Week of July 29, 2024 - August 4, 2024

  • Thursday, August 1st 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Nags Head

Celebrate summer with Kitty Hawk Kites and support the Outer Banks Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Coalition at the annual OBX Watermelon Festival. This beloved local celebration that’s held at Jockey’s Ridge Crossing in Nags Head features a wealth of activities for visitors of all ages, and is the perfect way to toast the peak of the summer season on the Outer Banks.

Week of October 14, 2024 - October 20, 2024

  • Saturday, October 19th
Nags Head

The Outer Banks Seafood Festival is rapidly becoming one of the highlights of the fall season, with plenty of fresh seafood, storytelling, and activities to keep everyone fully entertained. This all-day event takes place at the waterfront Event Site in Nags Head, and is a family-friendly outing that will make anyone fall in love with this staple of the Outer Banks’ culinary cuisine.

Week of October 21, 2024 - October 27, 2024

  • Saturday, October 26th
Nags Head

A celebration of flight and beer, OBX Brewtag is modeled after the whimsical and entertaining Red Bull Flutag, translated to “flying day” in German. With OBX Brewtag, the general premise is the same, although rather than human-powered flying machines, Brewtag contestants will be competing to see who can launch and fly an empty 1/6 keg barrel the furthest.

Admission to the OBX Brewtag is free for everyone, and the sky is the limit as to how creative your homemade flying contraption can be! Individuals and teams are welcome.

Admission to the event is FREE to the general public. A rather crafty selection of local and regional beer and food will be available for purchase that day. This family-friendly event will also feature plenty of activities for the kiddos!

The Mystic Jewel
Awful Arthur's Oyster Bar

Welcome to the home of the happy oyster where for over 35 years the oyster has been our world. The Outer Banks only authentic oyster bar is the place to enjoy sensational fare from the sea washed down with your favorite brew or cocktail. We serve by the peck, pound, and dozen, raw or steamed to perfection. Kicked back casual, down to earth friendly staff, and reasonable prices make Awful Arthur’s Oyster Bar the all-time favorite of locals and travelers alike.

The idea wasn’t to set out and establish a new concept restaurant on the Outer Banks, but that’s exactly what Awful Arthur’s owner Jo Whitehead and her late husband, Jay, accomplished more than 35 years ago when they opened the area’s first authentic oyster bar.

 

Awful Arthur’s opened in May 1984 on the Outer Banks. “We embraced the concept of an authentic copper top bar with the idea of it being a major drawing card and it still is,” explains Whitehead. “I get oysters wherever they are local. We follow the warm waters.” 

 

Just across from the ocean, in Kill Devil Hills, oyster season is year-round at Awful Arthur’s. Diners can take a seat at the copper-topped bar to observe the staff shucking oysters, served raw or steamed, along with shrimp, crab legs and clams all steamed to perfection. 

 

It’s not just the raw bar that’s earned Awful Arthur’s both local and national recognition, including being named one of America’s greatest oyster bars by Coastal Living magazine. The restaurant is a seafood-lover’s paradise, offering the freshest catches available.