Visit The Outer Banks

Accessible Travel on the Outer Banks

By Gail Clifford on Jul. 08, 2022

My long-anticipated trip to the Outer Banks turned out even better than I had hoped. The landscapes, the local welcome, the activities, the sense of adventure, and the striking light shaped by shifting weather all helped make the visit memorable. After ten years in a wheelchair, I continue to pay close attention to handicapped access wherever I travel, and I’m glad to pass along what I discovered.

Using a wheelchair or walker does not have to keep outdoor experiences out of reach. With help from the Kitty Hawk Fire Department, the breezy beaches become easier to access. Beach wheelchairs with fat tires for crossing sand are available from them on a first-come, first-served basis. Another option is renting a beach wheelchair for the duration of your stay through OBX Beach Mobility, including an umbrella, lap belt, and free delivery.

The fire department’s generosity, and really the broader spirit of this community, reflects a commitment to caring well for the environment. They want the Outer Banks to be enjoyed by everyone. The welcome visitors receive feels like another valuable renewable resource. Once you understand how to navigate the area around your own physical needs, it is the kind of place that can pull you back year after year.

Getting the most from an Outer Banks trip takes a bit of advance planning. My hope is that these notes smooth the way. The biggest lesson I took away was to build in enough time to rest and recover. If your schedule here is more active than your day-to-day routine at home, plan for frequent pauses and keep up with hydration.

Before arrival, you can already evaluate whether your lodging will work for you. Many Outer Banks homes sit on stilts, so stairs may be part of the layout; call ahead to make sure the property fits your needs. Search rental options for elevator access, spacious bathrooms, ramps, distance from public handicap beach parking, and similar features. Kitty Hawk beaches, for instance, are easier to use with beach wheelchairs. Farther south, such as in Nags Head, more properties rely on stairs that may not work for wheelchair access. To make the best use of your vacation time, group plans by area. The page also directs travelers to a full list of beach and sound accesses.

At the northern end of the Outer Banks, once you cross the Wright Memorial Bridge, Wright Brothers National Memorial is a notable stop. On July 4, the American Council of the Blind announced that Wright Brothers National Memorial was awarded the 2022 Achievement in Audio Description Award in the Visual Art/Museums/Visitor Centers/Organization category. In 2018, accessible exhibits were added to the National Historic Landmark visitor center at Wright Brothers National Memorial, with strong attention to universally accessible experiences such as audio description, Braille brochures, tactile models, manipulative interactive exhibits, expanded audio descriptions & more.

Elsewhere along the northern beaches, accessible itinerary ideas include Monument to a Century of Flight, Aycock Brown Visitors Center, Kitty Hawk Woods Reserve, Jennette’s Pier, Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, and the especially exciting Kitty Hawk Kites. Bodie Lighthouse can be visited as well, though reaching the top view requires climbing the steps independently.

West on Roanoke Island, access is straightforward at the Aquarium, Island Farm grounds, Fort Raleigh National Park, Elizabethan Gardens, the Lost Colony, Kill Devil Rum, Roanoke Island Festival Park, Maritime Museum, and Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse. Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse is the lighthouse option here that does not involve stairs. The surrounding water holds many sailboats available for paid sunrise or sunset charters. If you have any back trouble whatsoever, avoid going to the bow of the sailboat; staying seated near the captain during the sail can still be a wonderful experience.

Traveling toward Hatteras, consider a Rodanthe stop at Chicamacomico Life Saving Station. It offers a history lesson of its own, as does Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge. One can be visited while heading south and the other on the return north.

Build a Hatteras Island day that suits your pace. From Nags Head, the drive is about an hour, and there is plenty to do. It may be simpler to have someone else wait in line at Orange Blossom bakery for an Apple Ugly and your preferred drink. With advance notice, horseback riding on the beach can still be possible if your left leg is strong enough for mounting. Other Hatteras stops include the base of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Hatteras Fishing Village, Hatteras Weather Bureau Station, and the brilliant Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum.

If your schedule allows, the hour-long ferry to Ocracoke is another option. The ferry departs near the Hatteras Weather Bureau Station; the guide we met remembered watching Richard Gere and Diane Lane while they filmed scenes for Inn at Rodanthe.

Helpful Accessibility Resources

The source page includes quoted guidance about resources for Outer Banks travelers with disabilities. It points to comprehensive vacation-guide information available online or by download in English and Spanish, covering parking, paths, entrances, and restrooms for hundreds of attractions, along with how accessible those places are for different types of disabilities. It also provides accessnorthcarolina@gmail.com for questions about the vacation guide or accessible tourism in North Carolina, notes that the Americans with Disabilities Act sets standards for different property types, and encourages visitors with disabilities and accessibility needs to contact accommodations or attractions directly about their accessibility features.

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Author

Gail Clifford, MD is a 30-year physician and international best-selling author who has traveled across five continents and all 50 United States. She values solo and inter-generational travel for adventure and education, and was delighted to find both in the Outer Banks. As an award-winning photographer and travel writer, she splits her time between Ireland and the U.S.

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