The Outer Banks is known for its breathtaking sunsets. Watching sunsets is a popular activity for both locals and visitors, and there are plenty of photogenic sunset spots to create special memories. Here are the top places to watch a sunset on the Outer Banks.
Historic Corolla Park
We love watching the sun set from Historic Corolla Park. There really is no bad spot to view the sunset within the park, but our favorite spot is the soundside gazebo and soundfront kayak launch. This is a great spot for families, as the park offers plenty of space for kids to run, picnic areas, beautiful wooden footbridge, and picturesque Whalehead and Currituck Beach Lighthouse.
Duck Town Park Boardwalk
The Duck Town Park Boardwalk is a popular sunset spot. The boardwalk stretches along the Currituck Sound and offers beautiful Westerly views of the water and surrounding marshland. There are several benches where you can sit and view the sunset, but we recommend strolling along the length of the boardwalk to fully experience the beautiful views.
Duck Waterfront Shops
At the North end of the Duck Town Park Boardwalk, you'll find the Duck Waterfront Shops. This unique shopping center offers shopping with stunning views of the sound. Additionally, there are multiple restaurants and cafes with outdoor seating that offer a great spot to watch the sunset while enjoying a meal, drink, or dessert treat.
Jockeys Ridge State Park
Jockeys Ridge State Park is the tallest natural sand dune system in the Eastern United States, and it offers a unique vantage point for watching the sunset. From the top of the dunes, you can see for miles around, including the ocean, sound, and surrounding landscape. The natural beauty of the dunes attracts dozens of sunset seekers each evening. Jockey's Ridge State Park is a popular spot for sunset family photos. Kids love running and jumping in the soft sand of the dunes while parents watch the sun set over the sound. Make sure to arrive at least an hour before sunset to give yourself time for the ~20 minute hike to the top of the dunes. Jockey's Ridge offers an outdoor shower station to rinse off before returning to your car.
Bodie Island Lighthouse
The Bodie Island Lighthouse and park offers a beautiful backdrop at golden hour. We love watching the sunset from the park's wooden boardwalk and gazebo.
Kitty Hawk Kites in Rodanthe and REAL Watersports in Waves
Kitty Hawk Kites in Rodanthe is a popular spot for water sports, which makes it a great spot to watch stunning views of kiteboarders in front of the sunset over the Pamlico Sound. The outdoor seating area at the onsite restaurant, Good Winds Restaurant, is a great spot to grab a meal or a drink and watch the sunset.
Real Watersports is another popular spot for water sports, and it also offers a great vantage point for watching the sunset. The onsite restaurant, Watermen's Bar and Grill, has outdoor seating with views of the Pamlico Sound and stunning sunsets, windsurfers, and kiteboarders.
Salvo Day Use Area
The Salvo Day Use Area is a beautiful soundfront park that offers a great spot for watching the sunset over Pamlico Sound. This park is popular with watersports enthusiasts and has picnic areas & restrooms, making it a great spot for a beach day that ends with a beautiful sunset view.
Haulover Day Use Area
Located in the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, the Haulover Day Use Area is a secluded soundfront park that offers a great spot for watching the sunset and kiteboarders. The park has restrooms and a parking lot.
Cape Point
If you have a 4x4 vehicle and ORV permit, we highly recommend seeing the sunset from Cape Point. It offers stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean to the East and South. Cape Point is constantly changing with the tides, and often offers great shelling. This is a popular spot for fishing, so expect lots of surf fishermen.
Hatteras Landing
Hatteras Landing is a soundfront shopping and dining destination located in Hatteras Village. This popular spot offers multiple restaurants to grab a bite to eat as you view the sunset over the marina and local fishing boats.
Looking to fly a kite on the beach or atop the spectacular dunes of Jockey’s Ridge State Park? Kitty Hawk Kites offers the largest selection of kites, wind art, flags, games, and toys on the Outer Banks, with experts on staff to get you flying … or playing … in no time! Always dreamed of being a mermaid? Kitty Hawk Kites carries Fin Fun Mermaid Tails and also offers Mermaid Swim Lessons too! Kitty Hawk Kites also produces more than 20 events annually, including several kite festivals on the Outer Banks.
Beach canopies and umbrellas create shade, lower ambient temperatures and block UV rays on hot, sunny Summer days. Sitting under the canopy of a quality beach umbrella can make the difference between comfort and sweltering. When choosing an umbrella, we look for durability, wind ratings, weight and size.
Discover gifts, garlands and glittering lights galore. Looking for a trinket for someone who has everything? Choose ornaments for every hobby, occupation, occasion or enthusiast; from the fisherman or Disney lover; dancer or photographer. Throughout our 25,000 square feet of wonder, where you can peruse and purchase from thousands of Christmas ornaments and décor, there is even more to experience!
More than 2,000 shipwrecks sunk off the Coast of North Carolina in what’s called the Graveyard of the Atlantic. With all that history floating around, it was only natural to build a museum to honor and preserve the maritime culture of the Outer Banks. A state-of-the-art structure, the year round museum houses and displays artifacts, and presents a variety of exhibits and interprets the rich maritime culture that includes war, piracy, ghost ships and more. Artifacts include thoseex from the USS Monitor, which sank 16 miles off the Hatteras coast. The lobby features the stunning and original, 1854, First Order Lens from the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. Current hibits include those on piracy and the Civil War on Hatteras Island.
Wine, beer and cheese lovers will love TRiO, an exciting retail and tasting destination in Kitty Hawk. Both a gourmet retail wine, beer and cheese shop as well as a bistro with a wine bar and tap house, TRiO offers the best of the worlds of wine, beer and cheese for your enjoyment on premise or in the comfort of your home. TRiO's bistro is elegant and comfortable, with a large bar and two-story dining and bar area. The gourmet bistro menu of appetizers, and light fare such as cheese and charcuterie, paninis and salads make TRiO a wonderful lunch and dinner restaurant. Unique and high-tech self service WineStations are available in the downstairs bar area, where you can sample full, half and tastes of wines of all regions at varying price ranges. If you prefer beer, you can select from 24 beers on tap or try a TRiO Flight and sample a taste of four beers. In the upstairs mezzanine, which is part of the bistro, you'll find comfortable lounge seating and a free pool table.
Shelling, Snorkeling, Paddle Boarding, Eco Tours & Light Fishing. Guided family adventure trips on Hatteras Island, NC. We take your group to multiple tidal islands along the Cape Hatteras seaside. These islands are constantly changing and providing us with an abundant amount of shells , fish and sealife to see. We offer an array of adventures. We love to snorkel, clam, take a tour around the old village creeks. We take the kiddos on a hermit crab adventure and take you to find some sea glass. If you've wanted to find your very own shark tooth, we even have a spot to look for those. If you like bird watching, you will be astounded at the variety of birds we can observe, often up close. We can do some fishing, along with just enjoying the luxurious views. No crowds, set itinerary, or chaos. Just your ultimate escape aboard one of our inshore vessels.