Things to do nearCape Hatteras National Seashore

Cape Hatteras National Seashore stretches roughly 70 miles along the Outer Banks of North Carolina, encompassing the barrier islands of Bodie, Hatteras, and Ocracoke. Established in 1953 as the first national seashore in the United States, it was created to protect this dynamic coastal environment from development and to preserve public access to its shores. The area carries a layered history, from the Indigenous peoples who first inhabited these islands to the colonial-era settlements and the maritime communities that grew around fishing and lifesaving stations.

The waters off Cape Hatteras, where the cold Labrador Current meets the warm Gulf Stream, earned the stretch a historic reputation as the Graveyard of the Atlantic, and the remains of shipwrecks draw divers from across the country. The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, standing at 198 feet, is the tallest brick lighthouse in the United States and was famously relocated inland in 1999 to protect it from coastal erosion.

Visitors explore the seashore through swimming, kayaking the calm Pamlico Sound, birdwatching along the Atlantic Flyway, and walking the undeveloped stretches of beach where loggerhead sea turtles nest in summer. The villages of Hatteras and Ocracoke offer fresh local seafood and a genuine sense of island life that remains largely unchanged by commercial development. Cape Hatteras National Seashore stands as one of the East Coast's most compelling natural landscapes, where the raw energy of the Atlantic meets a coastline that has been carefully preserved for generations to experience.