With some of the widest and finest beaches on the northern Outer Banks, Nags Head has been welcoming visitors since the 1820s.

Sometime around 1700 the first settlers arrived in Nags Head, and that seems to be about the time the town got its name. The most colorful legend holds that during storms, residents would walk a horse back and forth across Jockey’s Ridge with a lantern attached to its harness. 

Jockey’s Ridge State Park is absolutely worth a visit. The highest naturally occurring sand dune on the East Coast, depending on wind conditions, it varies in height from 80’-110’. The view from the top is breathtaking.