Poor Weather Activities in the Outer Banks
Ten Top Outer Banks Rainy Day Activities
It’s not often that a summer rain comes to the Outer Banks and stays for the whole day. However, it can happen and when it does, it is best to have some ideas of fun or interesting activities to enjoy then while at the Outer Banks. When it rains, the movie theaters on the Outer Banks (yes, there is more than just one movie theater on the Outer Banks) fill up quickly and many people choose to curl up at their place and stream some movies, shows, or music. Beyond that, though, there are some other fun and interesting things to explore during periods of wet weather. Check out my list of top ten rainy day Outer Banks activities.
My Outer Banks Top Ten Rainy Day Activities
1. The North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island.
If it rains and you venture out to the Aquarium in Manteo on Roanoke Island, you won’t be alone. Likely it will be crowded with others who had the same thought, but even when crowded, the Aquarium is worth a visit. In addition to its indoor exhibits and critters, the Aquarium also offers a lovely outdoor area with a sound side pier if it stops raining long enough for you to spend some time outside during your visit.
The Aquarium has a wide variety of sea life from the waters of the Outer Banks and is well worth its entry fee to just wander around experiencing the exhibits. See sharks, an alligator, river otters, and more. Touch stingrays and learn more about the Aquarium’s STAR (Sea Turtle Assistance and Rehabilitation Center). The STAR Center functions like a medical rehab unit for sea turtles. It’s great to know what is being done to ensure sea turtles survive and thrive. The aquarium does have some special tours for which you may need to preregister. Often such tours have an additional cost, but you can enjoy the Aquarium without participating in one of those. Free program features include such activities as shark feedings, stingray feedings, and creature features talks. If you ever wanted to touch or pet a stingray, the aquarium offers you that opportunity. At the time of this writing, the price of admission is:
Adults (13-61)- $12.95
Seniors (Ages 62 and older)- $11.95
Military- $11.95
Children (Ages 3-12)- $10.95
Children (Ages 2 and under)- Free
NC Aquarium Society Members- Free
You can purchase advance tickets, but that can not always eliminate entry wait times. Be aware the last ticket of the day is sold at 4:30 PM with a 5:00 PM closing time.
The aquarium has wheelchairs at Visitor Services for guests with mobility impairments, but only on a first come, first serve basis. You are not able to reserve them in advance. Personal ECVs and wheelchairs can be used on site as well. Service animals are allowed on the grounds. They are allowed in all areas, but to go into behind the scenes areas with service animals requires advance notice. Note that emotional support animals are not allowed on aquarium grounds or within the aquarium itself.
The aquarium offers sensory backpacks for free checkout (with a valid driver’s license to ensure it is returned.) These sensory backpacks are designed for guests with developmental disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD. The sensory backpacks include: assorted animal artifacts and animal models with labels; laminated copies of the Zoo Social Story; feelings thermometer; noise canceling headphones; weighted balls; and fidget toys. There are also sensory backpacks available for guests who have low vision or are blind. Those sensory backpacks include: laminated copies of the Zoo Social Stories; a monocular; animal artifacts and animal models with labels printed in size 18 font; yellow glare reducing glasses; and a magnifying glass.
The North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island is located at 374 Airport Road, Manteo, North Carolina 27954. 252.475.2300. Open hours are: 9 AM-5 PM daily. For up to date information check their website at http://www.ncaquariums.com/roanoke-island
Rainbow over Duck, North Carolina.
2. Wright Brothers National Memorial.
In Kill Devil Hills, this is a National Park Service memorial to the two brothers and their first successful sustained and controlled by humans flight of 1903. The brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright went here to these dunes in the North Carolina Kitty Hawk area due to the amount of open space available and the constant winds. They thought the winds would help add lift to their airplane. This Memorial is where their first flight lasting 12 seconds and traveling a distance of 120 feet happened. The pilot on that successful first flight was Orville Wright. The brothers actually made four brief flights on that same day on December 17, 1903. By the fourth flight, with Wilbur at the controls, the airplane flew for 59 seconds over a distance of 852 feet. Although the actual plane they flew here is now located in the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., there are plenty of artifacts and interesting exhibits in the visitor center which tell the story of man’s first successful flight. The center also contains a reproduction of the Wright 1902 glider and their 1903 airplane. There is an engine block from the 1903 airplane along with a wind tunnel used by the Wrights in their experiments. Take the time to explore the replicas of the Wright Brothers’ living quarters and hangar. These are furnished as if the Wright Brothers could walk in today to use them. Sometimes NASA has exhibits on loan, so check and see if there are any during your visit here. The actual 60 foot tall memorial to the Wright Brothers’ flight achievement is located outside on top of a 90 foot hill.
The Wright Brothers National Memorial is located at 1000 N. Croatan Highway, Kill Devil Hills, NC. Phone: 252. 473.2111. It is open 9 AM to 5 PM daily, except for Christmas Day. At this time the entry fee is $10.00 for adults ages 16 years and older. Children 15 years and younger enter for free. The entry fee includes the day you visit and seven days afterwards. That is a nice feature since if the rainy weather is so bad you cannot actually get out to go to the memorial hill or see any of the outside flight markers, you are able to return for another visit.
3. Roanoke Island Maritime Museum.
The Maritime Museum is on the waterfront in downtown Manteo on Roanoke Island. This museum’s focus is on local watercraft suitable for using in the rough waters of the sound. If you are interested in boats or think you could be, this museum introduces you to how boats are made and used. On display here are an 1883 shad boat and other types of boats such as a clipper yawl, and a 1960’s hydroplane. This is also a working boat shop. It is a place where you can see boat construction and boat restoration first hand. If you have visited the Elizabeth II, the replica of the 1500’s ship that came from England to Roanoke Island, then you have been on a boat built here. The museum is usually open Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM until 5:00 PM, Saturday, 10:00 AM until 4:30 PM, and is closed on Sundays. Location: 104 Fernando Street, Manteo, NC. Call 252.475.1750 to check for current hours the day you want to visit.
4. Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station.
This is a museum housed in the historic Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station building. It still has all its original buildings and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Station’s museum showcases their historic mission of saving the lives of those on board shipwrecked ships off shore or ships in distress due to storms that can be prevalent out to sea off the Outer Banks. The U.S. Life-Saving Service’s successor is the U.S. Coast Guard. The Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station is located on Hatteras Island and is on the most eastern point of the state of North Carolina.
The museum is open to visitors from April through November. The entry fee helps support its foundation which is dedicated to the upkeep of the Station. Adults $8, Seniors 65+ $7, and children ages 4 to 17 $6. The Station is located at 23645 NC Highway 12, Rodanthe, NC. Phone: 252.987.1552. Check current hours and entry fees before you visit at https://chicamacomico.org/
Beautiful spring flowers shine through even a rainy day.
5. The Whalehead.
The Whalehead in Corolla was renovated and opened up to the public to visit in 2002. It is located in the historic Corolla park, not that far away from the Corolla village itself and the Currituck Lighthouse. What used to be a waterfront retreat home built by the wealthy Knight family in the Art Nouveau style during the 1920’s is now a place that all can visit. If you want to feel like you just walked into The Great Gatsby novel, then you should take some time to visit here. Take one of the audio self guided tours through the 21,000 square foot main house and be sure to check out the beautiful grounds surrounding it, including the boat house. There are some tours led by docents so check for those if you visit Mondays through Fridays. Those tours are generally done between 11 AM and 3 PM. There is also a boat house tour including the generator room which provided electricity to the property years before it came to the rest of the Outer Banks. Other tours like a behind the stairs tour or a moonlight ghost tour are also offered from time to time. Check for the twilight tour of the house as it often includes a free wine tasting. During the summer season on Tuesday or Wednesday afternoons the Whalehead and Historic Corolla Park usually sponsors some fun afternoon or evening events. These can include live local musician performances or wine tastings or beer tastings. Try calling 252.453.9040, ext. 226, to reserve these tours in advance of your visit.
Admission costs $10 for adults, $5 for students, and children under 8 are free. The Whalehead is located at 1100 Club Road, Corolla, NC, 27927. Their website is http://whaleheadwedding.com/
A flower to brighten any day.
6. Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education.
Also located in Corolla is the Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education in the Historic Corolla Park. This is a fairly new 22,000 square foot interpretive center for people to visit if they want to better understand North Carolina’s wildlife. There is quite a collection of fish native to the area in an 8000 gallon aquarium along with some other critters. The Center highlights the marine diversity of the region’s ocean, sound, and estuaries.
From April through November, open hours are Monday through Saturday, 9 AM through 5 PM and the rest of year it is open Monday through Friday, 9 AM through 5 PM. It is open on Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, and Veterans Day and is closed on state holidays. Admission is free, but donations are accepted. You may want to call ahead to check on registering for any programs offered. The Center is located at 1160 Village Lane, Corolla, NC. Phone: 252.453.0221. For more information check the website at: https://www.ncwildlife.org/Learning/Education-Centers/Outer-Banks
7. Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum.
The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum is located off NC Route 12 S at the southern end of Hatteras Island. This is a new maritime museum building. Offshore from the Outer Banks are the rough and unpredictable Diamond Shoals. Over as many as 500 years ships have been wrecked out there with many of them still down on the bottom of the sea. This museum contains many artifacts from shipwrecks and tells stories of the wrecks. The museum is also the home of the original Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Fresnel lens and has exhibits on diving, pirates, the Civil War on the NC coast, and World War II in the waters off of the NC coastline. An interesting exhibit displays the bell and some other items from the Carol Deering. The Carol Deering was a ghost ship which was found ashore without any passengers or crew who were never found. The only living thing on board the ship when it was found was its six toed cat.
Admission is free, but donations are welcomed. Open hours are generally Monday through Saturday, 10 AM until 4 PM. The museum’s address is 59200 Museum Drive, Hatteras, NC. Phone: 252.986.0720. Check their website for up to date open hours and program information at https://graveyardoftheatlantic.com
8. Shopping - Outer Banks Outlet Mall, Nags Head.
Shopping can be fun when rain keeps you away from the beaches. Check out the stores at the Outlet Mall in Nags Head. A great thing about going shopping in Nags Head is that when you are shopped out or you’ve spent most of your money, there are lots of choices for somewhere to eat afterwards. The Outlet Mall is not a large one like those in Williamsburg or Northern Virginia, but it does have a nice variety of shops right on the Outer Banks and it has plenty of parking spaces. There are usually about 20 stores located in the Outlet Mall. The mall is located at Milepost 16; the address is 7100 S. Croatan Highway, Nags Head, NC. The mall’s office phone number is 252.441.5634. Check the website to see what stores are there and opening hours at: https://www.outletsnagshead.com/directory/
A stormy day at the beach is better than not being at the beach.
9. Shopping - Duck, NC.
Duck as a shopping area is listed separately from the Nags Head Outlet Mall since it is a very different kind of shopping experience. Duck is a small village on NC Route 12 N filled with restaurants, some bars, unique shops, and in summer packed with vacationers. There are not really any chain stores here, unless you want to count stores like Wings or Kitty Hawk Surf Company which do have stores spread up and down the beaches. Duck shopping is for those who like to browse individually owned specialty and artist’s stores. These are scattered throughout the various small shopping clusters in Duck. There is a long wooden boardwalk on the sound front in Duck which links together many of the shops and places to eat. Some of the boardwalk is covered and some is not, so be aware of that if it raining hard. On the waterfront there is a dog bakery that makes it own homemade doggy biscuits, an olive oil shop that offers great tasting opportunities along with many varieties of balsamic vinegar, and a coffee/bookstore made for browsing with a good cup of coffee and something tasty. Near the waterfront, but just on the other side of the road is the Scarborough Faire Shopping Center at 1177 Duck Road (that’s NC Route 12 N in Duck) and next to the Faire are the Scarborough Lane Shoppes. Both offer covered shopping areas which is great for both rainy days and sunny hot days. Both offer boutique type stores that sell things such as clothes for all ages, books and toys, original art, antiques, home goods, jewelry, along with some must have beach things like skimmers, water toys, and surfboards. If you are interested in shopping, this is probably one of the best places to spend time doing it on the Outer Banks. If driving to Duck to shop, look for a parking spot (try the Scarborough Lane Shoppes covered parking lot), park the car, and then walk everywhere from there. Most of the varied shopping areas in Duck are close enough to walk to by using the varied pathways, sidewalks, and the town’s boardwalk. However, keep in mind that Saturday traffic in Duck during the summer season is something to avoid. That is when Duck Road turns essentially into a 2 lane parking lot because of everyone trying to leave or get to their week’s rental place. https://www.scarboroughfaireinducknc.com/
http://www.scarboroughlaneshoppesducknc.com/
10. Winery/Brewery Trip.
The Outer Banks is home to several individual breweries and there are some wineries nearby that offer tastings. Compile your own list of where you want to sample your brew or wine, make sure you have a designated non-drinking driver, and start your own pub/tasting crawl. This activity also offers you the benefit of seeing some of the Outer Banks as you travel about looking for your next place to stop. Aim for between three to four places for your crawl. With travel time up and down the Outer Banks, you should allow most of an afternoon or evening for this activity. Some suggested places are listed below, but this list is not comprehensive so be sure to do some more research online or ask friends to recommend additional places.
Stores: These are some stores on the Outer Banks that offer wine tastings and sometimes beer tastings:
Chips Wine and Beer Market, 2200 N Croatan Highway, Kill Devil Hills, NC. Phone: 252.449.8229, http://www.chipswinemarket.com
Tiro Restaurant and Market, 3708 N Croatan Highway, Kitty Hawk, NC. Phone: 252.261.0277, https://obxtrio.com
Tommy’s Natural Foods Market and Wine Shop, 1242 Duck Road, Duck, NC. Phone: 252.261.8990. https://tommysmarketobx.com
Bacchus Wine and Beer Bistro, 891 Albacore Street, Corolla, NC. Phone: 252.453.4333. https://bacchuswineandbeer.com
Howard’s Pub and Raw Bar, 1175 Irvin Garrish Highway (NC Route 12 S on Ocracoke Island), Ocracoke, NC. Phone: 252.928.4441. https://www.howardspub.com/Home .
Beer:
Outer Banks Brewing Station, 600 S Croatan Highway, Kill Devil Hills, NC. Phone: 252.449.2739. Try the Lemongrass Wheat Ale or the Closeout Nitro Stout or the hard cider made from North Carolina apples. https://www.obbrewing.com/
Growlers To Go, 1187 Duck Road, Duck, NC. Phone: 252.715.1946. This is not a brewery, but they do have 27 craft beers on tap. www.beerforthebeach.com
Weeping Radish Brewery, Butchery, & Pub, 6810 Caratoke Highway, Grandy, NC. Phone: 252.491.5205. This is on the mainland on US Highway 158, the Caratoke Highway (the road that travels south from Virginia to the Outer Banks), not too far from the sound in Currituck County. Buy a can of their Corolla Gold and part of the purchase price goes to the Corolla Wild Horse Fund. https://www.weepingradish.com
Lost Colony Brewery & Cafe, 208 Queen Elizabeth Street, Manteo, NC. Phone: 252.473.6666. Try their Raleigh Buxton Brew or for something lighter, try the Kitty Hawk Blonde. http://lostcolonybrewery.com
Wine:
Sanctuary Vineyards, 7005 Caratoke Highway (US Highway 158), Jarvisburg, NC. The tasting room is located in The Cotton Gin next door at 6957 Caratoke Highway, Phone: 252.491.2387. This location is on the mainland about three miles inland from the sound. Tastings are also available varied times at the three other Cotton Gin locations on the Outer Banks: Cotton Gin in TimBuck II, Corolla (US Route 12 N), 789 Sunset Blvd, Corolla, Phone: 252.453.4456; Cotton Gin in Duck, 1185 Duck Road, Phone: 252.261.2387; and the Cotton Gin at Milepost 14.5 in Nags Head, 5151 S Croatan Highway, Phone: 252.449.2387. http://sanctuaryvineyards.com
Vineyards on the Scuppernong, 117 S. Elm Street, Columbia, NC. 252.796.4727. This winery is located on the mainland off of US 64 about 50 minutes going west from Nags Head. You can’t miss the winery tasting room due to the large red letter sign that says Winery up on the roof. They also have recently added what they call their “pop-up” locations at two places on the Outer Banks. Both of these offer tastings of the Vineyards wines and sell their wines. In Manteo: inside Island Perk at 101 Budleigh Street (corner of Budleigh and Queen Elizabeth). In Duck: inside Donutz on a Stick at 1216 Duck Road which is also on the Duck sound front boardwalk. Check their website for more information at http://www.vineyardsonthescuppernong.com