Day trip on Ocracoke Island

We are going to be staying in Nags Head and we hope to drive down for a day trip to Ocracoke. We want to do some shopping and possibly rent bikes. We will have two children with us a 5 year old and a 2 year old. How long do you think our travel time will be, what is the biggest must see of the area and, does the bike rental offer child seats on bikes?

Day trip on Ocracoke Island

You don%26#39;t say what time of the year you will be coming but assuming the summer, I would plan on 1 1/2 hours each way. It is 60 miles from the 258/12 intersection but in the summer traffic can be heavy. I would advise not making the trip on a Saturday or Sunday as those are change over days. Not only is there more traffic but the ferries will also be more crowded. Add to the 1 1/2 another hour for the ferry ride and short trip to the village. Depending on traffic you may have to wait at the ferry since they have cut back on runs due to budget cuts. The earlier you get to the ferry the better.

Now the must sees, that can vary by person to person but I would say Silver Lake, the lighthouse and the British Cemetary. I would also make a trip down Howard street, it is a glimpse of old Ocracoke.

You should not have a problem with bikes. I know the place on the corner (where Hwy 12 takes a sharp turn in the village) has what you need. Hope you have a nice trip.

Kirk

Day trip on Ocracoke Island

We are coming in a couple of weeks, the last week of May. Thank you for the information, the trip from Nags Head to Ocracoke sounds very reasonable. I am looking forward to it.

We recently stayed in Ocracoke and loved it.

I would also suggest stopping by the Pony corral about half way from ferry to Ocracoke. You can also access the Beach just across the road. There are probably 3 or 4 major points of pedestrian beach access. The one at ferry part of island (north) had really good shells, but takes about a bit of a walk from access. There is also beach access near Ocracoke just before turn off to airport.

Teach Hole, the blackbeard exhibit might be interesting, but your kids may be a bit young. Get a flyer in tourist center to save $1 per entry ($3 instead of $4). Good bit on info, fairly small. Skip if you already know Blackbeard history.

Check out Bodie Island Lighthouse and Hatteras Lighthouse on drive down. Use insect repellant, the mosquitos attacked me at Bodie. We did not have problems with insects on beach due to wind.

Doubt you will get there early enough but there is a Pirate Cruise on sailboat in Ocracoke that might be nice for the kids. We enjoyed the sunset sail. Nice people who run the trip. No doubt they would be entertaining on the pirate cruise.

We stayed in Nags Head first 3 days. Be sure to visit Jockey Ridge State Park and take kids on the Tracks in Sand walk to get out on the dunes. Really neat. Roanoake Island Festival Park was pretty nice. It is half price (4 instead of 8) on Sundays.Currituck Lighthouse north of Nags head was also pretty.

On Ocracoke, one other neat little walk. Just beyond the Lighthouse is Springer Point. Fairly short walk through preserved forest to ocean at point. Really neat with info on the flora on signs. Must have insect repellant.

No car parking, better to ride the bikes and park in bike rack. Could do this in about an hour or so. Shady walk.

Good info Scott, glad to hear you enjoyed your trip. I will be back on island for two weeks in a few weeks, can%26#39;t wait.

One thing we stumbled on a few years ago with the pony pens is that during the season the Park Service has specific times they allow you to feed the horses and give a little talk about their history plus a question and answer session. One neat thing is that Ocracoke used to have the only mounted Boy Scout troop in the country using the wild horses. They post the schedule for this and any other activities they are conducting at the office located at the ferry ramp on Silver Lake.

One item I left out that I think is a must see is the Ocracoke Preservation Society building. It is located in the parking lot for the boat ramp next to the ferry ramp on Silver Lake. It has alot of history, even a short video on the island.

Kirk