10 Things to Do: Outer Banks, North Carolina

During a free morning or afternoon of your wedding weekend, your friends and family
will be happy to join your entire group – or venture out on their own — to any of the following top picks
of all-ages things to do in the Outer Banks:

1. Duck Donuts

“They’re warm and fresh, one of the biggest attractions for treat-seekers in the Outer Banks,” says Wendy Murray, director of sales and marketing for Sanderling Resort, recently named a Four Star Hotel by Forbes Travel Group and the place to get a bacon bar at your welcome cocktail party. At any time of day, guests can join you for a donut run, or you can bring back dozens to your group.

2. Wild horses

The wild horses of the island, which used to outnumber the humans here, now roam freely in a secluded sanctuary at the north end of the Outer Banks, only accessible by four-wheel drive. Take your guests on the Corolla Outback tour, departing from Corolla Village and traveling 10 miles to the north along the unpaved, sandy shoreline to Carova Beach and False Cape Park at the Virginia state line. Your guide will take you into the Wild Horse Conservation Easement and other protected areas. Even outside of their designated habitat, the Currituck ponies are often sighted galloping the beach or cooling off in the surf. Be sure to bring your cameras!

3. Road trips

Lighthouse-lovers get to climb the 268 steps of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, as well as the Bodie Island Lighthouse and other beacons on the tour, while non-climbers can explore the grounds and take in the views.

Your guests can get a taste of history at the Ocracoke Lighthouse, the southernmost operational lighthouse on the Outer Banks and the second-oldest working lighthouse in the America. At Jockey’s Ridge State Park , your guests can explore the tallest sand dunes on the East Coast, and take in other views and hikes on a sand dune tour. And there are other road trips to enjoy for adventure and nature.

4. Pine Island Audubon Sanctuary

Audubon North Carolina established a 2,600 acre nature preserve, home to over 170 bird species such as osprey, heron, great egret, and more, 7 amphibian species, 19 mammal species and more than
350 species of plants. “The wild and natural landscape is right next to Sanderling Resort, so guests have plenty of opportunity to amble over and enjoy some bird-watching on a quiet morning during your wedding weekend,” says Murray. No transportation organizing means a stress-free activity for all.

5. Watersports

From kiteboarding to sailboat rentals, the Outer Banks is a premier location for
enjoying adventure on the water.

{photo credit: Kitty Hawk Kites}

6.Pirate’s Cove Marina

View the magnificent yachts docked here, and watch the offshore fishing fleet come in to weigh their impressive catches. Enjoy a cool drink at Mimi’s Tiki Hut or feast from the raw bar overlooking the marina.

7. North Carolina Aquarium

Touch an alligator, feed stingrays, and take in the marvel of the 285,000 gallon tank displaying underwater species native to the area. You’ll see sharks, sea turtles and hundreds of fish.

8.Lost Colony Outdoor

An outdoor play performed in summer, written by Pulitzer prize-winning playwright Paul Green, sharing the mystery of a missing colony that was first established over 400 years ago.

9.Hawaiian Island Sno-Balls

A local favorite for ice cream, milkshakes and homemade fudge, an ideal stop after shop-hopping and boardwalk-walking. (Ask for the fresh banana milkshake!)

10. Golf

The Currituck Club, a scenic Rees Jones-designed course that stretches over 6,800 yards of diverse coastal landscape, was recently awarded a s pot on Golf Magazine’s ‘Top 10 You Can Play.’ Also, you can cross over to Roanoke Island to visit the Roanoke Island Festival Park, the Island Farm
or the Elizabethan Gardens.

No matter where you head, unlimited shopping and dining opportunities await you in Corolla, Duck, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head. And at the end of a stimulating day with your friends and family, eat at the Sanderling’s Lifesaving Station or relax at No. 5 Bar or next to the Beach House fire pit with a glass of spirits as the a perfect way to settle into an Outer Banks evening.

See more details on fun things to do in the Outer Banks at: sanderling-resort.com

{Images listed without photo credit are courtesy of Sanderling Resort}

Story by: Sharon Naylor