21 Best Sights in The North Carolina Coast, North Carolina

This is one of the South's largest and most important earthworks fortifications from the Civil War, so tough and strategically placed along the Cape Fear River that it was known as the Southern Gibraltar. The fall of the fort in January 1865, closing the last supply lines for the South, helped seal the fate of the Confederacy. You can explore the restored battery with its reconstructed artillery and follow trails along the river. Inside, displays range from Civil War relics and a fiber-optic battle map to artifacts from sunken blockade runners. It's also known for its underwater archaeology sites.

Fort Fisher also includes a beach access point with showers. It's one of the most attractive beaches in the area.

Fort Raleigh is a restoration of the original 1584–90 earthworks that mark the beginning of English-colonial history in America. The site has been identified as the original site of the doomed Lost Colonists, and the question that hangs in the air here is "What happened to the 117 men, women, and children of the 1587 expedition who disappeared without a trace?"

Be sure to see the orientation film before taking a guided tour of the fort.

A nature trail through the 513-acre grounds leads to an outlook over Croatan Sound. Native American and Civil War history is also preserved here.

What was once an aging, isolated beach town is now a vibrant year-round community where the tiny chapel schoolhouse again educates children and restored buildings house art galleries, a coffee shop, a bookstore, a barbecue restaurant, and a nonprofit dedicated to the wild horses that wander the beach and surrounding maritime forest.

The road ends in Corolla—to access the beach north of here, you need a 4x4 vehicle.

The 427 acres of this park encompass the tallest sand dune system on the East Coast (about 80 to 100 feet). Walk along the 384-foot boardwalk from the visitor center to the edge of the dune. The climb to the top is a challenge; nevertheless, it's a popular spot for hang gliding (Kitty Hawk Kites has an outpost here for beginner lessons), kite flying, and sand boarding. You can also explore an estuary, a museum, and a self-guided trail through the park, which also has eight picnic shelters. In summer, join the free Sunset on the Ridge program: watch the sun disappear while you sit on the dunes and learn about their local legends and history. Covered footwear is a wise choice here, as the loose sand gets quite hot (25–30 degrees hotter than air temperature) in the summer months.

The 16 miles of undeveloped shoreline here are often considered some of the best beaches in America. These beaches are among the least visited and most beautiful on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The shelling is amazing, the solitude unparalleled. Four public-access areas are close to the main beach road, North Carolina Highway 12, and easy to spot; just look for large brown-and-white wooden signs.

There are lifeguards only at the day-use beach ½ mile north of Ocracoke Village in late May through early September.

lifeguards; parking (no fee); toilets.

sunset; swimming.

In honor of the soda's 100th anniversary in 1998, the local bottling company opened the Birthplace in the same corner store where teacher-turned-pharmacist Caleb Bradham brewed his first batch of "Brad's Drink." He later renamed it Pepsi-Cola, marketing the syrup to other soda fountains, and a conglomerate was born. This old-fashioned shop feels like a museum, with its reproduction of Bradham's fountain and exhibits of memorabilia, including the original recipe that included coriander, nutmeg, and a half gallon of alcohol. Enjoy an ice-cold bottle of Pepsi while roaming the gift shop, full of Pepsi history and souvenirs ranging from T-shirts to thimbles.

About 10 miles north of Southport, you can explore the ruins and excavations of a colonial town and see the Civil War earthworks of Fort Anderson. The visitor center has a video presentation and a museum of historical items found at the site. Living-history events with costumed interpreters range from Civil War reenactments to colonial-era cooking demonstrations. It's also a great spot for a picnic.

White sand beaches, blue-green waters, and a tall lighthouse mark this quiet beach at the southern tip of Cape Lookout National Seashore. A boat is the only way to get here. Passenger ferries leave from Harkers Island and Beaufort, while passenger and vehicle ferries leave from Davis and Atlantic. Land on the sound side, then walk across a path to the beach, where you'll be greeted by a long beach strand full of seashells, including large whelk shells. In-season, you can also climb the lighthouse tower or tour a museum in the keeper's quarters. Amenities: toilets. Best for: solitude; sunrise; sunset; swimming; walking.

With ice cream cones, flashing arcade lights, seashell souvenirs, and paddleboats on the small inland lake, Carolina Beach's old-fashioned boardwalk is steeped in nostalgic charm, most evident at Britts Donut Shop, an institution since 1939 that still sells its glazed beauties for an even buck. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee); toilets. Best for: sunrise; windsurfing.

In the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, but just a few miles south of Nags Head, Coquina is considered by locals to be one of the loveliest beaches in the Outer Banks. The wide-beam ribs of the 1921 shipwreck Laura Barnes rest in the dunes here. Hurricanes have scattered the remains and covered them with sand, making them difficult, if not impossible, to discern. Amenities: lifeguards (late May–early September); parking (no fee); showers; toilets. Best for: sunrise; swimming.

Forty-three public Atlantic beach access points and five sound-side access points make Nags Head the perfect place to hit the shore, no matter what your needs may be. Access points are marked with white signs clearly stating "Public beach access," and 15 of them are suitable for wheelchairs; beach wheelchairs are available at the Bonnett and Hargrove accesses, and the 8th Street access has a stability mat that makes getting a stroller or wheelchair onto the beach easy. Many other areas have lifeguards and bathhouses. The town website lists all the accesses and provides a map. No matter where you land, expect clean sand and water. Vehicles are allowed on Nags Head beaches October through April with a town-issued permit. Leashed pets (maximum 10-foot leash) are allowed on Nags Head beaches year-round. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards (late May--early September); parking (fee and no fee); showers; toilets. Best for: sunrise; sunset; swimming.

Lose yourself along magnolia-lined natural trails that wind through rose beds and dozens of varieties of shade-loving camellias on this 7-acre site, just across the water from Airlie Gardens. Relax in the Japanese teahouse, spend a moment of reflection by the water garden, or admire the native carnivorous plants like the Venus flytrap.

An exhibit about the infamous pirate Blackbeard includes artifacts recovered from the discovery of his flagship, Queen Anne's Revenge, near Beaufort Inlet. Other exhibits feature coastal culture and the state's rich marine-science history. You'll see seashells, fossils, duck decoys, and commercial fishing gear. The associated Watercraft Center, across the street, has lectures and classes on boatbuilding, and you can see various projects under construction.

Built in 1823, Ocracoke's 77-foot tower is the second-oldest operating lighthouse in the United States. (Sandy Hook, New Jersey, has the oldest.) It was first fueled by whale oil, then kerosene, and finally electricity. The lighthouse is built entirely of brick, 5 feet thick at the base and 2 feet thick at the top, with a white finish once achieved with a blend of unslaked lime, glue, rice, salt, and powdered fish. Although it's not open to the public for climbing, the grounds are accessible year-round.

From a small observation platform, 6 miles southwest of the north Hatteras–Ocracoke ferry landing, you can look out at the descendants of the Banker ponies that roamed wild before the island came under the jurisdiction of Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The National Park Service manages the population of 25–30 animals; the wild herd once numbered nearly 500. All the animals you see today were born in captivity and are fed and kept on a 180-acre range. Legends abound about the arrival of the island's Banker ponies. Some believe they made their way to the island after the abandonment of Roanoke's Lost Colony. Others believe they were left by early Spanish explorers or swam to shore following the sinking of the Black Squall, a ship carrying circus performers.

This small museum and gift shop is located in a restored American Foursquare house built more than 100 years ago, containing photographs and artifacts illustrating the island's lifestyle and history. On display in the backyard is a round-stern fishing boat from 1934.

Heading south from Nags Head, Pea Island's miles of undeveloped coastline kick off one of the East Coast's most scenic drives. The refuge consists of 5,834 acres of marsh on the Atlantic Flyway, plus 25,700 acres of refuge waters. To the delight of birders, more than 365 species have been sighted from its observation platforms and spotting scopes and by visitors who venture into the refuge. Pea Island is home to threatened peregrine falcons, piping plovers, and tundra swans, which winter here, and to 25 species of mammals, 24 species of reptiles, and 5 species of amphibians. A visitor center on North Carolina Highway 12 has an information display and maps of the two trails, including one named for the late broadcaster Charles Kuralt, a Tar Heel native who wrote extensively about the North Carolina coast. On the west side of North Carolina Highway 12 are more than 12 miles of pristine beach.

Remember to douse yourself in bug spray, especially in spring. Also, there's no tree coverage on trails, so plan peak-summer walks early and late in the day.

Wild, wooded, and undeveloped, this 7½-mile-long barrier island, the southernmost part of Cape Lookout National Seashore, is made even more magical by myriad seashells along the shore and about 100 free-roaming horses. Folklore offers two reasons for the Banker ponies' presence. One tale claims they swam ashore from a long-ago Spanish shipwreck, but some locals say early settlers first put these horses to pasture on the island. The horses may look friendly, but it's best to view them from a distance. The island hosted various settlements in the 1800s, but storms drove residents inland. Today, gravestones here and there are the only remaining evidence of the people who lived here. Island access is by ferry only, from Beaufort and Harkers Island, and although primitive camping is allowed (at no fee), there are no amenities aside from composting toilets. Amenities: toilets. Best for: swimming; walking.

This former plantation—one of the country's largest—once claimed 100,000 acres along Lake Phelps, producing rice, corn, oats, peas, beans, and flax. Its sophisticated sawmills handled thousands of feet of lumber from 1785 to 1865. The 800 enslaved people who were forced to live and work here throughout the plantation's 80 years planted and harvested crops and worked as carpenters, brickmasons, cobblers, and weavers. The site, which originally consisted of more than 50 buildings, has nine original 19th-century buildings, and four others have been reconstructed, including slave quarters.

This quarter-mile trail through a 124-acre preserve leads to Springer's Point, a sound-side beach where Edward Teach (aka Blackbeard) gathered with fellow pirates and ultimately met his demise in a battle with British naval lieutenant Robert Maynard. The enchanting trail traverses maritime forest and coastal marsh.

There is no parking at the trailhead—walk or bike from the village.