Discover the Outer Banks Art Trail — Murals, Galleries & Local Art

By Outer Banks Visitors Bureau
Sep. 25, 2026

The Outer Banks offers endless inspiration for artists, from shifting light across the water and untamed dunes to maritime heritage and the imaginative people who live on these barrier islands.

Creative work appears throughout the region, including vivid murals, coastal photography, pottery, sculpture, jewelry and handmade goods. Nags Head’s South Virginia Dare Trail is home to Gallery Row, a concentration of galleries worth exploring.

Bring a camera, leave room in your shopping bag and set out along the Outer Banks Art Trail.

Choose Your Art Adventure

Begin with the kind of creative experience that fits your mood:

• 🎨 Look for Murals. Watch for colorful public art along the Outer Banks, with murals appearing everywhere from Kitty Hawk to Nags Head.
• 🖼️ Visit Galleries. See paintings, photography, sculpture, jewelry and other work created by local and regional artists.
• 🏺 Find Something Handmade. Bring home an Outer Banks memento, such as handcrafted pottery, coastal artwork, jewelry, fiber arts and other creative pieces.
• 🌊 Discover Hatteras Island Art. Take a slower route through galleries, pottery studios and artwork shaped by the sea and the island’s relaxed lifestyle.
• ✨ Create Your Own Souvenir. Join a class, workshop or hands-on activity and leave with something you made yourself.
• 📍 Follow an Art & Culture Itinerary. Build a complete getaway around creative and cultural stops with the three-day Outer Banks Art & Cultural itinerary.

Begin with a Mural Hunt

A gallery admission isn’t required to see the Outer Banks art scene. Some of its most memorable pieces are displayed in open view beside the beach roads.

More than a dozen murals line Croatan Highway, while other works appear in communities across the Outer Banks. Consider adding these stops to your route:

Ben Franklin Sea Life

Painter Rob Snyder created this Nags Head mural on the Ben Franklin building, filling it with underwater creatures from the area. It is often regarded as the Outer Banks’ most famous mural.

Butterfly Wings

At the Kitty Hawk Super Wings store, Buxton artist Kennedy Fletcher painted a playful mural made up of multiple panels. The colorful installation is a particularly popular place for selfies.

Reclaimed Wave

Will Morgan’s work at Seagreen Gallery in Nags Head combines mural and sculpture. The reclaimed wave incorporates recycled license plates and vintage street reflectors.

Great America XVIII: Achieving the Impossible

Sam Welty created this large mural beside Super Wings on N. Croatan Hwy. in Kitty Hawk as a tribute to the Wright Brothers’ pioneering aviation accomplishments. The adjoining Wings parking lot provides a place to park and view it more closely.

Tip: Make the search part of the experience. Look around while moving between towns, because public art can appear in surprising locations.

Explore Gallery Row in Nags Head

For an indoor art excursion, visit Gallery Row in Nags Head. Its galleries and creative shops offer paintings, photography, sculpture, jewelry, found objects and more.

Seaside Art Gallery

Operating since 1969, Seaside Art Gallery is the Outer Banks’ OG gallery. Its expansive 12-room space holds 2000+ original works by local and globally known artists. Visitors can also browse antiques, estate jewelry and animation art.

Seagreen Gallery

Seagreen Art Gallery brings together repurposed creations, local and global art, antiques, trinkets and souvenirs. The gardens behind the gallery are also worth seeing, with art and driftwood pieces available for purchase. A second, smaller — though equally eclectic — location can be found in Duck.

Glenn Eure’s Ghost Fleet Gallery

Glenn Eure’s Ghost Fleet Gallery occupies a Quonset-style hut-like building and has operated since 1983. Its collection includes original pieces in mixed media, sculptural oil canvases, water color, paintings, collagraphs, drawings and woodblock prints. Exhibits by local artists are also featured.

Find Local Art in Duck, Nags Head, and Manteo

Gallery Row is only one part of the Outer Banks creative landscape. More galleries, studios and shops throughout the area showcase work by local artists and makers.

The Real McCoy Honey & Pottery

In Nags Head, The Real McCoy Honey & Pottery combines a honey shop with a pottery showroom. The one of a kind store offers high quality goods in an approachable setting, including honey, hand-made beeswax candles, locally inspired art and handcrafted pottery. Every featured artist and all honey sold at the shop comes from a 100 mile radius.

Swell Ceramics

Swell Ceramics creates functional art with a coastal character. Its handcrafted pottery carries the colors, textures and rhythms of Outer Banks life into useful pieces designed to be enjoyed at home.

SeaDragon & Yellowhouse Gallery

Along the Duck Soundside Boardwalk, SeaDragon & Yellowhouse Gallery offers local and American art and photography. Its selection includes glass, pottery, soaps, clocks and jewelry, making it a worthwhile addition to a waterfront walk.

Dare County Arts Council

Dare Arts operates from a historic courthouse in downtown Manteo and serves as a center for the local creative community. Two rotating exhibition spaces present changing collections of paintings, photography, sculpture, pottery, glass and other work by artists from the area.

Silver Bonsai Gallery

In Manteo, Silver Bonsai Gallery brings together fine art, custom jewelry and the peaceful practice of bonsai. The combination makes it a distinctive destination for creativity on the Outer Banks.

Follow the Art to Hatteras Island

The creative energy continues south. Hatteras Island artists find ideas in the sea, maritime life and the unhurried character of island living.

Pea Island Art Gallery

Set inside a charming historic home, Pea Island Art Gallery displays local and regional artwork. It has become a favorite Hatteras Island stop for finding creative treasures.

Red Drum Pottery

Red Drum Pottery in Buxton blends pottery, music and local art. Browse handcrafted ceramics and artwork while experiencing Hatteras Island’s easygoing creative atmosphere.

Blue Pelican Gallery

Blue Pelican offers one of a kind finds, including ceramics, jewelry, photography, candles, cards and much more. Since opening in 2006, it has also included a yarn shop stocked with a dazzling array of yarns, needles and hooks for fiber arts. Its diverse, constantly changing inventory means every visit can reveal something different.

Make Something of Your Own

You can enjoy the Outer Banks creative community without being an art collector. Buy a handmade keepsake, take a class, observe an artist or try making something yourself.

The region offers hands-on opportunities involving pottery, painting, handmade jewelry and many other crafts.

For a trip centered on art, the Outer Banks Art & Cultural Itinerary combines galleries, creative shops, cultural attractions and additional experiences into a three-day arts-and-culture adventure.

Your Outer Banks Art Trail Awaits

Exploring art on the Outer Banks does not require following one prescribed route. A mural might appear during a drive to the beach, a gallery may invite an after-lunch visit, or a handmade object may turn out to be the piece you cannot leave behind.

Let your eye lead you from color to creativity and onward to whatever captures your attention.

That is the Outer Banks Art Trail.