Not to advocate anything illegal, but the National Seashore is also a great place for working on your all-over tan. Be forwarned, there are no bathrooms, no concessions, no umbrellas, no nothing. Just you, the sand, and the sun. You’ll cook if you aren’t careful.
Okracoke was lovely!!
The biting flies at Cape Hattaras were annoying.
Anybody go beyond Ocracoke to Portsmouth?
Yep. Hitch a ride with the Austins. They’ll drop you off in the morning and pick you up in the afternoon. Carry at least two cans of Deep Woods Off. The mosquitoes in the village itself are like something out of a horror movie. Not so much the size, but the way they blanket the sky. Well, not the sky, just walker’s bodies. Once you get out of the village and onto the tidal flats, it’s not so bad, but the village is not for the faint of heart.
Once you actually get to the beach, you will see hardly another soul, until you get back to the pick-up area. Some people boat over from Cape Lookout, or ferry over from Cedar Island, so you might see an incidental person here and there.
Make sure that before you leave, you buy an eliptical “OBX” sticker and affix it to your car.
Judging by the number of them I see around here, I’m assuming it’s federal law for everyone who visits there.
A couple of other things about Portsmouth: The only bathroom is in the village. Once you leave there, you’re on your own, so pack accordingly. Also, there are no stores or concession stands, so anything you plan to eat, drink, or otherwise consume, you’ll need to pack. Oh, and the “village” is a ghost town. Only a couple of park rangers stay there.
Thanks, Earl. Is it worth the trip?
As always, YMMV. I enjoyed it, and would gladly do it again. Now, I wouldn’t think of going to Ocracoke simply to go to Portsmouth. That would just be a day trip during my stay. If you like secluded beaches, where there’s hardly another soul (as well as any other amenities), you might like it. The skeeters were tough, but I survived, and I know what to expect–and as you leave the village, that problem starts to lessen. The important thing to remember is “Pack everything you think you’ll need–you won’t be able to purchase anything on the island.”
That and bug spray.
Lots and lots of bug spray.
I’m an OBX veteran – been going with my folks since I was 4 and now get to go with my own family at age 30. I’ve seen a lot of changes in those parts, some good, some not so good. But one thing I know is that I’m always drawn back. It’s like a magnet. Every year I get the itch, and I HAVE to be there. And only there – other eastern beaches just won’t do.
There are some neat things to do that I always try to recommend to new visitors.
Going out on Jockey’s Ridge at night (the gigantic sand dune on Route 158, you can’t miss it) is a blast. They do a tour with large groups after sundown, it’s pitch black and you just see the lights of the area all around you, then the complete blackness of the ocean beyond it all.
If you’re craving a little shopping/strolling trip, a ride into Duck will satisfy that urge. There’s a cutesy little area of shops called Scarborough Faire. Despite the yuppiness of it all, it’s a very well laid-out shopping area, almost completely built within trees and little pathways. There’s an amazing bakery back there that makes a key lime pie almost as good as mine 
It’s a good excuse to get out of the sun for the day if you need that break.
I like going out on the fishing piers at night and seeing what the guys out there are bringing in. Avalon Pier is one of the larger piers and is right in the heart of Nags Head. Some of the smaller piers were severely damaged (and one totally destroyed) by Hurrican Isabel about a year and a half ago, but they’re still rebuilding. A link to the Avalon Pier website gives you stats on what they’re catching and the water temps, plus a live webcam that I have to look at daily so I can see my favorite place on earth from my freezing cold cube farm: Avalon Pier
Speaking of damage, the condition of some of the beachfront homes will often startle you. Because the OBX is totally an island and pretty much built on a sandbar, there is a lot of erosion due to the hurricanes that seem to relentlessly pound the area when they get up to that point in the Atlantic. Even at low tide some of the oceanfronts on stilts are 2-3 feet in the water - they’re condemned of course – but the amount of damage to homes was incredible. You’ll still see a lot of rebuilding and construction equipment pushing sand around to reconstruct dunes that were taken out to sea.
Crabs, Crabs, Crabs. You must get them. Whether you’re a legs only person or like to massacre a whole crab crusted in salt and Old Bay like I do, you need to make a big gluttonous mess of yourself at least once. Some people like to do things the old way and go crabbing in the sound. I’ve tried that. It’s not nearly as earthy and satisfying as it sounds. Pay the money and buy them from the locals.
And I second the vote for Weeping Radish. GREAT beer there.
During the hazy times of the summer when the sound is warm and calm and ocean temps are creeping into the high 70s, the OBX becomes jellyfish central. I can’t even count now how many times my dad and I got stung over the years.
And another second on the undertow and riptides. They are nothing to play with. We had a sudden riptide last year when I was there, out of nowhere one morning the waves were 6-7 feet high. I jumped in with my raft thinking what a blast it would be to ride those in, and was promptly chewed up and thrown back onto the beach with my bathing suit barely existing. Jeez you’d never think I’ve been going there for 26 years.
Have fun and enjoy! The Outer Banks becomes part of your soul once you’ve visited. One visit will never, ever be enough for you.