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ABOUT
HATTERAS |
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Discover what Hatteras
Island has to offer!
Hatteras
Island, part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, is a small
barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Pamlico Sound,
off the eastern coast of North Carolina, rich in wildlife, history,
mild temperatures, beautiful
scenery and great vacation opportunities.
The approximately 70-mile strip of land is the closest point
to the Gulf Stream north of Florida, and is accessible by bridge
on the northern end and ferry to the south. There are seven villages
on the island: (from north to south) Rodanthe,
Waves, Salvo,
Avon, Buxton, Frisco and Hatteras.
And Ocracoke is nearby.
There are many popular Hatteras
Island activities: windsurfing, fishing, sightseeing and relaxing
at the beach, as well shopping and dining. So,
keep reading to find out a little more about all that we have
to show
you on our beautiful island
home...
Rodanthe, Waves and Salvo
Rodanthe
is situated about 10 miles south of the Oregon Inlet Bridge,
adjacent to the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge. Waves lies
directly between Rodanthe and Salvo. (Visitors--and even some
locals--may have difficulty determining where Waves ends and
Salvo begins.) Just south of Salvo is a 13 mile stretch of untouched
National Park land.
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge located on the north end
of Hatteras Island, the refuge was established in 1938 as a sanctuary
for waterfowl. The area is a birdwatcher's paradise. More than
400 species of birds have been spotted in or around the refuge
at different times of the year. The refuge has a visitor's center,
where information is available on guided and self-guided tours,
and there are hiking trails and observation platforms.
In Rodanthe, historians will enjoy visiting the Chicamacomico
Lifesaving Station. This lifesaving station was built
in 1874, and for some 70 years, the brave men of the U.S. Lifesaving
Service, the forerunner of the Coast Guard, guarded the island's
northern coast, battling raging seas to save sailors who were
shipwrecked in storms. It is one of the most famous of the island's
stations and is the only one open to the public. The grounds
are open all year, and the building is open during the summer
months.
In this area, families can enjoy a Waterfall Park, fishing pier
and numerous water sports, including parasailing, kayaking and
windsurfing. Waves is the site of a popular public windsurfing
launch area. A four-wheel-drive access to the beach and a soundside
Park Service "day use area" with picnic tables, barbecue grills
and a great beach with a windsurfing launch area may be found
just south of Salvo.
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Avon and Buxton
As
you travel further south on Highway 12, you'll reach Avon and Buxton.
Avon has gained popularity as a vacation destination as the
sport of windsurfing has grown, and shops offering lessons and
rental equipment abound. Other family activities include miniature
golf, pier
or beach fishing, parasailing
or banana tube rides, sport wall climbing, kayaking and even
nightly entertainment (during the summer) in some restaurants.
In between the villages of Avon and Buxton, you'll find Canadian
Hole, one of the most famous windsurfing spots on the East Coast.
The Canadian Hole is the most popular and well known windsurfing
spot on Hatteras Island. The site is named for the many visitors
from Canada who flock to the island to ride the wind in the Pamlico
Sound.
The village of Buxton is best-known as the home of the famous Cape
Hatteras Lighthouse. This lighthouse with its black and
white spiral pattern is the most famous and most photographed
landmark on the Outer Banks. And at 208 feet, it is the tallest
lighthouse in the United States. The present lighthouse was
built in 1870 and still serves the purpose of warning sailors
of the treacherous Diamond Shoals. In 1999, the lighthouse
made a historic move inland, farther out of the reach of the
ever-encroaching Atlantic. In 2000, the lighthouse should re-open
in its new home for visitors to climb and take in spectacular
views of the ocean, sound and Buxton Woods.
The Buxton Woods, which runs from Buxton to Frisco, is one of
the largest remaining barrier island maritime forests in the
southeastern United States. The forest contains a number of rare
plant species and has unique topography features. The National
Park Service nature trail, a 3/4-mile loop near the Cape Hatteras
Lighthouse, is the best place to view and understand the ecological
importance of the maritime forest.
In the Museum of the Sea, located near the lighthouse, you learn
why the water off of Cape Hatteras has been called the "Graveyard
of the Atlantic."
"Graveyard of the Atlantic" is located along Hatteras and Ocracoke
Islands and are shallow bars of ever changing, ever shifting
sands. The most famous of these are the Diamond Shoals, sandbars
that extend some 15 miles out into the Atlantic from Cape Hatteras.
These shoals, along with their unpredictable currents and the
area's violent storms, have created what has come to be known
as the Graveyard of the Atlantic. Long-feared by sailors, the
Graveyard is the final resting place of hundreds of ships that
went aground and were pounded to pieces by the winds and waves.
The area in front of the lighthouse is also a world-renowned
surfing destination. Other attractions in Buxton include horseback
riding, tennis, miniature golf and a "bird petting zoo." Cape
Point, one of the island's most popular fishing spots, is accessible
from Buxton by four wheel drive.
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Hatteras and Frisco
If
you travel about 12 miles south of Buxton, you'll reach Frisco and Hatteras Village.
Frisco, just south of Buxton, is the least developed village
on the island in terms of "tourist" activities. However, it is
home to unique
art galleries, the island's only air strip, and executive-style
golf course, as well as the Native American Museum. If you have
never seen Hatteras Island from the air, you'll be missing out
if you don't take a "flightseeing trip." As with many of the
other areas on the island, families can enjoy windsurfing, kayaking
and fishing
off the pier or beach in Frisco.
Hatteras is the southernmost village on Hatteras Island. This
village is probably best-known for its world-famous offshore
fishing fleet. At several marinas, including Hatteras
Landing, Teach's
Lair Marina, Hatteras
Harbor Marina and Oden's
Dock, headboats and charter boats are available to take visitors
fishing in the sound, inlet or even the beautiful blue waters
of the Gulf Stream. Each afternoon, crowds gather at the docks
to watch the boats and tired but happy fishermen unload their
catch of the day. Scuba diving charters for exploring the many
shipwrecks off our coast are also available, as well as parasailing
and dolphin tours. For a great Outer Banks diving experience
join Outer Banks Diving on the m/v "Mac"
Another popular family activity is to take the free Hatteras
Inlet Ferry from Hatteras to explore the quaint fishing
village on Ocracoke Island. Just south of the ferry dock on
Hatteras Island is the site of the Graveyard
of the Atlantic Museum. This showcase of our local maritime
history is a cooperative effort by the state of North Carolina,
the National Park Service and interested residents of Hatteras
Island.
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Ocracoke
Just to the southwest of Hatteras is the small island of Ocracoke.
The island is part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, and
is about 15 miles long. It has just one village at the western
tip. Ocracoke village is built around the historic and picturesque
Silver Lake, a harbor that is filled with sailboats in the summer
and fishing boats in the winter. The village's narrow streets
and sandy lanes are lined with old, gnarled live oak trees. There
are several visitor attractions on the island, including the
Ocracoke lighthouse and the famous Ocracoke ponies, the spirited
descendants of horses that are thought to have been survivors
of shipwrecks or left behind by early explorers.
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Attractions/Activities
To find out more about the area, please contact
us.
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