Romantic Outer Banks Getaways Inspired by Nights in Rodanthe

Step back into the love story from the major motion picture Nights in Rodanthe, featuring Richard Gere and Diane Lane and adapted from the bestselling novel by Nicholas Sparks. Filmed in the Hatteras Island village of Rodanthe, the movie’s real Outer Banks of North Carolina settings are places visitors can experience in person today.

The oceanfront cottage shown in the film still stands, and the wild, beautiful shoreline of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore surrounds the area with the same atmosphere that drew Hollywood to Hatteras Island. The Inn at Rodanthe is now a vacation rental home, giving guests the chance to stay where the movie was brought to life.

Beach House The Inn at Rodanthe

In the film, Diane Lane’s character, Adrienne, arrives at the Inn to run it while the owner is away for several days. The house served as the setting for every exterior Inn scene. Before production started, the home was altered with new windows, blue decorative shingles, a weather vane, a new sign, added porches and railings, more decking, and landscaping.

Richard Gere and Diane Lane filmed at the house across many days, and several helicopter shots were captured there as well.

Today, The Inn at Rodanthe operates as a vacation rental home, so visitors can spend a few days living in a place made famous on screen.

Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge – Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge sits between Oregon Inlet and Rodanthe. This 6000-acre refuge provides habitat for more than 360 species of birds. Between spring and autumn, visitors may spot many kinds of wading birds, shorebirds, and upland birds.

The S Turn just north of Rodanthe

Traveling south on highway NC 12, just before entering Rodanthe, the road bends through a set of winding turns. In the movie, a scene with a herd of wild Outer Banks ponies was filmed on the ocean side of the road at this spot.

Today, visitors can pull off along the roadside and walk over the dunes to reach a well-known beach area appreciated for its natural beauty and constantly shifting shoreline.

Jo-Bob’s General Store

Jo-Bob’s General Store appears in the film as the place where village residents and island inhabitants buy storm supplies before the storm reaches the island. Only the building’s exterior was used for filming. Diane Lane was filmed at this location.

Hatteras Island Fishing Pier, the Rodanthe Pier

The small store at Hatteras Island Fishing Pier was used for interior scenes showing activity before the storm. A large we survived the hurricane party scene was also filmed here at night, with 400 extras and most of the principal characters involved.

That evening, wind speeds reached 25-30 mph, and filming continued until 4 am. Both Richard Gere and Diane Lane filmed scenes at this site.

Hatteras/Ocracoke Ferry Terminal

This location was used for aerial and ground footage showing Richard Gere arriving on Hatteras Island by ferry.

Old Oregon Inlet Station

Exterior beach scenes of Richard Gere and Diane Lane walking and talking were filmed with Old Oregon Inlet Station visible in the background.

Rodanthe/Waves/Salvo Community Center

The Rodanthe/Waves/Salvo Community Center served as the Base of Operations and the first stop each day for the cast and crew throughout the Outer Banks filming period of 2 ½ weeks.

The site held the costume shop, makeup trailer, catering trucks, machine shop, cast and crew trailers, business offices, and other vehicles. Each filming day started and finished here.