Top Places to See in Nags Head

Parks

Jockey’s Ridge State Park

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.

It is difficult to imagine a better place to fly a kite. At Jockey’s Ridge, and the dunes leading to it, there is nothing to stop the wind. Kitty Hawk Kites, directly across from Jockey’s Ridge offers an excellent selection of kites as well as some real expertise.

Even the largest kites get to fly at Jockey’s Ridge. The park is home to the Kitty Hawk Kites Hang Gliding School. The school has an excellent reputation for safety and getting people to fly.

Protected from the harsh east winds off the ocean by Jockey’s Ridge, there is a small maritime forest along the Roanoke Sound.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Although most of CHNS is to the south of Nags Head on Hatteras and Ocracoke islands, the Nags Head portion has a lot going for it.

Wide with soft sand, Coquina Beach is one a wonderful beach. The seabed along this strip of beach does not typically form sandbars so waves are usually smaller and more predictable making it a good beach for families. The parking lot is about a mile south of the intersection of Old Oregon Inlet Road and NC 12. The parking lot is one of the largest on the Outer Banks and there are shower and restroom facilities available.

Just across NC 12 from Coquina Beach is the Bodie Island Lighthouse. Completed in 1872 and built to the same design as the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Bodie Island is a little lower but very impressive.

In season, the lighthouse can be climbed and the view from the top is spectacular. The grounds are wonderfully maintained and include a boardwalk that crosses the marsh leading to a gazebo that looks out over Pamlico Sound and the marsh islands.

About a quarter mile before the Marc Basnight Bridge that spans Oregon Inlet, is the Oregon Inlet campground. The turnoff for the camping area also serves as the ORV access to the north point of Oregon Inlet with some of the best surf fishing on the Outer Banks.

The Oregon Inlet Fishing Center is between the Basnight Bridge and the campground. It boasts the largest sport fishing fleet on the Outer Banks. US Coast Guard Station Oregon Inlet is also located here.

Very important—you must have an ORV permit to drive on CHNS beaches.

Three Piers and Great Fishing

There are three fishing piers in Nags Head: Nags Head Fishing Pier, Jennette’s Pier and Outer Banks Fishing Pier.

Nags Head Fishing Pier (MP 11.5, Beach Road) and the Outer Banks Fishing Pier (MP18.5 Old Oregon Inlet Road) are wooden piers dating from the 1950s. Both have wonderful little restaurants on the piers.

Jennette’s Pier was constructed by North Carolina to replace the original Jennette’s Pier that was destroyed by Hurricane Isabel. Opened in 2011 and part of the North Carolina Aquarium system, the pier is a 1000’ concrete structure with wind turbines to generate energy. The fishing can be spectacular at times.

The Beach

The town of Nags Heads offers frequent beach access with parking lots and crossovers. Look for the CAMA signs indicating public access to the beach. The town has made a substantial investment in upgrading facilities for beach goers. The best of the facilities is probably at Jennette’s Pier.

Nags Head beaches typically are wide with very nice quality sand. That is especially the case to the south of Jennette’s Pier.

Surfers—with a dominant south fetch to the offshore current and a lot of sand transport, there is almost always a sandbar to the south of Jennette’s Pier. Even when there is nothing else happening on the northern Outer Banks, there is usually something surfable here.