If you want to go to Ocracoke and don't have your own boat or a small plane to land at the island…read moreairstrip, then the NC ferry system is the only way to go. The system offers three different routes over to the island from Hatteras (most popular by a lot), Cedar Island and the way we chose for this trip, from Swan Quarter which is the least popular. Why the least popular? I think it comes down to two big reasons: The crossing takes, if everything runs smoothly, at least two and a half hours and there really isn't much of anything to see or do near the Swan Quarter dock area. If you want desolate and nothing, I recommend driving to Swan Quarter from somewhere like KDH, Manteo or Nags Head. Nice loooong drive around the perimeter of the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge and Lake Mattamuskeet. For the first hour, maybe, I saw three cars once I got on to 264. Check in was fast and easy. I made a reservation the day prior (for a standard sized car/SUV you're looking at $15 to make the crossing) and once I gave my name, it was checked off on the clipboard, a receipt was given and then we lined up. ferry.ncdot.gov/#/ We had about 30 minutes to kill and got out and walked around. No real place to go past inside the admin. building to use the bathroom or to walk along water line even if there are signs warning about snakes and gators. The Cedar Island pulled up right on time and the unloading/loading was done very efficiently and we even left a few minutes early. Very smooth ride over with no real bumps or chops. Weather was in the upper 50's, cloudy with some drizzle. Compared to the long lines to board over at Hatteras this one was a comparative breeze. Sure the ride is on the long side but the weather was great and I sat either inside the small passenger lounge or topside reading which was a-ok with me. The other obvious advantage to taking this boat versus Hatteras to get to Ocracoke is the ability to make a reservation. With the first come-first served-priority system of loading at Hatteras you can get blocked out for hours. I know this first hand. The day prior to this we got to Hatteras a little before 10am and they were telling people that maybe...they could get us on the 2pm boat...maybe and if not it would be the 3pm. Hell. No. Overall it was a great experience and in any future OBX trips I would have no problem leaving for Ocracoke from here.

What a great way to travel to Ocracoke! The staff at the terminal were extremely friendly and…read moreengaging...even at 5:30am! The ferry was clean and offers restrooms, indoor cabin seating with a few tables plus outdoor deck seating. The Swan Quarter ferry offers the earliest arrival time to Ocracoke. Make sure to secure your reservation before the trip or else your ship may sail without you! Bon Voyage!

The first permanent courthouse for Dare County was constructed between 1903 and 1904 in the…read moreClassical Revival style. This two-story red brick building, with its arched windows and hipped roof, originally featured a steeple and porch columns, both of which were lost or repurposed following a devastating hurricane in 1933. This is the new courthouse, on the campus of the Dare County Governmental Complex. It was completed in 2022 and is a "modern" architectural design. The two-story structure features red brick, concrete, and glass, with a wide porch supported by four columns and a green hipped roof that nods subtly to traditional courthouse aesthetics. The Justice Center houses courtrooms for civil, criminal, and family law proceedings, along with offices for judges, clerks, and legal staff. Dare County, North Carolina, was established in 1870 from parts of Currituck, Hyde, and Tyrrell counties, and named in honor of Virginia Dare, the first English child born in the Americas. Its early history is deeply tied to the Croatoan tribe and the ill-fated English colonization attempts of the 1580s, most famously the Lost Colony of 1587. Over time, Dare County evolved from isolated settlements accessible only by boat into a thriving coastal region. It gained national significance in 1903 when the Wright brothers achieved the first powered flight at Kill Devil Hills. There was not much going on this Saturday afternoon so plenty of parking and easy to walk the grounds. The Complex includes the county administration building, the Virginia S. Tillett Community Center and plenty of green space. [Review 812 of 2025 - 4244 in North Carolina - 24372 overall]

Great folks to work with in the clerks office! They were very helpful. I highly recommend going to…read morethem for help.

Here's a few things to keep in mind:…read more - This listing is for the ferry which departs Ocracoke for Hatteras, not Hatteras to Ocracoke. - There are not several departure lanes on this side. There are two. The left lane is for vehicles with a priority pass and then there is everybody else in the right lane. - There are no shops/restaurants or anything else here. It's just a singular small building with a few vending machines and restrooms. - The below link has the current schedule for all NC ferry routes. www.ncdot.gov/travel-maps/ferry-tickets-services/routes/Documents/ferry-schedule.pdf Note that the frequency changes throughout the year. - The below has the webcams for what the lines look like at both Hatteras and North Ocracoke www.ncdot.gov/travel-maps/ferry-tickets-services/Pages/hatteras-inlet-ferry-cameras.aspx As mentioned, several times already, if you're really hardcore and need to get off/on Ocracoke at a particular time, make a reservation for either the Swan Quarter or Cedar Island routes. Sure, it's a pain in the ass with a potential further drive, depending on where you're going, but at least you know when you'll have a set schedule. This one is free for now, but as of 1/1/27, there will be some type of fare charged on all NC ferry routes. Stay tuned to see how draconian it will be. I personally have never taken this route in season, but during the shoulder times, I've never had an issue getting off the island, only on from Hatteras. The below chart from NCDOT shows when they think the best times are to attempt a crossing. www.ncdot.gov/travel-maps/ferry-tickets-services/routes/Documents/recommended-times-ocracoke-hatteras.pdf My most recent crossing was a hoot. Last Wednesday with the Nor'easter baring down on the OBX area, the boat was shaking like a salt shaker. The boat was nosing into the waves enough that they were going over the first row of cars and splashing on the windshields of the cars in the second row. It was a light load with only three cars and four trucks at 11:30am and even with the increasing weather, we still kept to the 70 minute scheduled run time. As another Yelper said, overall, don't be in a hurry here, you're on island time.

Nice ferry, runs about every 30 mins to every hour on the adjusted schedule. Restrooms available…read morewith ramped accessibility access. Don't be in a hurry, it's island time.

First of all, the third party company that was supposed to pick up the dirty sheets and towels from…read morethe last guests did not come until Wednesday. We called the management company on multiple occasions to remind them but it wasn't until one of us stopped into the office to complain that they were finally picked up. There was a screened in porch that would have been lovely to have a cup of coffee in while the kids ran around, but unfortunately we had to keep it closed because A) a section of screen was ripped out defeating the purposed of a screened in porch and B) the fan was an indoor fan and was dangerously rusted. We were worried about it coming down on us. There were two sections of ceiling (in the living room and one of the bathrooms) that had visible mold. Another room smelled of mildew. With multiple family members with lung issues, this was very concerning for us. On Sunday morning we woke up to the pool hopelessly filled with flies and another call to the management company. They in turn, called another third party company to come out and check on the pool. In the mean time, we tried to skim the pool ourselves to make it useable. After a second call to the management company the pool cleaners came by on Tuesday afternoon. The filter had been clogged "due to recent heavy rains". If they knew this was a possibility, they should have checked on it earlier. On Monday morning, after reading and rereading the remote instructions, I had to make another call to the management company to complain that the TV would not work. This was never fixed while we were there. Every single lounge chair in the pool area was broken. Spots around the tan exterior siding were touched up with white paint making it look terrible. While this didn't ruin our vacation, we definitely expected more for a house that at the end of the day cost us over $10,000 to rent. When one of my cousins went to the local office there were multiple agents sitting around. It would have been nice if they had visited their rental houses to ensure everything was running smoothly and everyone was happy. I at least expected someone from the management company to stop by after we had made several phone calls complaining of issues. For the amount we paid we really expected more. I would not recommend this house to a friend and would not rent from this management company again.

This is the huge vacation home that a group of friends and I have rented for the past three years…read more It's in a great location right on the Pamlico Sound and short walking distance from the beach and features 12 bedrooms and 11.5 bathrooms, a huge kitchen with two refrigerators, stoves, and dishwashers as well as a large deck, a pool table and a foosball table as well as a pool. If you need a nice relaxing vacation on a quiet section of the Outer Banks you could do worse than La Familia. Would be a five star is the water pressure on the kitchen sinks was a bit stronger.

This marker is next to the parking lot of the Hatteras Ferry Terminal. It has the same text on both…read moresides, reading "Fort Hatteras and Fort Clark, 2 miles s. west, fell to Union troops on Aug. 29, 1861, after two days of heavy naval bombardment." Online, there is more information. In 1861, Hatteras Inlet was a vulnerable point in the Confederate defense of North Carolina, prompting Brigadier General Walter Gwynn to recommend fortifications there. Despite approval from Governor Henry Toole Clark, the forts--Hatteras and Clark--were poorly equipped and manned by undertrained troops with short-range weapons. By late July, both forts were completed and flying Confederate flags, but their sand-and-sod construction and limited firepower left them exposed. On August 28-29, Union forces led by General Benjamin F. Butler launched a successful assault, quickly capturing Fort Clark and bombarding Fort Hatteras until its surrender. This defeat opened the way for Union control of the Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds, marking a strategic turning point in the coastal campaign. There is room to stop and read the marker. It is number B-38 and it was erected in 1959 by the North Carolina Archives and Highway Departments. [Review 787 of 2025 - 4219 in North Carolina - 24347 overall]