We decided to take a day trip on the free ferry to Ocracoke while staying in the Outer Banks…read more There isn't a TON to do on this island, so we decided to stop here to check out the beach. I LOVE that they have a nice walkway to the beach, makes it easier than having to trudge through the sand with a cooler. Also great that they have bathrooms on premise as I despise port-a-potties, sadly it was all closed during the government shut down. The parking lot is a little bit on the small side, so it might be best to try to arrive earlier in the day to secure parking. I spotted a warning sign about rip currents and I think it's great that they have this! Be careful, my friends on past OBX trips had some scary situations when they were caught in the dangerous rip tides. The beach here is beautiful and tranquil. It was cold when we visited in December, but I could see this as an amazing place to go for a stroll by the water. If you have some time to kill before you board the ferry back to the mainland, this is a nice place to stop. If you are here in the summer, pack a lunch and come here for the day.

Bottom Line: A nicely maintained day use area for people of all abilities to enjoy the pristine…read moreOcracoke Beach. The Ocracoke Day Use Area is a specific plot of land and accompanying facilities on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. "Ocracoke Day Use Area" is the official name given to this public space by the National Park Service who maintains and operates this area. In the summer months the Ocracoke Day Use Area is a popular destination for those vacationing on Ocracoke Island and wanting to feel the sand between their toes or take a dip in the Atlantic. I imagine this beach access is popular because it has a large parking lot and it is the closest developed beach access to Ocracoke Village. In addition to a paved parking lot, the Ocracoke Day Use Area has the following amenities: - changing rooms - bathrooms - outdoor shows - handicap accessible bathrooms - beach access/boardwalk - bike rack Speaking of accessibility, a few years ago the NPS upgraded the beach access/boardwalk at this location. The boardwalk is lengthy but it has a gentle slope to be compliant with the Architectural Barriers Act. (I suspect that also means it is ADA compliant.) The boardwalk divides around the dune line and one section goes to a lovely scenic overlook while the other section descends onto the beach. So even if you're not up for getting sandy, you can still enjoy the beach. There are various places on Ocracoke Island to access the beach via motor vehicle but I don't think this is one of them. You'll need a permit which can be purchased at the Ocracoke Visitors Center. And I believe you can also rent beach wheelchairs there too.

10 stars!!! We worked with Seth and Desiree. THEY WERE BOTH AWESOME!!! Let me attempt to…read moreelaborate... So, this adventure all started on our last day of our vacation. 'Twas a dark and storming morning in Ocracoke, but we still wanted to go out with a bang. We called the office number on the pamphlet that we picked up a few days before (they're not always sitting there, because they have a life, BUT they do always answer the phone listed on the pamphlet and are happy to answer questions)! Anyways, I called and reserved a spot at around 10 am for noon, hoping it would clear up by then enough for a quick ride. It did! But we wanted to go out at low tide to find some Sand bars, so we moved our time to 3 pm- during the 2-3 calls full of questions and scheduling, Desiree was an absolute sweetheart. She truly cared about our experience and accommodating our needs. When we checked in, we were told we were going to be accompanied by Seth for various reasons, I'm sure it was mostly due to weather and low tide concerns (ps don't expect this, it's just a nice treat when it happens!). We were happy about that! A local who knows the good spots is never a bad thing. The rest of the check in process was standard filling out paperwork. The entire time though Desiree was chatting with my boyfriend about a book they both have read- so nice to have pleasant conversation instead of just a stale transaction of money and activity like so many places do. Anyways, Seth took us out and we had an absolute BLAST! Seth was funny, accommodating, asked us what we wanted to do/where we wanted to go and was so laid back. HIGHLY recommend this team. They deserve major kudos from the boss! They have been the sweetest locals on the island thus far.

This guy know what they are doing and are good at it. I've have been on many fishing boats but…read morenever have fished out of Hatteras. I looked for a good boat to fish from my research led me to this guy. I wanted to make sure this trip would be good because this was the first offshore fishing trip for 2 of the guys. We talked to the captain and agreed on what and how to fish. He knew of a good fishing spot and wanted to be the first boat there so is asked us to be there at 5am just to ensure us a great chance to catch some quality fish. We decided that we would aim for 30 mahi-mahi and then try to catch tuna or wahoo. Well we put 29 mahi-mahi on the boat before lunch and switched fishing styles and got a Citation size wahoo and a couple of other dolphins. I would say this was one of the best fishing trips I've been on and would recommend this guy to anyone who loves to fish.

Absolutely terrible experience. We went early June as a gift for my son for his graduation and…read moreenlisting in the army gift. We left the dock an hour late and returned 2 hours early. Didn't get to drop fish like agreed instead he chased blackfin tuna for 4 hours despite us asking multiple times to change species the mate "taterbug" was rude and abrasive. Both the captain and mate were obviously keyed up on some form of narcotics. When we returned to the dock much earlier then discussed. They informed us that in addition to the 1800$ we paid for the trip that we "owed" the mate an additional 200$ per person as a tip. When we argued the insane demand as way more than he earned the mate went to other boats and got the other mates stirred up and we spent 20 minutes getting screamed at and insulted by the dock . Since our return home we have been harassed by call and text from multiple people at odens dock . They made what was supposed to be a great lifetime memory for my son and I into a nightmare. Just terrible

My family has been out on the Little Clam numerous times, we try to get out at least 3 times a…read moreyear. We have never come back empty handed, actually coolers are always overflowing. Capt. Patrick is very knowledgable about the area and where the different species of fish like to congregate. We always have a great time on the Little Clam and we are sure you will to! Happy Fishing! I

Fantastic sunset cruise! Capt. Rob and crew were incredibly knowledgeable and skilled and we were…read moreable to sit back and enjoy the views. We even got to steer the boat for a while! Great experience and the added COVID precautions were a plus!

Had a wonderful private sunset cruise with Captain Rob and his daughter on our visit to Ocracoke…read more Can't say enough nice things. Captain Rob knows all the stories and legends of the outer banks. If you only see one sunset this year, do it on the Schooner Windfall.

This is a twofer review. We went on 2 tours with the Austins while on Ocracoke for a weeklong…read morevacation recently. This is our second time to go on the ATV Tour and jthe first time for a new tour they are offering, the Sand Bar Cruise. Both are fantastic! We have such a great time with these down to earth folks. First on the ATV Tour...you show up at their office/umbrella stand that is adjacent to the Jolly Roger Marina on the main drag in Ocracoke on Siler Lake Harbor. Bring these thing with you for certain: SUNSCREEN, GOOD BUG SPRAY. Other items you will need: Water, a few snacks if you are bringing kids and maybe some beach towels. Wear your bathing suit under your clothes. You jump in the boat with Wade (a native Ocracoker...very nice) and a guide and off you go (at a great clip) to Portsmouth Island. It is about a 15 minute boat ride. When you get there Wade will beach the boat and help you off and then he leaves you on the island with your super nice quide. You then hop on some ATV Mules (some with windshields, some without-try to get one with!) and away you go. She will take you to the edge of the Historic Portsmouth Village. Before you get there she stops and lets you DRENCH yourself with bug spray. Because this is a deserted island and a National Park, they don't do commercial mass spraying which is a must on the Outer Banks. THE BUGS ARE TERRIBLE!!! It is almost not worth going to the village because of this, but it is a really neat place. The place is like it was left when the last permanent resident left (back in the late 60's I believe). There is a life saving station with all kinds of informative displays including a replica boat. There is the post office, a really nbeat church that really shows the damage of Hurricane Emily and about 6 other houses. It is a walking tour and it is quite a hike and very buggy, but I swear it is worth it if you have any interest in this sort of thing. When you are done looking over the village, you will dash back out to your ATV (they aren't aloud in the village and you have to park where the bugs are the worst..so run!) and then you go back out the the beach where there are practically NO BUGS. There is great shelling here as hardly anyone takes te private ferry (that costs about $200@ car) so you have the beach all to yourself and for the remander of the tour (which is 4 hours total) you go check out the beach and look for shells (we always find big conch/welks!) You ,may even see some fishermen on the beach. While we were there one pulled in a STINGRAY! They let it go while we were there, thank goodness. Then back down the beach to meet Wade and he takes you back to Ocracoke. This tour is expensive (hence the deduction of 1 star) it is $85 per person. But I really think it is worth the money. NOW for the Sand Bar tour. This is the BANG-FOR-YOUR-BUCK experience on Ocracoke Island. It was WONDERFUL! You get on The Native Son, the Austins' new Pontoon Cruiser. It is very nice. THINGS TO TAKE: sunscreen, towels, chairs, a filled cooler, your beach book-basically whatever you would normally take to the beach with you. They have plenty of room on the boat. When we went , Wade and his wife and kids went with us alond with about 15 other people. The boat holds about 30 or so people and so you are very comfortable on the ride out to the Sand Bar. You go about 2/3 of the way to Portsmouth Island and Wade very smoothly and professionally steers you to the barely visable patch of sand and you disembark. You are on the tour for about 3 hours, and in that time, the Sand Bar keeps getting bigger a the tide is falling the entire time. The area you can explore is almost unlimited. The water on the sandbar varies in depth, from about 6" deep to over your head swimming holes. And all this is about 2 miles off shore! It is SO NEAT. While we were there my nephews (the buddied up with Wade's kids, Hayden and Colby) caught about 20 crabs and we found about 40 sand dollars!! It was so nice. Before we left the sandbar was about as big as half a football field exposed. We just turned our kids loose (ages 13 and 10). They had the most fun we had on the whole trip. This is the best deal on the island. $40 for the adults and $20 for the kids! You can't beat that with a stick! And there was even a coupon in the 'Sunny Deals' guide that is in every store for $5 off the adults! Fantastic. We will DEF be going back for more sand bar tours with the Wade Family. BOIL IT DOWN-If you have the cash go on...BOTH! If you are having to choose between the two, We like the Sand Bar Tour...no bugs and tons of laid back fun. If you need to be a little more entertained, the guided tour of Portsmouth Island is for you. Both are fun...its all about your prefrence.

My wife and I booked a morning trip during a recent stay on Ocracoke. We loved this excursion. Our…read moreguide, Mark, was personable and responsive to the desires of the group; my wife wanted to see one house in particular in the village, and he made sure we did. The ATVs were well-used but ran great and were a blast to drive on the beach. We would most definitely do this again. Well worth the money.

The drive alone was worth it !!! The views while driving over the causeway were amazing. The…read moreVisitor Center was staffed by friendly & helpful Staff. The displays are well done and do an excellent job of illustrating the local wildlife. This Visitor Center has Cancelation Stamps for this refuge along with two others (Cedar & Swanquarter). The old lodge adjacent to the Visitor Center is worth a look along with the trails & the pond. Saw an alligator and several birds while visiting.

Great visitors center/headquarters with information about the residents of the refuge. Staff was…read moreall helpful and welcoming. One was shoveling snow for a safer walkway in the parking lot. What a rare sight! Paved roads take through the largest lake in NC with observation areas. The end of January is an excellent time to see many tundra swans. We also saw bald eagle snow geese, and many birds on this Atlantic fly away. The lake was icy and made for amazing pictures. PBS NC was filming with Bernie Harberts and his donkey and covered wagon. The Episode about Lake Mattamuskeet and the transformation of the pump station and hunting lodge is due out in June 2025. It was great to peak into the lodge, normally closed to the public for now, but big renovations are ahead.

We found a lot of hiking trails while visiting the Outer Banks. It's not what most people do, but…read morewe're not big beach people (and it's not all that warm in November). This spot is right across the street from the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, so it's conveniently located. The trail is really short and flat like most of the trails in the Outer Banks. It's only .8 miles, so it's a quick stop. The trail is wooded and goes through a swampy wetlands area, similar to most of the other trails we did. I wouldn't say this was my favorite hike we did, but it's worth a stop if you're going to the lighthouse anyway.