Top 5 Reasons to Go

Top 5 Reasons to Go

Water, water everywhere: Rolling waves, sleepy estuaries, rippling inlets, glassy lakes, no-nonsense salt marshes–the landscape variety lets you choose your own adventure, whether it's boating, trekking, sunning, or simply observing.

Pirate lore and hidden booty: The Graveyard of the Atlantic is littered with shipwrecks, many of them popular dive sights. Your imagination will be piqued by tales of hidden treasure chests still lying beneath shifting sands.

Lighting the darkness: North Carolina's seven lighthouses have individual personalities, from the masculine elegance of Currituck's brick facade to the iconic spiral of Hatteras. You'll want to take time to see them all.

The Lost Colony: In a mystery for the ages, 90 settlers, including the first European baby born in the New World, disappeared without a trace. Their story is presented both in historical context and dramatic entertainment in Manteo.

Don't skimp on the shrimp: You can get fresh seafood of every variety fixed in practically every method–fried, grilled, stuffed, blackened, sautéed, pasta-ed, ka-bobbed, or even raw. And since you're on vacation, the calories don't count, right?