• Whalebone Junction Information Center - Outer Banks Visitors Bureau - Welcome to The Outer Banks and Cape Hatteras National Seashore! This beautiful stretch of coastline is filled with tales of lost colonists, shifting sands, and, of course, pirate ghosts! Let’s begin our adventure!

Note: This 60-mile-long tour highlights the key attractions of Cape Hatteras in 2-3 hours.

Purchase once and enjoy for a year! Perfect for extended stays and return visits over the next 12 months.

• Bodie Island Lighthouse - Soon, we will arrive at Coquina Beach and the Bodie Island Lighthouse. Coquina Beach is named after the coquina clams found here, but it’s renowned for something entirely different: the wreck of an old ship!

• Oregon Inlet - In a few moments, we will cross the Oregon Inlet. This waterway connects the Pamlico Sound with the Atlantic Ocean. Interestingly, it didn’t exist until 1846 when a massive hurricane struck! A ship named the Oregon was in Pamlico Sound during that storm. As the story goes, the Oregon was returning to Edenton, North Carolina from Bermuda. It was near the Outer Banks when the hurricane hit. The turbulent seas lifted the entire ship and placed it safely on a sandbar! Talk about luck!

• Herbert C. Bonner Bridge - Just ahead is the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge, constructed in 1963. The vast body of water to the right of the bridge is the Pamlico Sound. It stretches 80 miles long and about 18 miles wide, though it never exceeds a depth of 26 feet! Rivers from the mainland flow into the sound, creating the second-largest estuary in the US, after Chesapeake Bay. The shallow waters offer excellent fishing opportunities. Pamlico Sound is where 90% of North Carolina’s commercial fishermen catch their crabs, oysters, and clams!

• Oregon Inlet Life Saving Station - On our left is the Oregon Inlet Life-Saving Station from 1874. It’s the only structure visible when the bridge meets land again; you can’t miss it. Imagine being on a ship in the dark, trying to find a dock along this coast. Before radar, GPS, or sonar, sailors had a challenging time navigating this cape or the Oregon Inlet. Shipwrecks were incredibly common, so much so that the Outer Banks earned the nickname “The Graveyard of the Atlantic.”

• Pamlico Sound - The vast body of water to the right of the bridge is the Pamlico Sound. It stretches 80 miles long and about 18 miles wide, though it never exceeds a depth of 26 feet! Rivers from the mainland flow into the sound, creating the second-largest estuary in the US, after Chesapeake Bay. The shallow waters offer excellent fishing opportunities. Pamlico Sound is where 90% of North Carolina’s commercial fishermen catch their crabs, oysters, and clams!

• Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge - We are now driving through 13 miles of nature preserve! It’s the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, stretching from the bottom of the Oregon Inlet to the northern border of the community of Rodanthe. It’s part of what scientists call “the Atlantic Flyway,” a corridor that migratory birds use to travel up and down the coast, like a highway in the sky! Birds use these beaches as pit stops along their journey.

• Pea Island Beach - Coming up shortly is parking for Pea Island Beach. This is a popular beach, but it’s so expansive you wouldn’t guess it! Even if you don’t venture into the water, take some time to sit on the sand and enjoy the stunning view.

• Jug Handle Bridge - We are driving along Jughandle Bridge. But why does this bridge exist? After all, we aren’t traveling from one island to the next; we’re just traveling alongside the island!

• Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station Historic Site & Museum - To our left is another life-saving station, the Chicamacomico US Life-Saving Station. Like the Oregon Inlet Life-Saving Station, it served as a hub for rescue crews to live, observe the coast, and conduct training exercises with the unique device known as a beach apparatus. But what exactly is that?

• The Mother Vine - The Outer Banks are home to some fascinating historical pieces, but one of the most unusual can be found on Roanoke Island. It’s known as the Mother Vine, the oldest grapevine on the continent still producing grapes! The vine is about 400 years old, though its exact date of origin is unknown.

• Kite Point - We are approaching a small spot on our right that locals call “kite point.” It’s just a strip of sandy beach, but it’s become a haven for kitesurfing! The beaches near here have been popular with windsurfers since the 1970s. Kite Point is the perfect spot to watch this high-speed sport in action. But where did kitesurfing originate?

• Cape Hatteras Lighthouse - Do you remember that the Bodie Lighthouse was so poorly constructed that it leaned like the Tower of Pisa? Well, you’re about to see the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, and it had a challenging start too.

• Teach’s Lair Marina - We are approaching Teach’s Lair Marina. It will be the collection of boats off to our right in just a minute. As you might have guessed, the marina and many other landmarks around here are named after Edward Teach, also known as Blackbeard.

• Easy-to-use app: download Action’s Tour Guide App onto your phone
• Great value: purchase per car, not per person. More affordable than bus or guided tours!
• Engaging storytelling: Uncover unique tales and thrilling history for a memorable journey!
• Perfect narrator: nothing can beat listening to a great voice. Proven with tons of rave reviews!
• Offline maps: no signal, no problem! Works perfectly without cellular or wifi.
• Comprehensive route and stops: See it all, miss nothing, leave no stone unturned!
• Go at your own pace: Start anytime, pause anywhere, enjoy breaks for snacks and photos freely!
• Hands-free: audio stories play on their own based on your location. Easy to use!

• Attraction passes, entry tickets, or reservations

Embark on an enchanting journey along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore with this self-guided tour of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Immerse yourself in a rich history, from the mysteries of the Lost Colony to the infamous pirate Blackbeard, all while enjoying breathtaking ocean views. Explore the iconic Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, discover the unique marine life of the Pamlico Sound, and much more. The tour concludes at the Hatteras Ferry, offering the option to continue the adventure on the secluded island of Ocracoke. The barrier islands are ready to be explored!

After booking, check your email to download the separate Audio Tour Guide App by Action, enter your unique password, and access your tour. These steps require a reliable internet/Wi-Fi connection. From there, follow the audio instructions and the route.

Purchase once and enjoy for a full year! Perfect for extended stays and return visits over the next 12 months.

Please note, this is not an entrance ticket. Verify opening hours before your visit.

• How to access: Once you book a tour, you’ll get a confirmation email and text with instructions: • Download the separate tour app by Action • Enter the password • Download the tour MUST DO while in strong wifi/cellular Works offline after download
• How to start touring: Open Action’s separate audio tour guide app once onsite. • If there is just one tour, launch it. • If multiple tour versions exist, launch the one with your planned starting point and direction.
• Go to the starting point No one will meet you at the start. This tour is self-guided Enter the first story’s point and the audio will begin automatically Follow the audio cues to the next story, which will also play automatically. Enjoy hands-free exploring. If you face audio issues, contact support. Stick to the tour route & speed limit for the best experience.
• Travel worry-free: Use the tour app anytime, on any day, and over multiple days. Start and pause the tour whenever you like, taking breaks and exploring side excursions at your own pace. Skip anything you don’t care about or explore bonus content for everything that interests you
• Savings tips: Driving tours: purchase just one tour for everyone in the car
• Buy once, use for one year! Ideal for extended visits and return trips over the next 12 months.

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.