing gulls, and enjoy the ride. The crossing affords brilliant views of the flat green sound, far out to where it buckles into the ocean.
Once on Ocracoke Island, most people pull over to look at the wild horses, descendants of the ones brought here by settlers or pirates in the early 1700s. At one time numbering 300, the herd now averages from 25 to 30 and no longer roams free.
About 10 miles [16 kilometers] farther along, across from the camp ground on the right, the Hammock Hills Nature Trail makes for a peaceful diversion from the road. Plaques along the .75-mile [1.2-kilometers] path provide notes on pine forest and wetland secology; a platform gives views of long-legged birds dabbling in the salt marsh edging Pamlico Sound. What makes Ocracoke unique is its relative isolation and end-of-the-road feeling. Its fishing village, also called Ocracoke, has sandy, shaded streets and a time-capsule atmosphere. The National Park Service’s Ocracoke Island Visitor Center (N.C. 12. +1 252 928 4531. March–Dec.) has maps of walking tours that cover the picturesque, unpaved lanes around Silver Lake Harbor. Make a stop at the nearby Ocracoke Preservation Society Museum (+1 252 928 7375. Easter–late Nov.) and listen to videos and tapes of old-timers speaking in island brogue. Typified by phrases like “hoitoide,” the dialect evolved from early 18th-century English coupled with southern speech patterns. You can still hear snatches of it in village shops, inns, and streets. Rent a bike or just walk the streets to absorb the island flavor.
To continue south on N.C. 12, take the Cedar Island Ferry (+1 252 225 3551 or 800 345 1665. Reservations recommended; fare), a 23-mile [37-kilometer] trip to the island that takes just over two hours. Unless you like vending machine food, bring a picnic. As you pass Ocracoke Inlet, imagine the furious sea battle waged there in 1718, when Lt. Robert Maynard took on Blackbeard. After the smoke cleared, the notorious pirate was very dead (five bullet holes and twenty-five stab wounds). Maynard’s sailors put Blackbeard’s head on their bowsprit, marking an end to the brigand’s 18-month spree of terrorism along the North Carolina coast.
At the ferry landing on Cedar Island, a concessionaire offers horseback rides along the beach. The drive down N.C. 12 passes through the wide spartina marshes of Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge, interrupted occasionally by cemeteries and tidy little communities with wooden fishing boats docked in backyard inlets. From Atlantic, Davis,and Harkers Island, you can take a ferry to Cape Lookout National Seashore (Visitor Center, 131 Charles St., Harkers Island. +1 252 728 2250), a 55-mile [89-kilometer] strand of wild beauty. The cape has no maintained roads and few facilities, only a couple of abandoned fishing villages. Visitors can camp over-night or spend the day fishing and shelling; bring a hat, shirt, insect repellent, food, and water.

Beaufort
Small enough to know in a day, beguiling enough to make you want to stay a week, Beaufort (Visitor Center, 138 Turner St. +1 252 728 5225 or 800 575 7483. Closed Sun.) is a late 17th-century fishing village and safe harbor that knows how to pamper tourists and yet remain quiet and unselfconscious. The Visitor Center offers guided tours through several 18th- and 19th-century buildings. Downtown Front Street comprises 3 or 4 blocks of shops, restaurants, balconied 19th-century cottages, and a marina perfect for watching sunsets. Across Taylor’s Creek, wild horses graze on Carrot Island.

North Carolina Maritime Museum, Beaufort

Photograph © Raymond Gehman

Take a peek in the The Cedars Inn (305 Front St.+1 252 728 7036), a 1768 white clapboard, now restored and operating as a hostelry. Two doors down, the North Carolina Maritime Museum (315 Front St.+1 919 728 7317) traces coastal history with fossils, model ships, decoys, an unsettling exhibit of beach trash, and an 1890s Life Car for sea rescues. Across the street, the museum runs a watercraft center where shipwrights build and restore wooden boats, and the fresh smell of pine fills the air.
To return to New Bern, take US 70 north.