Visit The Outer Banks

RV Adventures in the Outer Banks: Beaches, Campgrounds, and Coastal Discovery

By Josephine Matyas on
Oct. 06, 2025

Mountains or beach? That’s the age-old travel question. If push came to shove it would be close, but I’d have to give my vote to the beach. My ideal shoreline, though, has an authentic, untamed character. Fruity drinks with tiny umbrellas can stay off the itinerary.

That preference made the Outer Banks of North Carolina an excellent destination when this winter-weary traveler loaded up her small RV and drove south from the ice and snow of Canada. The route from the border to sunshine—especially during the shoulder seasons—is fairly quick, reducing both time behind the wheel and fuel costs. Add long expanses of pristine beach and campgrounds ranging from natural, hookup-free sites to locations filled with amenities, and the Outer Banks checked every box.

Why the Outer Banks suit RV travel so well

We travel from eastern Ontario, and reaching the upper end of the Outer Banks, also known as OBX, is relatively straightforward. Once we join Highway 12, which follows the islands from north to south, driving becomes wonderfully relaxed. This well-maintained, two-lane blacktop runs with the Atlantic Ocean and dunes on the east side and the waters of Pamlico Sound on the west. Transport trucks and high-speed traffic are rare.

A wide choice of campsites

One thing we always keep in mind about OBX campsites is the scarcity of shaded sites. The local vegetation consists mainly of shrubs and short, wind-swept growth, so we position our site to shade the refrigerator side of the RV while taking advantage of the cooling offshore breezes.

Much of the Outer Banks is protected within the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Its fragile dunes are environmentally sensitive, and the federal parkland includes several campgrounds in beautiful oceanside locations with very limited hookups. We have stayed at two of the three: Oregon Inlet and Frisco. They remain among our favorites. By planning carefully around water and power use in our Class B van, we have had no trouble staying for multiple days.

Travelers seeking more amenities will find plenty of additional campground choices. We especially enjoyed the soundside Frisco Woods Campground, where the sunset views are amazing. Some sites offer shade, full hookups, fast Wi-Fi, and a pool for warm-weather visits. Campers wanting the full package—including full hookups and laundry, a pool and hot tub, and a kid’s playground—can find it at the Cape Hatteras KOA at Rodanthe. Dump stations, fresh water, and propane are available throughout the Outer Banks.

Exploring the Outer Banks by RV

“Have RV, will explore” is certainly the credo behind our RVing adventures. Flexibility, freedom, and the ability to keep the comforts of home close by make it much easier to enjoy a destination.

Across the stretch of sand and ocean, we found pull-outs that can easily accommodate an RV, along with boardwalks or trails leading toward the famous beaches. There were plenty of inviting places to stop for a beach walk, shelling, or a chance to send a kite into the sky. As every RVer knows, these pull-over spots are also ideal for a quick nap or a little reading.

Because we camped beside the ocean, every day could begin and end with a long beach walk. That would have been enough for a wonderful vacation, yet it did not take long to see how much more the Outer Banks offers.

The North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island features enormous tanks and touch tanks filled with rays, sharks, and fish, offering an underwater view of the Outer Banks environment. Exhibits explore the variety of the wetlands, while a sea turtle hospital cares for cold-stunned turtles until they can return to the ocean. During the colder part of the year, volunteers patrol the beaches to find turtles needing care. From May through October, they watch for Loggerheads, Greens, and Kemp’s Ridley turtles coming ashore to nest.

For an unmistakable Outer Banks setting for an RV photograph, few places compare with the two towering lighthouses: Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and Bodie Island Lighthouse. Their large parking areas can readily handle Class B, C, and A RVs. Over the centuries, thousands of ships were wrecked on the notorious underwater sand bars called the Diamond Shoals. That grim record ultimately prompted the construction of lighthouses to alert sailors to the submerged hazards. Today, when travel happens by RV rather than Spanish galleon, these striking structures are celebrated as iconic Outer Banks symbols.

The shifting sand was not the only thing that captivated me; the region’s colorful human history did as well. During the season, The Lost Colony presents a play about the first permanent settlers from Plymouth, England, who arrived four centuries ago and established the area’s claim as the Birthplace of English America. Three years after their arrival on Roanoke Island, all 117 settlers mysteriously disappeared. Before that disappearance, Virginia Dare became the first English child born in the New World, only to vanish with the other men, women, and children of Fort Raleigh. Historians and archaeologists continue to debate what happened.

By June 1585, an English colony—America’s first—had taken root in the Outer Banks. Roanoke Island Festival Park brings that history to life through interpreters in 16th-century clothing. They discuss survival, the appeal of the inlets and coves to pirates and privateers, the growth of commercial fishing, and the role of dozens of lifesaving stations established along the dangerous coast.

The pleasures of coastal food

Writing about the Outer Banks without urging every RV visitor to try its fresh seafood would be impossible. Having a kitchen onboard creates plenty of opportunities to cook. We bought fresh seafood at O’Neal’s Sea Harvest, a local favorite in Wanchese, searched for a few cooking tips, and then feasted.

When we did decide to dine out—which was rare—we found many worthwhile restaurants. Sam & Omie’s, a local hangout, was a particular success. There we tried the Carolina-favorite Shrimp Burger: a dozen lightly breaded and fried shrimp on a bun with melted cheddar cheese, coleslaw, and tartar sauce.

The Outer Banks feels tailormade for RV travel: convenient, accessible, and packed with things to do. For this camper, Outer Banks is an easy sell.

About the author

Josephine Matyas

Josephine Matyas has enjoyed a globe-trotting career as a travel writer and book author over the past 20+ years. Travel has, in all honesty, been a way to feed her addiction to exploring the world. She has published thousands of articles in newspapers, magazines and major websites, specializing in history and culture, soft-adventure and eco-tourism. More recently, she has added RV travel in a minimalist camper van to her passions, giving her family a way to experience special destinations authentically. She’ll talk your ear off when it comes to travel.

http://www.writerwithoutborders.com

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