Coming from the North, this is the Visitor Center that you're going to want to stop at as you have…read morecrossed over onto the Outer Banks. On the bypass at Milepost 1 in Kitty Hawk (it's on the right past the Home Depot), this welcome center has help for reservations, a ton of brochures, rest rooms and a good-sized picnic area. I found it quite helpful. Don't miss the 100th anniversary of powered flight monument where they've buried a time capsule to be opened in 2103.

Great rest area with clean restrooms. You usually don't run into any sort of crowds here. It's a…read moreconvenient area for a rest stop with fast foods close by.

If you're looking for a nice nature experience close to Nags Head, this is a great option! The…read morerefuge has several areas to look for birds and enjoy the natural marshes. You can head to a couple different areas, but the most popular is the trail right by the visitor center. Sometimes parking is difficult because people park to go to the beach, so bring some patience. The bathrooms have flush toilets but no sinks, so plan ahead if you'd like a nicer bathroom experience. The visitor's center has tons of educational information along with very informed staff. You can learn about where to go and even borrow binoculars to look for birds. There's a small gift shop as well. The path leading from the visitors center passes two large marshy fields and ends with a large tower overlooking more marshes. Bring binoculars- it's so fun to be able to watch the birds poke around in the sand, interact with each other, and sleep. The beginning of the path has a small pond filled with turtles as well that are fun to watch. Even if you're not a big bird fan, it's a beautiful area for a nice walk. You can spend time going to more of the refuge and, of course, you can go to the beach as well.

Lots of wildlife! Take bugs spray! The turtle pond was really cool because they all swim to you…read moreexpecting food. Water turtles and big snapping turtles. Jumping fish out of the water. Good nature walk. Beach was cool across the walk where you could see the top of a sunken ship. Cool little souvenir and information shop.

Located where US Hwy 64, US Hwy 58 and NC 12 intersect, the Whalebone Visitors offers lots of…read moreuseful information on various sites, attractions, restaurants and businesses in the area. There are restroom facilities on site. Staff is very knowledgeable and can even provide restaurant recommendations. This visitor welcomes you as you enter Nags Head or as you head to Hatteras/Ocracoke. NC-12 offers a variety of stopping points, including Bodie Lighthouse, Pea Island Wildlife Refuge, Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, etc.

This was a great place to go and see the sight. Horses and variety of homes, shops and the great…read morecounty side...a great area for right seeing while you are just drive and enjoy the view.

The staff complained during our entire encounter. We simply wanted parking passes for the beach and…read morewere unfamiliar of the new regulations enacted since last year. They acted like we were being insufferable. Acting like the customer is an inconvenience is poor business and definitely not a desirable quality in employees working in in the service industry. People are here on vacation and don't want to hear about "how hard your job is".

The Tyrell County Visitor's Center is located in Columbia, NC. It was easy to find, and plenty of…read moreparking was available. You can access the buildings by stairs or a ramp. The restrooms are in one building and the Visitor's Center is in a nearby building. Both buildings were clean. A family restroom is available, too. I was immediately greeted upon entering the Visitor's Center and provided with the information I was looking for about Tyrell County. I was pointed in the right direction to get to the boardwalk and downtown, and some places were suggested to stop. I enjoyed the quilts and North Carolina items to view in the Visitor's Center. I could read about the area and its unique ecosystem. The Visitor's Center has travel information for the whole state. I was allowed to stay parked in the parking lot while I went on my walking journey. The tips and insight helped me have an enjoyable stop in Tyrell County. Although many of the businesses I had hoped to visit were not open, I can't fault the Visitor's Center for that. They might be open on my next visit.

As an RV driver, I'm sometimes looking for a place to park overnight on my way to places. So I was…read moredisappointed that Tyrell County's Visitor's Center does not allow overnight parking. Serious bummer that they want people driving tired. Other than that, it's nice with a good parking area, clean restrooms and a nice boardwalk for a stretch and see some green before continuing onwards. [Review 817 of 2025 - 4248 in North Carolina - 24376 overall]

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.

This place doesn't feel like it's on planet earth. Climbing the sand dunes is difficult but so…read moreworth the cool view. Love the brand new boardwalk that takes you directly to the dunes. The park rangers in the visitors center were super nice.

Every vacation town needs a visitor center and for Ocracoke Island this is the place. Everything…read moreon Ocracoke is fairly small and compact which is cool because in premise everything is easy to find and this place is no different. Just head towards the Cedar Island & Swan Quarter Ferry dock and you'll find a small parking lot with the visitor center located across the road. The one odd thing worth mentioning is that this visitor center is managed by the NPS. This is due to the large presence that the NPS has on the island with the pony pens, the lighthouse and all of the beaches falling under it's jurisdiction via the Cape Hatteras National Seashore umbrella. So if you come what will you see here? There are two buildings with public restrooms on the right and the actual visitor center on the left. The visitor center has exhibits on the main island attractions like the British Cemetery, the Ocracoke Ponies, the lighthouse and the history of pirates in the area which of course involves Blackbeard. Also note the large map on the outside wall of the building which puts everything in the village in a good context as to where it is and how far. The VC also serves as a gift shop with a plethora of books being the main offering along with a good display of pamphlets, brochures and catalogs for Ocracoke accommodations, restaurants, shops and attractions. This is also the launching point for any and all seasonal ranger activities that take place on the island for adults and children. The day we visited we didn't see any ranger presence but the manager who was at the visitor center was great. She was a funny as hell and a great resource for information. She was also a great help in particular with how to find the best parking for going to Spinger's Point. If you need some help getting around on the island (help but not recommendations for lodging or food as policy dictates anyone working here can't do that) or for some kind of trinket of Chinese plastic to take home with you this is your stop. According to the below page the visitor center is open daily 9-5 with the exception of Christmas Day. www.nps.gov/caha/planyourvisit/hours.htm

Bottom Line: Free parking, a nice bathroom, friendly people and a decent gift shop…read more The Ocracoke Island Visitors' Center is run by the National Park Service and is proportionate to the size of the island - small. The facility is nice but there's not much to it. I enjoyed looking around the gift shop and picking up a few items to commemorate my trip to the island. I also got a map of the island and I always appreciate a nice, clean bathroom! I suspect there are periodic ranger talks but I didn't see the schedule for them.

Fantastic visitors center. Staff are extremely helpful and knowledgeable. We are locals and are up…read moreon everything. Well the staff let us know about some upcoming events we did Not know about. Bravo!!! What a wonderful experience popping in the visitors center. We dropped In because we wanted to see the new Mural outside and while we were there decided to pop in and take a look around. I have lived here all my life and have never been inside. Well I'm so glad we did and I recommend everyone go. They have a place to walk your dog if your traveling. They have ATM. They have restrooms. Wonderful and clean. They have a water fountain. They have a couple of picnic tables go check it out

Virginia Beach Visitors Center has so many pamphlets and booklets on where to go in the resort town…read moreof Virginia Beach. The center also has pamphlets on other Virginia cities. It's funner to browse the paper copies than to scroll online and possibly miss out on a special event that's right for you.

This time around this was a Welcome Back Center for me and my family. I love the fact that this is…read moreliterally over the state line. For real, across the street is a gas station that is still in Virginia and then bam, North Carolina. The people that work within are the most polite and truly love what they do here. They are always so happy to help you find an attraction or distraction while you are in the Outer Banks area. Take your time in here, make sure to look at the pamphlets and not just browse. This time around I did just that and found several new places to give a try and more information on old favorites. The information is broken up into sections such as attractions, food, shopping and rentals. Making it easier to find what you are looking for. By the time I left here I had enough material to keep me busy for the day to figure out just exactly what this vacation was going to be like. Always a great first stop when you head to the Outer Banks, this is like the gateway to the area.

Five stars, plus. Absolutely worth your stop while driving towards Kitty Hawk. Also called the…read moreCurrituck Welcome Center, and just over the border from Virginia, this is THE place to go for all of your information needs about the Outer Banks -- maps, brochures, pamphlets, and more. Also, exceptionally helpful staff, immaculate restrooms, easy and plentiful parking, free postcards of OBX (one per patron please), and little surprises. My husband was thrilled to find hot tasty coffee, while I was excited to find a map of Florida. (We're traveling down the east coast and didn't yet have a map of florida. Who would've thought there would be one in a welcome center for the Outer Banks)?