Our beach house was with walking distance from this park. Which was nice little detour to do if you…read moreweren't in the mood for the beach. Especially since it can get quite hot while down here. There is so much to do in this park. Throughout the year, and especially in the summer, they have events. During the summer, it is almost daily events that you can partake in. They had music in the park one night, but with our place being so close, all we had to do was sit on the porch to listen. There is also a farmer's market, exercising in the park, I believe art in the park. If that is not your thing, there is definitely things here that could keep you busy. It should go without saying, there is a stage/bandshell area. There is a picnic area if you wanted to bring food and hang out. If you have kids, they definitely have you covered here. There is a decently sized playground (right near the public restrooms, convenient). This playground is quite extensive and inclusive. Slides, swings, seesaws, monkey bars...you name it, it is here. A lot of them are wheelchair accessible. Then there is the sandbox, complete with a turtle making it look like you are on the beach. The sidewalks here are interesting as well. Every so often you will see a seashell in the cement. Turtle tracks near the sandbox. Fossils on the climbing rocks for the jungle gym. They really put some thought into this place. Also available here for you to enjoy, horseshoe pit, cornhole, basketball court, pickle ball court, and bocce ball court. The thing about the bocce ball court, they have the state champs for Special Olympics here, complete with a plaque of sorts. One of the neatest thing here, you know those free little libraries? They got one that is a little free art library. Tiny little pieces of art that you can take with you. Bookmarks, small drawings, magnets, shells, all free for the taking. Supplied by the local community or those visiting.

Great park with lots of parking. If you can't find immediate parking there's a lot at the school…read more Just drive past the park and turn right and turn into the school lots. On Thursdays there's a nice farmers and craft market. There's a nice produce stand with lots of local product. Many of the stalls are local artists and bakers. I love lots of the beach theme products, all very good quality.

BLUF: A lovely, scenic small state park with exhibits and a new 1/3 mile ADA accessible walkway…read more I never grow tired of visiting "sand mountain" whether on the ridge, at the soundside beach or in the exhibits. The impressive, new 1/3 mile long boardwalk is fantastic and gets visitors of all capabilities closer than ever to the dunes.

Jockey's Ridge is so gorgeous. My advice, come in the evening when the sun isn't beating down on…read moreyou causing you to wish for destruction once up top, it's breezy and cooler but still - in the heat of the day it can be intense! Make sure to grab a kite to buy from kitty hawk kites before climbing the dunes! It's such a fun and integral part of any OBX vacation experience!

We went in the evening in early May so the weather was nice. We were the only people there but it…read moreseems most fitting for smaller kids 2-6. It's close to an ice cream place so it's perfect place to let the littles enjoy their ice cream and run off some energy.

Small park adjacent to Jeanette's Pier and Sam & Omie's Restaurant. Four covered picnic tables,…read moreslides, obstacle course, swing set and an accessible swing. Bocce ball, volleyball, and horseshoe courts (bring your own equipment). Accessible portable toilet. Bike rack. Plenty of parking. Stopped here with the kids to burn some energy before dinner. Good option before/after visiting the pier.

Had no place to park motor home overnight that would allow me to run generator or plug-in. I have…read moremedical equipment that needs power 24/7 and no power also means no A/C. NO accommodations for RVs passing through without reservations made months in advance. The park ranger lied that I was asked to vacate a parking lot at the airport that was marked 24 hour parking. Was given $155 ticket for parking overnight. A beautiful area, to bad the rangers aren't more accommodating.

Nice national park site. Beach area is clean and easily accessible. Camping is no frills but gets…read morejob done. Entry visitor center closed because of fire. Nice junior ranger program. Not a destination but worth a stop in area.

Great find while staying in Nags Head! We walked here from Dowdy park. Next time we will drive and…read morepark in the lot since they have marked hiking trails. Lovely views of flora and fauna. Bring bug spray, sun screen, and water!

Beautiful views. Bring serious bug spray and a camera. I…read morewish they marked the beginning of the trails and paths better. I mean even some spray on the trees would work!

Best pier around. Great area with lots to see and do. Light houses and restaurants an allread more

$2 covers the Pier, a couple of exhibits, a gift shop (super friendly staff) clean restrooms, and…read moreparking. The Main exhibit was down for maintenance, but the other ones were engaging. A couple of statues for photo ops and the view from the pier. You can fish (additional cost) or just enjoy watching the fishing, body boarders on the side, and the birds. Not bad for $2

Bottom Line: One of Nags Head's best kept secret and a great place for adventures and spectators…read morealike. Harvey Public Sound Access, aka Harvey Sound Access or Harvey Soundside Park, is one of those places that you debate yelping because you kinda want to keep it a secret. But, Harvey Public Sound Access is a public park and information about it is already in the public domain so here we go . . . As the name implies, this narrow public space is located on the sound at Mile Post 16 and gives locals and tourists alike access to the sound. There is a launch here for small waterctaft like kayaks, jet skis, kite boards and windsurfing whatchamagigs. For those trailering their water toys there are several long parking spaces to accommodate that set up. If watersports isn't your thing this is a terrific spot for spectating! There are several picnic tables under a pavilion offering spectacular views of all the action on the sound. Unless you are wanting to reserve the park for a private event, picnic tables are first come, first served. It's not uncommon to see locals relaxing here while on their break from work. Amenities at the park includes the pavilion, bathrooms and a water fountain. I think there might be a grill and power outlet too. If you're looking for a place to swim in the sound this isn't it because there's not a beach per se. (For sound side swimming I recommend the beach on the south side of Jockey's Ridge State Park.) Overall, this is a wonderfully serene and entertaining spot in Nags Head.

I had a wonderful day at The Elizabethan Gardens! It was filled with beautiful flowers and…read morebutterflies! First passed through the store, they had unique hair clips, bags, jewelry, etc. Then on the trail we went. It was colorful and breathtaking! There are statues and fountains which adds even more charm. I could have stayed there all day. I saw frogs, squirrels, and garden spiders. Bathrooms were clean, parking ample. Prices were decent. We had a great time!

I would have rated my visit at 5 stars, but sadly I was there at the beginning of April when most…read morethings were not in bloom. The facility has some lovely grounds with loads of different trees, flowers, and plant species. The flowers that were in bloom were lovely and all the grounds were clean and tidy. I did enjoy the fact that they piped classical music around the grounds, giving a very upscale vibe.

We had a wonderful week of camping here. We fell asleep listening to the waves and the coastal…read morewind. We had a breathtaking view of the stars ! The dunes offered beautiful sunset views from the top. We also had the beach pretty much completely to ourselves to watch the gorgeous sunrise . It was also great for shelling ! I would highly recommend staying here ! The campground was so nice and quiet. The only thing that would be nice to change , is to add some lights in the shower area and some shelves in the restrooms .

Absolutely horrifying experience…read more It started with the camp hosts allowing primitive campers in when the bathrooms and showers were closed and nailed shut. This promoted grown men urinating and defecating in full view, just feet from our Airstream - which was facing the nailed shut bath house. Knowing it would be obvious who reported them, we remained silent, as we were there for a week. THEN, *supposedly" some senior male Karen (again, supposedly) claimed we put our trained K9 out at 6am (we don't even wake up until 9am-10am) and allowed him to bark for 2 hours (never happened- again, trained K9 who was happily snoring in bed when this blatant lie was formulated). When we realised it was provably a lie, because we have security cameras (4) inside and out. Cameras showed we awoke and didn't open the doors the first time until 9.38am on the day in question (even later the morning before). the ranger's wife was almost revelling in repeatedly telling me that if the SUPPOSED male Karen complained (lied) again, she would *have to* call the sheriff on us??? Oh, but we should keep the camera footage that she didn't want to see, as proof. Sure. Riiight. We spent the remainder of our non-refundable week with the shades drawn and recording and saving every time we stepped out with our innocent dog should a false police report be filed by the ranger's wife. Hellish week that we couldn't enjoy because of lying, old Karens/Kevins and disgusting, exhibitionist men.

This is an absolute MUST VISIT if you're ever in the area. The views are incredible & the…read morelighthouse & grounds are well kept. We enjoyed walking the pier and seeing multiple views of the lighthouse. There is ample parking and despite the original house being under construction due to a fire, there are plenty of restrooms.

After visiting the Hatteras Lighthouse and finding it all wrapped up in scaffolding, I was super…read moreexcited to get here to Bodie Island to find this one ready to photograph and visit. The Bodie Island Lighthouse is a striking black-and-white banded tower that has stood sentinel over the Outer Banks since 1872. This lighthouse is the third built in the area--the first, constructed in 1847, was abandoned due to a poor foundation, and the second, built in 1859, was destroyed during the Civil War by retreating Confederate troops. The current structure rises 156 feet and houses an original first-order Fresnel lens, casting light visible for up to 19 nautical miles. It was automated in 1940 and later transferred to the National Park Service in 1953. After extensive restoration, it opened to the public for climbing in 2013. Visitors can ascend its 219 steps for panoramic views of the surrounding marshes and Roanoke Sound. The lighthouse is part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore and remains one of the few tall brick lighthouses in the U.S. still equipped with its original lens. It was way too hot today to try climbing anything let alone that. I took my pictures and was more than satisfied. [Round number review 800 of 2025 - 4232 in North Carolina - 24360 overall]