Your Outer Banks CME conference.

Outer Banks after your study day

Study days finish at 2:00 PM Outer Banks time. In Nags Head, Jockey’s Ridge State Park describes itself as home to the tallest living sand dune system on the Atlantic coast. It has a hiking trail of about 1 mile from the Main Access at 300 W. Carolista Drive and about 0.75 mile at the Soundside Access at 330 W. Soundside Road, and it offers hang gliding with registration, sandboarding and kite flying. At the Soundside Access you can paddle, swim, kiteboard and windsurf on Roanoke Sound, and the park marks the eastern end of the Mountains-to-Sea State Trail. It has no camping, and the park notes that sand can get much hotter than the air. Its hours vary by month and by access point, and it closes on Christmas Day, so check the park’s page against your 2:00 PM finish.

Visit the Outer Banks also suggests Jennette’s Pier, a historic pier known for fishing and ocean views, the Bodie Island Lighthouse, where you can climb for views of the barrier islands, and a sound cruise where you may see bottlenose dolphins, along with art galleries in town. Travel, lodging and attraction entry are arranged separately from your study day, so choose one outing per afternoon.

Kill Devil Hills and the first flight

Wright Brothers National Memorial honors the first successful airplane flights on December 17, 1903. The monument stands on Big Kill Devil Hill, a large boulder and plaque mark where the 1903 flyer took off, and visitors can walk the flight line where the brothers landed. The memorial’s page also mentions a museum, and the tourism board’s Kill Devil Hills guide describes interactive exhibits at the visitor center.

The same guide lists Nags Head Woods Preserve for hiking through maritime forest, guided kayak tours through marshes, and Avalon Fishing Pier, described as one of the few remaining wooden piers on the North Carolina coast. The tourism board says 4x4 vehicles are allowed on the beach in Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head in fall, with some rules, so read them before you drive onto the sand.

Roanoke Island and Manteo

Visit the Outer Banks describes Manteo, on Roanoke Island, as a town with a walkable waterfront downtown and B&Bs, calls Roanoke Island a place “where our country started,” and gives about 20 miles from Kitty Hawk to Manteo. Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, on the island, covers Algonquian-speaking peoples, the first English colonies, a Freedmen’s Colony and an inventor testing new radio technology. Its Waterside Theater has hosted the Lost Colony Drama since 1937, and the park has two trails with forested scenery and shoreline views. Check its alerts page for current conditions.

The tourism board lists the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island as an indoor option on a rainy day and the Elizabethan Gardens for spring blooms in sunken gardens.

South along the islands

The tourism board gives about 63 miles from Manteo to Hatteras Village and about 78 miles from Duck to Hatteras Village, so a trip south is a day plan. Cape Hatteras National Seashore lists lifeguarded beaches, sound-side kayaking, fishing, off-road vehicle areas and four campgrounds. Visit the Outer Banks says the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is closed to climbing during restoration, so check its current status. In fall, Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge sees more than 400 migrating species, and the board lists the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum among its shipwreck stops.

When to visit the Outer Banks

In fall, the tourism board gives September highs in the 80s and lows in the 60s, October highs in the low 70s and November highs in the mid-60s, with water from the upper 70s in September to the low-to-mid 60s in November. Fall brings fewer crowds, and September to mid-October is the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season, so check conditions before you travel. The board adds that beach fires are allowed with regulations in Nags Head and Cape Hatteras National Seashore, the red drum run picks up in fall, and oyster season starts in mid-October.

Spring winds shift from the northeast and draw kiteboarders, surfers and bodyboarders. Winter brings a cool, salty breeze, clear nights and many restaurants that stay open. Summer’s high temperatures warm the ocean, and the board mentions a light ocean breeze.

Getting to the Outer Banks and your study setting

The tourism board lists Norfolk International Airport (ORF) in Virginia as 82 miles north, about an hour and a half from the northern beaches. Raleigh-Durham International is 192 miles west and Coastal Carolina Airport in New Bern is 138 miles southwest. Two roads run north to south, and the board recommends Route 460 when possible to avoid congestion on Interstate 64, which can be very congested in summer. Travelers approaching from the south can take car ferries, which the board says takes longer. Lodging across the Outer Banks ranges from hotels, motels and cottage courts to campgrounds, vacation rentals and B&Bs.

The map shows straight-line distances from Shift’s designated center. These are orientation distances, not driving distances or travel-time estimates. Check your exact address against the conference’s check-in area before booking.