The North Carolina Coast: Places to Explore

There's a feeling of having stepped back in time in the small seaport with a bustling boardwalk; residents take great pride in the city's restored public buildings and homes—and in their homes' histories... Read more

Natives pronounce it "Bah-dy" not "Bow-dy." Folklore claims the local pronunciation harks back to the days when this corner of the Graveyard of the Atlantic was known as "Bodies Island" because of all... Read more

Extending for 55 mi from Portsmouth Island to Shackleford Banks, Cape Lookout National Seashore includes 28,400 acres of uninhabited land and marsh. The remote, sandy islands are linked to the mainland... Read more

The Herbert C. Bonner Bridge arches for 3 mi over Oregon Inlet and carries traffic to Hatteras Island, a 42-mi-long curved ribbon of sand jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean. At its most distant point... Read more

A resort community with rocketing construction, Kure Beach contains Fort Fisher State Historic Site and one of North Carolina's three aquariums. In some places twisted live oaks still grow behind the dunes... Read more

The quiet commercial waterfront at Morehead City is dotted with restaurants and shops that have put new life in its old buildings. The largest town on the Crystal Coast, it hosts a state port and charter... Read more

It's widely accepted that Nags Head got its name because pirates once tied lanterns around the necks of their horses to lure merchant ships onto the shoals hoping to wreck the vessels and profit from their... Read more

This city of 5,456 was founded in 1710 by a Swiss nobleman who named it after his home: Bern, Switzerland. Since "bern" means "bear" in German, black bears are New Bern's mascot, peering from carvings... Read more

The small northern beach settlements of Corolla and Duck are largely seasonal, residential enclaves full of summer rental condominiums. Drive slowly in Corolla: here freely wandering wild horses always... Read more

Fewer than 1,000 people live on this, the last inhabited island in the Outer Banks, which can be reached only by water or air. The village itself is in the widest part of the island, around a harbor called... Read more

On a hot July day in 1587, 117 men, women, and children left their boat and set foot on Roanoke Island to form the first permanent English settlement in the New World. Three years later, when a fleet with... Read more

This small town, which sits quietly at the mouth of the Cape Fear River, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. An increasingly desirable retirement spot, Southport retains its village... Read more

The city's long history, including its part in the American Revolution, is revealed in sights downtown and in the surrounding area. The Cotton Exchange and Market are old buildings now used as shopping... Read more

Wrightsville Beach is a small (5-mi-long), upscale, and quiet island community. Many beach houses have been in the same families for generations. Increasingly, however, they're being razed in favor of... Read more