Getting Here

Welcome and Visitor Centers

By Land

You can't get to any islands without spanning water, and thankfully we have several bridges. In a state of emergency, such as a hurricane evacuation, our bridges are the only ways off the island. During such mass exits, local officials sometimes close the bridges to incoming traffic and use all the lanes to expedite evacuation. In peak travel times (summer weekends), the bridges, especially the Wright Memorial Bridge, bottleneck, so drive cautiously.

Arriving from the North:

To the Wright Memorial Bridge

Since so many of our visitors are from Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Washington, D.C., we begin this section with directions from Richmond, Virginia, which from the north can be reached on Interstate 95 South. If you're coming from north of the Outer Banks but south of Richmond, read through the directions and select the route nearest your location.

From Richmond, follow Interstate 64 East to Interstate 664 East at Hampton/ Newport News and take the Monitor- Merrimac Bridge/Tunnel across the James River to I-64. The Virginia Highway 168 Bypass allows you to skirt the traffic lights and congestion on Battlefield Boulevard in Chesapeake, thus easing your drive to and from the Outer Banks. From I-64, take exit 291B to VA 168 South. VA 168 becomes U.S. Highway 158 in North Carolina; don't worry, both names refer to the same road.

You now have two options for traveling on VA 168, but both get you to the same place. The new VA 168, linking I-64 in Chesapeake with US 158 to the Outer Banks, is known as the Chesapeake Expressway and is a faster, four-lane option, although there is a toll of $1.00 per axle to use it. The second choice is to take Battlefield Boulevard. Past Chesapeake on VA 168, it's a straight shot to the Wright Memorial Bridge, which crosses the Currituck Sound to Kitty Hawk on the Outer Banks. The drive from the Virginia/North Carolina border takes about an hour, though you may wish to stop at the many antiques shops, thrift stores, and produce stands. You'll pass Mel's Diner, a 1950sstyle diner in Grandy that thrives on tourism and has a loyal local following as well. If you just can't wait for some Carolina barbecue, stop at Dixie Bar-B-Q Pit in Powells Point or Saul's Cafe in Harbinger. For good ol' Southern cookin' and great value, Pot's On 'N' Kitchen, about 1.5 miles north of the Wright Memorial Bridge, is an excellent choice.

Another option coming from the north is to take U.S. Highway 17 South from I-64 in Virginia. This span of highway flanks the Intracoastal Waterway through the aptly named Great Dismal Swamp. Follow US 17 South to South Mills, where you take North Carolina Highway 343 to Camden, following signs to US 158 and the Outer Banks.

Arriving from the West:

To the Washington Baum Bridge

From I-95 in North Carolina, take U.S. Highway 64 East toward Rocky Mount, passing through Williamston, Jamesville, Plymouth, Creswell, Columbia, over the Alligator River, and through East Lake and Manns Harbor to Roanoke Island.

The bridge over the Alligator River, part of the Intracoastal Waterway, is an old-fashioned drawbridge, opened as needed by an on-site bridge tender. If you're lucky enough to get caught by a bridge opening, get out of the car and enjoy the unique vantage of peering over the railings into the water.

It is a sparse area with few stops between Plymouth and the Outer Banks, so fuel up before you leave either Williamston (approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes from Manteo) or Plymouth, especially if you're traveling at night. If you have to pull off the road, do so carefully and choose a wide shoulder if possible. In areas where canals alternate sides of the road, pull off on the side without a canal. The State Department of Transportation installed guardrails alongside the canals to make travel on this road safer.

Along this route watch for deer, black bears, red wolves, and a wide variety of birds. You'll spot an occasional blue heron wading in the roadside creeks. The state adorns the byways with an abundance of colorful poppies and other wildflowers. It's tempting to pick the lush beauties, but it's illegal.

Continuing east on US 64, you'll cross the William B. Umstead Bridge, or as locals call it, the Manns Harbor Bridge, to Roanoke Island. The Roanoke Island Visitor Center at Fort Raleigh is the first information center from this direction. (See the section on visitor centers later in this chapter.) Momentarily, you'll pass through the quaint town of Manteo, which celebrated its centennial in 1999.

In the summer of 2002, a bridge to the mainland opened. The Virginia Dare Memorial Bridge (known as "The New Bridge" to locals) stretches from the mainland at Manns Harbor to the Manteo-Nags Head Causeway, completely bypassing Roanoke Island. This 5.2-mile bridge, the longest in the state, shaves 20 minutes or so from the trip to the beaches because it avoids the two-lane bottleneck through Manteo. An Outer Banks Visitors Bureau welcome center and rest area at the bridge's eastern terminus opened in the summer of 2002. However, the old Manns Harbor Bridge remains open and should be used if you want to visit the attractions, restaurants, and shops of Roanoke Island and Manteo.

Once through Manteo, if you wish to go to the fishing village of Wanchese, turn right at the junction of US 64 and North Carolina Highway 345 (referred to by locals as Midway). For Outer Banks beaches, Cape Hatteras, Nags Head, and points north, veer left after passing through Manteo, remaining on US 64. Overhead signs make getting lost unlikely, but if you find yourself off your intended route, blame it on the scenery and turn back. You can't get too lost here on these islands and peninsulas! US 64 will take you across the Manteo-Nags Head Causeway and the Washington Baum Bridge.

To the Wright Memorial Bridge

Backtrack to Williamston for an alternate route to the Outer Banks. Instead of traveling on US 64 along the southern route, you can choose to take US 17 to Elizabeth City. Both routes take about the same traveling time. From Elizabeth City, follow signs on US 158 to Nags Head and Manteo, and arrive on the island from the north, crossing the Wright Memorial Bridge. US 17 seems to be the route preferred by most visiting Virginians.

Arriving From the South

From points south, take I-95 North to Rocky Mount, North Carolina, then US 64 East to Williamston, following the directions given earlier for arriving from the west. For an alternate southern route, follow the coastline north to Morehead City and Cedar Island, where you board a toll ferry to Ocracoke Island. Another option is to take US 17 North from Wilmington, North Carolina, through Jacksonville and New Bern to Washington. From Washington, take U.S. Highway 264 East to Swan Quarter and follow signs to the Swan Quarter toll ferry, which brings you to Ocracoke Island. The route goes through the Swan Quarter National Wildlife Refuge, with gracious old cedars lining the way. From Ocracoke, follow North Carolina Highway 12 to the Ocracoke-Hatteras ferry for passage to Hatteras Island and points north. For ferry schedules and further information, see the Ferries section of this chapter.

Crossing the Wright Memorial Bridge

No matter which route you choose, the destination is well worth the journey. Because the Wright Memorial Bridge is the main thoroughfare to and from the Outer Banks, bear in mind that summer season peak travel time (going to the island) is from noon to 6:00 P.M. on Saturday and Sunday. This is rush-hour traffic, Outer Banks style. Peak travel time leaving the island is from about 8:00 A.M.to noon on the same days. Delays are possible from Memorial Day to Labor Day; for your convenience, travel advisories are posted on a flashing sign at the bridge.

Once you cross the bridge into Kitty Hawk, you can't miss the bigger-than-life signs that lead you to your destinations. To get to Southern Shores, Duck, Sanderling, Corolla, or Carova, turn left on NC 12 and head north. For destinations south of Kitty Hawk, continue on US 158 to Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head. Just past 16 miles south of the bridge, the road veers right toward Roanoke Island and Manteo and branches left toward Oregon Inlet and the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Follow NC 12 on Hatteras Island to the communities of Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Avon, Buxton, Frisco, and Hatteras. In Hatteras Village, a ferry provides free transport to Ocracoke Island.

At the junction of US 158 and NC 12 in Kitty Hawk is the Aycock Brown Welcome Center, which offers a wealth of information to visitors. Another great information stop is the Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce, located on Ocean Bay Boulevard about 1 block west of US 158 in Kill Devil Hills.

Crossing the Washington Baum Bridge

The Washington Baum Bridge from Roanoke Island leads to South Nags Head, where you can choose to travel north toward Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, Duck, and Corolla, or south to Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Island. The Cape Hatteras turnoff is on the right, about a mile from the bridge's eastern terminus. At this intersection-referred to as Whalebone Junction-you bear left onto US 158 in Nags Head or go straight to connect with the Beach Road (NC 12), either of which takes you north from Nags Head through Kitty Hawk. (Note that South Nags Head is accessed in this area via Old Nags Head Road.) A right turn at Whalebone Junction puts you on NC 12 toward Bodie Island, the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center, and points south. If you continue on NC 12 across the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge onto Hatteras Island, the road goes through Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Avon, Buxton, Frisco, and Hatteras Village. A ferry in Hatteras Village goes to Ocracoke Island.

By Air