Is Hatteras Right for You?

Lots of people vacation on the Outer Banks every year. Some stay at the northern Corolla/Duck area, some stay in the middle Kitty Hawk/Kill Devil Hills/Nags Head area and some head south to Hatteras Island and Ocracoke.

The Corolla/Duck crowd tends to pay top dollar for the very best things in life. They enjoy shopping in boutiques and driving expensive cars. If you want to spend gobs of money for a 14-bedroom oceanfront house furnished with antiques and outfitted with two swimming pools for your family of four, this is the place for you.

The “middle” area comprised of Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head is the most commercially developed and the most congested section of the Outer Banks. It features plenty of shopping, chain restaurants and lots of stuff to do. If you like Ocean City (Maryland or New Jersey), Coney Island or any of the other heavily populated resort towns, this is the place for you.

The southern islands of Hatteras and Ocracoke are quieter and more laid back. Hatteras is known for great fishing and great winds for sports such as windsurfing and kiteboarding. Ocracoke is more of an artists’ community. Things run on “Hatteras Time,” which means if the fish are biting or the winds are up, nothing else gets done. If you like a more relaxed vacation in a funkier area, Hatteras or Ocracoke is the place for you.