Recreation | Insiders' Guide® North Carolina's Outer Banks, 26th Edition

		Bowling Sometimes even the most dedicated sun-worshippers need an afternoon or evening in air-conditioned comfort. Nags Head Bowling Center US 158, MP 10, Nags Head (252) 441-7077 Open for year-round league and recreational play, this is the Outer Banks's only bowling center. Here, 24 lanes are available for unlimited members of a party as well as a billiards room, pro shop, video arcade, and a cafe serving light meals, sandwiches, wine, beer, and hamburgers. Laser light and glow-in-the-dark bowling is offered at 10:00 P.M. on Friday and Saturday nights. Bowling costs $4.50 per game, and shoes rent for $3.00. Nags Head Bowling is open from 10:00 A.M.to midnight Monday through Thursday and 10:00 A.M. to 1:00 A.M. Friday through Sunday. Call for league information.
		Climbing Rock-climbing walls are available for all ages at the following locations. Kitty Hawk Kites/Carolina Outdoors Monteray Plaza, NC 12, Corolla (252) 453-3685, (800) FLY-THIS Across from Jockey's Ridge, US 158, MP 13 Nags Head (252) 441-4124 Hatteras Landing, NC 12, Hatteras Village (252) 986-1446 www.kittyhawk.com If you're itching to climb, try one of Kitty Hawk Kites/Carolina Outdoors's climbing walls. Two climbs and basic instruction cost $7.00 per person. Rappelling equipment, climbing shoes, and ropes are all part of the package. In the Nags Head store, scale the 22foot-high wall with four main routes and an overhang for extra challenges. At Monteray Plaza, there's a 25-foot climbing wall with four main routes and an overhang. The Nags Head location is open year- round, but only on weekends in winter. The climbing wall in the Nags Head location is indoors, while the walls at Corolla and Hatteras are outside. Consider the weather when choosing the wall to climb. Call for hours at other locations.
		Dolphin Tours, Boat Rides, and Pirate Trips Most Outer Banks boat cruises are included in our Water Sports and Fishing chapters. However, a few unusual ventures are mentioned here as well. These trips, of course, are weather-dependent and available only during warmer spring and summer months. Reservations are recommended for each of these tours. Unlike sailing and more participatory water adventures, you don't have to be able to swim to enjoy these activities and you probably won't even get wet on board these boats as they ply through the shallow sounds. Nags Head Bodie Island Adventures Nags Head-Manteo Causeway Nags Head (252) 441-6822 For an up-close glimpse of bottlenose dolphins playing in Roanoke Sound, this company has daily trips throughout the summer. Dolphin trips are led on a 40foot pontoon boat that can accommodate up to 44 passengers. Along the way, you'll see the Bodie Island marshes, the Bodie Island Lighthouse, Pelican Island, osprey nests, and a variety of other wildlife, including dolphins. This company also offers thrill-a-minute airboat rides along the same area south of Nags Head. Airboats, which can accommodate 14 people, are noisy and fast, so think twice about bringing very young children. Both trips cost $20 for adults and $10 for kids. Nags Head Dolphin Watch Willett's Wetsports, Nags Head-Manteo Causeway, Nags Head (252) 449-8999 www.dolphin-watch.com If you're interested in bottlenose dolphins, this is the best way to get to know more about them. Nags Head Dolphin Watch is run by a team of independent dolphin researchers who conduct the trips to pay for their ongoing research. The team of expert naturalists leads dolphin watches through Roanoke Sound three times a day, six days a week beginning the week before Memorial Day through the end of September. Two-hour tours are given on a speedy pontoon boat holding 36 people. Along the way you'll see bottlenose dolphins and learn about their fascinating feeding and social behavior and also about local ecology, history, and wildlife. Cost is $20 for adults and $15 for kids age 12 and younger. The researchers take photos of the dolphins' dorsal fins on every trip, and they call dolphins they see by name. Roanoke Island The Crystal Dawn Pirate's Cove Marina, Manteo (252) 473-5577 www.themefifty.com/crystaldawn Sunset cruises around Roanoke Island take place every evening except Sunday throughout the summer on this sturdy, two-story 65-foot vessel that accommodates 100 passengers. Trips include commentary about the Outer Banks, while the boat cruises past Andy Griffith's house, Roanoke Island Festival Park, and Jockey's Ridge. The boat departs at 6:30 P.M., returning about 90 minutes later. Adult admission is $8.00 per person, and children 10 and younger pay $6.00 each. This is also a fishing headboat; for additional information see our Fishing chapter. Outer Banks Cruises Queen Elizabeth Avenue, Manteo (252) 473-1475 www.outerbankscruises.com Outer Banks Cruises offers dolphin tours, sightseeing tours, and evening cruises aboard the 53-foot covered pontoon boat Capt. Johnny, which can accommodate 49 passengers. The dolphin-watch tours are offered in Roanoke Sound from June through October, and ninth-generation native Capt. Stuart Wescott has a knack for finding the playful mammals. He even recognizes many of them by their fins and knows the names given them by local researchers. Dolphin sightings are guaranteed: If you don't see any on your trip, you are given a rain check for a free ride another time. The two-hour cruises cost $25 for adults and $15 for children age 12 and younger. The shrimp and crab cruise is educational, fun, and very popular. A two- hour cruise is $265 for six passengers, who will sort through a shrimp net on board the Capt. Johnny. Evening cruises are available by charter; call for schedules and rates. The Capt. Johnny is docked on the Manteo waterfront next to the little bridge that heads to Roanoke Island Festival Park. Downeast Rover Manteo Waterfront Marina, Manteo (252) 473-4866 www.downeastrover.com A 55-foot topsail schooner, the Downeast Rover tall ship is a modern reproduction of a 19th-century sailing vessel. Two-hour cruises onto the placid waters of Roanoke Sound delight passengers with views of dolphin, osprey, heron, and seabirds. A hands-on adventure is also possible on this lovely boat: Passengers may help trim the sails and take a turn at the wheel. Tickets can be purchased on the Downeast Rover, which also has a ship's store and restroom on board. Deck seating and a belowdecks lounge are available. Daytime cruises are $15 for children age 2 to 12 and $25 for adults; they depart at 11:00 A.M. and 2:00 P.M. daily. Sunset cruises are $30 per person; they depart at 6:30 P.M. in the summer, earlier in the spring and fall. Call for updates and off-season schedules. Reservations are recommended but not required. Private charters for weddings, parties, and other special occasions are available. The Downeast Rover sails from early spring to late fall. Outer Banks Jet Boats Manteo Waterfront Marina, Manteo (252) 441-4124 www.outerbanksjetboats.com Take an adventure-packed ride with a Coast Guard-licensed captain on Outer Banks Jet Boats. A 34-foot boat, named The Yellow Bird, holds up to 24 passengers and departs on 90-minute trips from Manteo's scenic waterfront. The first 30 minutes take you on a search in the sound for dolphins, which are usually pretty easy to find. Along your journey, you'll see osprey, pelicans, cormorants, gulls, ducks, and other wildlife. During the next 30 minutes, you tour Wanchese by water and explore a working fishing harbor and see old wrecks and large and small fishing boats. After viewing uninhabited islands and navigating natural waterways, you get a final 30-minute thrill under full jet-boat power. It's a fun ride for all ages. Trips depart between 9:00 A.M. and 5:30 P.M. and cost $29 for adults and $15 for children younger than age 12. Call for reservations or purchase tickets at Carolina Outdoors at Manteo Waterfront.
		Hatteras Island Captain Clam Oden's Dock, NC 12, Hatteras Village (252) 986-2365 The Captain Clam is a fishing headboat (see our Fishing chapter) that also offers family-style pirate cruises that are a hit with the kids. The pirate cruise is Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday in summer from 6:00 to 7:00 P.M.The crew dresses as pirates and tells tales about Blackbeard and the area's pirate history as you cruise around Pamlico Sound. Complimentary swords and eye patches are given to every passenger. Cruises cost $20 (passengers younger than age 3 cruise free) and are available June through September. The boat can hold 40 people. Miss Hatteras Oden's Dock, NC 12, Hatteras Village (252) 986-2365 www.odensdock.com/misshatteras The headboat Miss Hatteras, which ties up at Oden's Dock, offers dolphin tours on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 P.M. in summer. Bird-watching cruises are available. Ocracoke The Windfall The Community Store Docks NC 12, Ocracoke (252) 928-7245 www.villagecraftsmen.com/windfall Sail around Blackbeard's former haunts aboard this gaff-rigged schooner that seats up to 30 passengers. One-hour cruises depart from The Community Store docks several times daily during summer months and cost $20 per adult, $10 for kids. The longer sunset cruise is $25 per person. Call for the schedule.
		Go-Karts If you're looking for a way to race around without getting a speeding ticket, several go-cart rental outlets offer riders a thrill a minute on exciting, curving tracks. Drivers have to be at least 12 years old to take the wheel at most of these places, but younger children are often allowed to strap themselves in beside adults to experience the fast-paced action. Corolla Corolla Raceway TimBuck II Shopping Village NC 12, Corolla (252) 453-9100 Corolla Raceway is the sister track of Nags Head Raceway. In TimBuck II Shopping Village, it features one large track with 16 cars. The go-kart raceway is open Easter through November. Corolla Raceway also has free-standing, gas-powered bumper cars. For more entertainment, a family arcade is on-site. Summer hours are 10:00 A.M. until 11:00 P.M. daily. Kill Devil Hills Colington Speedway 1064 Colington Road, Kill Devil Hills (252) 480-9144 Colington Speedway features three tracks and about 40 Indy-style two-seaters or NASCAR-style 5.5 horsepower cars. Riders choose a kiddie track, a family road course, or a slick track. The facility's gift shop features NASCAR items, Outer Banks souvenirs, and children's toys. Colington Speedway is open daily from Memorial Day through Labor Day until 10:00 P.M.The track is also open on weekends until 10:00 P.M. in the spring. Call for opening hours and more information. Nags Head Dowdy's Go-Karts NC 12, MP 11, Nags Head (252) 441-5122 This is one of the area's oldest go-kart tracks. All the cars are only a few years old and turn tightly around the oval track. Outdoor bleachers provide a perfect place for parents to watch this noisy sport. These motorized karts can be ridden daily throughout the summer starting mid- morning until 11:00 P.M. Speed-n-Spray Action Park US 158, MP 15 1/2, Nags Head (252) 480-2877 This racetrack treats drivers to wild rides around quick curves that twist back toward the blacktop just as you think you might slip off into the sound. It's open from early May through September daily. Call for prices. Nags Head Raceway US 158, MP 16, Nags Head (252) 480-4639 Speed demons and thrill seekers revel in this chock-full-of-fun roadway, complete with two-seater karts and slick new racers. Drivers time themselves trying to beat the clock or sprinting against their friends in hurried heats. Nags Head Raceway is open April through Thanksgiving. Calmer pursuits can be had at the family arcade on the premises. Summer hours are from 10:00 A.M. until 11:00 P.M., seven days a week. Hatteras Island Waterfall Action Park NC 12, Rodanthe (252) 987-2213 This sound-to-sea amusement area offers the biggest selection of go-kart tracks on the Outer Banks-and more recreational opportunities in a single spot than anywhere else on Hatteras Island. Here, kids of all ages enjoy seven separate race car tracks where drivers test their skills on a different style vehicle at each pit stop. Wet racers are great for hot afternoon sprints against the wind-and other boaters. Bumper boats, two minigolf courses, water- slides, and a snack bar also are open from 11:00 A.M.to 10:00 P.M. daily May through October.

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