A Short Visit to Hatteras and Ocracoke Island

Our journey south on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore began with the crossing of the Oregon Inlet. This Inlet separates the Atlantic from Pamlico Sound and it’s home to a thriving fishing industry. There are several long bridges throughout the Outer Banks and we loved traveling over them. We stopped just over the bridge for a photo op and to check out the trail to the beach.

Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge

At Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge we took a short walk along the trail. It was midday so very limited on bird activity at this time.

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse in North America standing 208 feet high. It was built in 1870 and the black and white diagonal stripes were painted in 1873. Unfortunately, it was closed for climbing due to Covid but it was worth the stop.

We stopped for a late lunch or early supper at the Froggy Dog where the catch of the day was mahi. I had the platter and Bruce had the sandwich. It was delicious.

In Hatteras We stayed at the Villas of Hatteras Landing. It was a cute little place with a kitchen and living room. We went to the local General Store to get a few supplies and snacks. We weren’t very hungry after our huge lunch.

Ocracoke Island

Bruce and I decided to take the free ferry to Ocracoke Island. I have to say it was good but we didn’t count on a two hour wait to get on the ferry. And the ferry ride was over an hour.

By the time we arrived on the island it was 1pm and I was starved. We found a restaurant at a marina, SmcNallys, and had the same meal as the day before. It must be Mahi season.

We visited the Ocracoke Lighthouse which is not open to the public and is owned by the Coast Guard.

We visited the Pony Pens where they keep the wild ponies in pens so they don’t get hit by traffic. They do have some roaming space on the sound side beaches.

Bruce and I stopped for ice cream at the Sweet Tooth before our ferry ride back to Hatteras.

This morning we toured the Graveyard-of the Atlantic Museum. There were exhibits about pirates, the Civil War ironclad the USS Monitor, and other shipwrecks.

We took a brief walk to the beach and then headed out of town.

On our way we spotted a group of kite surfers in Sandy Bay. Boy does that look like fun!

Published by lisanordlund1

In 2015, I retired and my goal was to do as much traveling as I possibly could. I started the blog for our first month long trip to Panama in October 2015. My sister Linda and her husband Stan joined Bruce and I on our first trip and we decided together on the name the four amigos. Since then, we don’t always travel with them, sometimes just Bruce and I, sometimes other people, whoever wants to join us on our crazy journeys. The name stuck and I grew an affinity to it. So here we are. I invite you to join thefouramigos blog on our next destination.

One thought on “A Short Visit to Hatteras and Ocracoke Island

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.