Visit The Outer Banks

A Winter Chill on The Outer Banks

Beach time in winter has its own kind of magic on The Outer Banks. Pour a mug of hot cocoa, bring the sand sled, make your way to the east coast, and follow highway 12 until the road meets the end of the land. Guaranteed you'll find a cool, salty breeze and a secluded beach left for you to explore.

Holidays & Festivals

More families than ever are choosing the Outer Banks for their holiday trips. This winter brings beachside celebrations, seasonal spirit, and memorable holiday shopping. From Thanksgiving through Olde Christmas (January 6), every weekend offers more than a month of festive activities and family-friendly fun.

Signature seasonal events include WinterLights at the historic Elizabethan Gardens, Kites with Lights at Jockey's Ridge, the 12 Bars of Christmas or Misfits holiday bar tour, several holiday markets, NewYear's on the Banks music festival, Shuck Hatteras Oyster Festival, the Town of Manteo New Years Eve event, and the Duck Yuletide Celebration, among other OBX holiday traditions. Winter restaurant hours and openings are also available, along with a full events page for upcoming celebrations.

Discounted Rates

January is a major month for booking vacation rental homes, which account for about 80% of lodging across the Outer Banks. During winter, rental homes often offer major savings and may rent for half the price of peak season stays.

Watch winter’s first snowfall from an oceanfront home and step away from the pace of modern life. Take brisk, quiet beach walks and enjoy a slower rhythm. If you want a fire without sitting in the sand, many vacation homes include a fireplace filter to help you choose the right retreat. Fully stocked kitchens make it easier to prepare large holiday meals, or you can enjoy hearty food and quick service at the many restaurants that stay open during the season.

Stargazing

People are drawn to change, and few seasonal shifts are as beautiful as the winter palette of the Outer Banks. Sunrises and sunsets still carry reds and yellow, while the night sky turns to deep blues and whites. Clear, unpolished winter nights create excellent conditions for stargazing. Look for local gatherings and events that celebrate dark skies and the Milky Way, away from the glow of big city lights.

Beachcombing

At night, the treasures are overhead; by day, they wash up along the shore. With fewer people on the beaches and seasonal changes in prevailing winds, winter can improve the odds of discovering a perfect coastal keepsake.

Beachcombing is an easy activity for nearly everyone, whether that means strolling for sea glass or searching the tide line for shells left behind overnight. Sea glass on the Outer Banks is distinctive because there were no factories here. Every piece of glass arrived from somewhere else in the world. Whether the color is red, blue, green or yellow, each shade points back to a specific place of origin.

Shipwrecks

Explore the long-resting stories of the Outer Banks at the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum. The Graveyard of the Atlantic refers to the offshore region where some 3,000 shipwrecks lie beneath the water from Kitty Hawk south to Ocracoke.

This part of the North Carolina coast once took many ships and crews because of dangerous shoals and shifting underwater sandbars. Today, some wrecks can be seen from land, and the area also draws scuba divers. The vessels span from the earliest colonial ships of the 1500’s through the Civil War and both World Wars, including the most German U-boats sunk off any state coast in America.

Vacation Rentals

Beach Realty - Kitty Hawk

Beach Realty manages over 400 homes from Duck to South Nags Head. Family Owned since 1964, The Outer Banks rental company offers vacation homes for beach stays.

Brindley Beach Vacations - Duck

Outer Banks, NC - Brindley Beach Vacations provides 500+ vacation homes across a variety of price ranges.

Brindley Beach Vacations - Frisco

Outer Banks, NC - Brindley Beach Vacations provides 500+ vacation homes across a variety of price ranges.

Brindley Beach Vacations - Kitty Hawk

Outer Banks, NC - Brindley Beach Vacations provides 500+ vacation homes across a variety of price ranges.

Brindley Beach Vacations - Salvo

Outer Banks, NC - Brindley Beach Vacations provides 500+ vacation homes across a variety of price ranges.

Carolina Designs Realty

Carolina Designs Realty has helped guests find Outer Banks vacation homes since 1988 and is described as a trusted source for local rentals.

Hatteras Realty (Avon)

Hatteras Realty is Back! The company is locally led and hospitality-first, helping connect guests with Hatteras Island stays.

Hatteras Realty (Hatteras)

Hatteras Realty is Back! The company is locally led and hospitality-first, helping connect guests with Hatteras Island stays.

Hatteras Realty (Waves)

Hatteras Realty is Back! The company is locally led and hospitality-first, helping connect guests with Hatteras Island stays.

Joe Lamb Jr. & Associates Vacation Rentals

Joe Lamb Jr. & Associates offers quality vacation rental accommodations for Outer Banks visitors.

Winter Activities

Wright Brothers National Memorial

Guests can explore the newly updated visitor center, along with interactive aviation exhibits and activities.

The Nature Conservancy at Nags Head Woods Preserve

Old-growth oaks, hickories, and beech trees, including some hundreds of years old, rise out of the sand to form a distinctive preserve.

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

Due to ongoing restoration efforts the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse will not be available for climbing.

Bodie Island Lighthouse

Located just south of Nags Head, the current Bodie Island Lighthouse is the third lighthouse to stand in that area.

Outer Banks Adventures & Water Sports

Outer Banks Adventures & Water Sports offers Land, Sea & Air Adventures with OBA, including Air Boat Rides, Jet Ski Rentals & Jet Ski Tours.

Hatteras Island Horseback Riding

Hatteras Island Horseback Riding operates on Hatteras Island, part of North Carolina's Outer Banks, with beach rides offered on the shore.

North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island

Visitors can discover the waters in and around the Outer Banks through exhibits and educational experiences at North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island.

Kitty Hawk Kites & Adventures

Kitty Hawk Kites & Adventures helps visitors find fun things to do in OBX and serves as a one-stop shop for activities.

Island Farm

Island Farm invites visitors to slow down and explore a living history site that interprets everyday life on Roanoke.

More OBX Seasons

Visit the OBX Winter Guide | Things to Do on The Outer Banks This Season page →