Celebrating the 4th of July, or any other occasion for
that matter, at North Carolina’s Hatteras Island
is sure to be rewarding, fun, relaxing, and memorable.
Hatteras Island is part of the Cape
Hatteras National Seashore, which begins just south
of Nags Head. Cape Hatteras
was designated as the country’s first National Seashore,
and it is one of the most visited U.S. national parks.
If you are looking for some of the best beaches
in North Carolina, then your Hatteras Island vacation
won’t let you down. There are some 70 miles
of stunningly beautiful beaches found along the Cape Hatteras
chain of islands, and many of them are pretty unaffected
by man. Ocracoke Island, which is part of Cape Hatteras
and was once a base for Blackbeard the Pirate, has beaches
that are consistently hailed as some of the best in the
country, which should give you an idea of just how good
fun in the sun can be here.
There is a maritime forest on Hatteras Island that is
worth exploring when you aren’t enjoying the beaches,
and it offers a bit of a break from the winds and water
that constantly reshape the Cape Hatteras shoreline.
Due to the relatively high winds here, kite flying is
surely a favorite Hatteras Island vacation pastime, and
when the wind and surf is up, surfing, kite-boarding,
and body-boarding are sure to please. Should you
head over to Buxton Woods to enjoy a picnic or to hike
its trails, you won’t be too far from the Cape Hatteras
Lighthouse, which is the tallest in the nation.
There is a visitor center at the lighthouse that also
serves as a small, historical museum. The visitor
center is open year round, while the lighthouse itself
is open from April to mid-October. Fishing
is just one more thing that Cape Hatteras is well known
for, and anglers enjoying a Hatteras Island vacation will
find plenty of outfitters to get them out on the water.
Hatteras Island, and Cape Hatteras in general, is a
great place to enjoy the natural splendor of this stretch
of the Outer Banks, though
due to increasing tourism demands, you can also expect
plenty in the way of vacation-related facilities and amenities.
Shopping and dining during a Hatteras Island vacation
are both a joy, and in recent years especially, the number
of excellent Hatteras Island rentals has increased.
A nice array of hotels/motels compliments the Hatteras
Island rentals selection, and since Hatteras Island camping
is so big, you might consider that as well. There
are more than a dozen campsites on Hatteras Island, and
they differ considerably, so you are sure to find the
right campground for your wants and needs. Rates
at the Hatteras Island
rentals and hotels go up in the summer, and some of
these establishments close in the winter. Though
summers are the top season here, the weather is fairly
mild enough during the other months, so you might also
consider a Hatteras Island vacation in the spring and
fall.
