03/24/22

Top Outer Banks Beach Vacations

Some of the finest vacation beaches are in North Carolina’s Outer Banks, and Ocracoke and Buxton were ranked as two of the top ten beaches in the USA! Dr. Beaches, aka Dr. Stephen Leatherman, is a coastal research specialist. He’s been compiling this list every year since 1991. He compares more than 650 beaches, and his choices are based on water and sand quality plus 50 other criteria. Ocracoke Lifeguarded Beach and Buxton’s Old Lighthouse Beach are consistently in his top ten. We understand why.

Ocracoke Lifeguarded Beach is a haven that can only be reached by sea. Part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, you will find lifeguards present during the season. Whatever time of year you choose to go, you will find beaches that are pristine, wild, uncrowded, and clean.

The nights are clear and made for stargazing. Obtain a permit from the National Park Service, and you can build a bonfire on the beach. While there, visit Ocracoke’s lighthouse. With five-foot thick walls at its base, it is a sold beauty and the second oldest lighthouse in the nation.

Buxton’s Old Lighthouse Beach on Hatteras Island is another experience. This stretch of beach attracts surfers and other ocean sports aficionados. The same energy that creates superb surf carries seashells to the shore; it is a joy for beachcombers. Rent a boogie board or a surfboard. Go to nearby Kite Point, Canadian Hole, or Cape Point for windsurfing, kiteboarding, or surf fishing. Or, simply spread your towel on the beach, get into your chaise, pull out a good book, and marvel at the power of the ocean.

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse towers over beach dunes near Buxton, North Carolina, US

This is the perfect time to plan your beach getaway. The Outer Banks is made for honeymoons, romantic escapes, or a friends and family vacation. The top-rated beaches of Buxton and Ocracoke have unparalleled appeal. Make plans for your dream beach vacation today!

06/21/16

Outer Banks 4th of July Celebrations

Long lazy hours on the beach, pool parties, cookouts – all the things you love to do to celebrate the 4th of July can be perfectly accomplished on your Hatteras Island vacation. Let the day take you to one of these great Independence Day celebrations!

Avon Fireworks Display

Surf or Sound Realty is proud to sponsor the 4th of July Fireworks at the Avon Fishing Pier. A fun event for the whole family, fireworks begin around 9 pm. Fireworks are visible all along the Avon beach and parking is limited, so walk, bike or carpool! Cape Hatteras National Seashore officials have decided that this year, off-road vehicles may remain on the beaches near Avon past the 9 pm closing time to allow passengers to watch the fireworks.

4th of July Bash at Koru Village

An Independence Day celebration at Koru Village’s Beach Klub! Live music by Dale and the Zdubs will happen on the Papawack Theater’s stage, their tiki bars will be open for drinks and snacks, the firework show will happen right in front, at the Avon Pier, and afterwards Koru Village’s fire dancing troupe will take center stage to delight you with a fire show. Cost is $10.68 and the event is family friendly.

Hatteras Village Golf Cart Parade

Join us for our annual July 4th Golf Cart Parade in Hatteras Village! Residents and visitors alike are invited to participate. Line up begins at 3:30 at Hatteras Harbor Court. No entry fee, just show up decorated in your best red, white and blue! Gift certificates to village businesses are awarded as prizes!

Town of Manteo 4th of July Celebration

July 4, 3:00 PM

Take a day trip to Manteo to celebrate Independence Day with small town flair. Watch the 440th Army Band perform, participate in wacky hat contest, decorated bike contest, apple pie contest and so much more. Then after the sun goes down take in one of the best firework shows on the Outer Banks.

Ocracoke Island Independance Day Celebrations

Planning a day trip to Ocracoke? They will have fireworks on Sunday July 3 and will have events going on both July 3 and 4th

Sunday, July 3, 2016:

Classic Car Show, Traditional Island Square Dance: Music by Molasses Creek, with Philip Howard as caller. Party at the NPS docks with Deejay Tommy Hutcherson. Enjoy some rockin’ tunes while you what for the fireworks to begin!

9:15pm: Fireworks! Amazing Pyrotechnic Show! Gather around Silver Lake harbor to see the show. Please walk or bike; parking is limited.

Monday, July 4, 2016:

Flag Raising Ceremony and Singing of the National Anthem: Led by Ocracoke Boy Scout Troop # 290 at the School Circle on School Road. 39th Annual Sand Sculpture Contest: At the NPS Lifeguard Beach. Ocracoke Lighthouse: The lighthouse will be open for viewing — all are welcome to see inside! Skydivers at Ocracoke Community Park, Old Time Ocracoke Parade, and then from 7pm — 10pm: Community Beach Fire at Lifeguard Beach. Join friends and neighbors at the Lifeguard Beach for a family-friendly beach fire and party!

08/28/15

8 Reasons to Love Fall on Hatteras Island

Some places it’s the turning color of the leaves, or the start of football season. On Hatteras Island fall is marked by cooler comfortable evenings and warm golden light. The waters’ warmth lasts into October, the pace slows down a bit after the full swing of summer. Residents and visitors take a deep breath and pause to enjoy what for many is the most savored time of year on the Outer Banks. Here are some of the best things about Fall on Hatteras Island, won’t you join us?

Beach Bonfires
Allowed with a permit year-round, beach bonfires bring a warmth that’s especially welcome when the air is a bit cooler in the evenings on the beach. Whether roasting marshmallows for S’mores or just hanging out and telling stories in its glow – there’s something comforting about gathering around a fire with the people you love the most.

Beach Bonfires

Fall Restaurant Fare
It’s harvest season. Pair that with the bounty the sea brings this time of year and you’ve got the perfect recipe for fall feasting at locally-owned Hatteras Island restaurants.

Fishing
Speaking of fresh catch, fall fishing is a favorite pastime of many residents and generations of visitors to Hatteras Island. Whether you charter a boat off shore, paddle a kayak out in the sound, or cast a line from the beach or one of our piers – fishing is truly fantastic in the fall.

Fall Fishing

Golden Sunsets and Color-drenched Sunrises
Because of its position in the sky and the increasingly shorter days, sunrises and sunsets in the fall a spectacle to behold. Set against the golden sea oats or the fluffy marsh grass, the silhouettes and skies of fall please photographers and sky-watchers of every caliber.

Surfing and Kiteboarding
Hatteras Island claims the best surfing and kiteboarding on the East Coast, and wind and wave conditions are particularly good in Fall months. Rodanthe and Buxton are the most popular spots for surfing and uncrowded breaks can be found up and down the island.

Surf Season

Fireplaces
When you aren’t gathered around a bonfire outside, you can gather in your home’s great room around the gas-log fireplace to tell stories, play games or watch a movie.

Hot Tubs
Find respite from the crisp night air by slipping into your warm hot tub, listening to the waves and taking in the stars in the island’s unpolluted night sky.

Fall Festivals and Events
With a festival or event nearly every week, there are many wonderful ways to get involved and get inspired by the food and music of the region. Here are just a few, check out our Event Calendar for a full run-down of what’s happening.

Island Art Show – October 10, 2016 in Rodanthe
Come out and enjoy the work of over 20 local artists and their wares, enjoy live music, lunch, and a raffle. Show is FREE and raffle and food proceeds benefit local causes.

Outer Banks Triathalon – September 17 – 18, 2016 in Manteo
An annual racing event, Individual athletes and relay teams exhibit various ranges of skill and expertise. 2 days of inspiration, excitement, relationships and achievements. USAT Sanctioned event includes custom designed finisher medals, SWAG, and post race party with free beer and food for all Finishers.

Day at the Docks – September 16-19, 2016 in Hatteras
A celebration of Hatteras watermen with seafood cooking demos, fishing boats and gear, fishing industry skills contests and competitions, live music and games for children.

ESA Surfing Championships – September 18-24, 2016 in Nags Head
The largest amateur surfing organization in the world hosts the season’s “grand finale” where the best of the best surfers go head to head.

Outer Banks Bluegrass Festival – September 20-24, 2016 on Roanoke Island
4 days of down home cookin’ and good ‘ole Southern pickin’ featuring National Bluegrass Artists Rhonda Vincent, Sam Bush and Sam Vincent in a beautiful outdoor waterfront venue.

OctoBEERfest – October 1, 2016 in Avon (Pangea Tavern)
Gather at Pangea Tavern (I mean the German beer hall) for German food, beer specials, and live music. Cheers to fall!

Hatterasity Bluegrass Festival – October 6-8 in Hatteras Village
A three day Bluegrass Block Party featuring local food and talent, with regional and national bands playing bluegrass and Roots music. An event for food, fun, family and community.

Duck Jazz Festival – October 9, 2016 in Duck
Free day-long festival showcasing national, regional and local jazz musicians on two stages.

Outer Banks Seafood Festival – October 15 , 2016 in Nags Head
A fun and educational experience promoting, honoring and celebrating the area’s seafood heritage and community. You’ll find cooking demonstrations, educational booths and, best of all, the chance to eat fresh, local seafood from more than a dozen restaurants.

Fish Like a Girl Charity Fishing Tournament – October 15, 2016 in Avon
The Avon Pier’s all girls fishing tournament. A portion of proceeds will go to support the Hatteras Island Cancer Foundation.

04/20/15

Welcome to the Village of Waves

Located about 30 minutes south of Nags Head and other central Outer Banks attractions, the slower pace of Waves provides a great place for water and nature lovers who enjoy a little peace and quiet. This area has become renowned for water sports enthusiasts, such as kiteboarders, paddleboarders and windsurfers, who enjoy the slick, shallow waters of the Pamlico Sound. Surfers and ocean lovers can also enjoy some of the best WAVES on the East Coast. A paved multi-use path runs the length of the village for cyclists, joggers and strollers. Tucked behind windswept Live Oaks and Loblolly Pines, you’ll find neighborhood entrances, restaurants, galleries and shops — just off the beaten path.

Here are a few of the great places you’ll find in Waves:
Find their locations by choosing points of interest on the interactive map on our website

Ocean Gourmet and Gifts — Homemade fudge, Hand-dipped ice cream, and fresh-baked cinnamon rolls in the morning

Dairy Queen — Soft-serve ice cream, blizzards and classic burgers and fries from the take out window.

Hatteras Island Sail Shop — Since the 1980s, one of the best launches on Hatteras, with a hard sandy bottom and great exposure to the southwest winds. Shop offers lessons and rentals and a wide range of kiteboarding, windsurfing, paddleboarding, and kayak gear.

Atlantic Coast Cafe – Laid-back cafe serving breakfast and a casual lunch and dinner menu with a seafood flair. Enjoy your meal inside or outside on the deck where pets are welcome.

Hatteras Island Surf Shop — Established in 1971, the surf shop has every thing for your surfing, skim boarding, and body boarding needs and offers lessons and rentals.

Michael Halminski Gallery – A resident of Hatteras Island for over 40 years, Michael Halminski sells fine art prints and note cards of his iconic photography.

Charlies Boat Rentals — Rent Pontoon Boats, Motor Boats and Waverunners by the hour or the day.

Top Dog Cafe — Laid-back, Florida Keys-style restaurant for wraps, burgers, surf n turf and fish tacos.

REAL Watersports — Internationally recognized kiteboarding and surfing shop, and lesson center. Four acres of the latest and greatest gear, rentals and lessons.

Watermen’s Bar and Grille — Excellent food, drinks and coffee overlooking the sound with family-friendly with picnic tables on the deck and indoor/outdoor eating options.

Leonardos Pizza — Simply great pizza and subs.

Waves Market and Deli — Boars Head meats and cheeses, specialty beers and wine, groceries and quirky sandwiches, wraps and fries that have developed a cult following.

St. Waves Seafood and Steaks — Fresh seafood and hand-cut steaks, take home steamer buckets and fresh homemade desserts (try the key lime pie!)

03/19/15

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Opens for Climbing April 17

The National Park Service has announced that the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and the Bodie Island Lighthouse will be open for climbing in 2015 from Friday, April 17 through Monday, October 14.

Climbing hours for the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse will be 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily in the Spring and Fall, and 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., May 22 through Labor Day, Monday, September 7. Ticket sales for the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse begin at 8:15 a.m. daily and close at 4:30 p.m. in the spring and fall, and at 5:30 p.m. May 22 through Labor Day.

Tickets to climb are $8 for adults and $4 for senior citizens (62 or older), children 11 years of age and under, and those holding a National Parks and Federal Recreation Lands Access Pass. Tickets are available on a first come/first served basis and can only be purchased in-person at the site the day of the climb. There are no advance ticket sales.

Before you go, understand that climbing the lighthouse can be strenuous. The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse climb is equivalent to climbing a 12-story building- and the view is spectacular. Children must be at least 42″ tall to climb and children under twelve must be escorted by a person who is at least 16 years old.

The Bodie Island Lighthouse, also part of the National Park and a great stop on the way to or from Hatteras Island, will be open as a self-guided experience this year to cut down on wait times that were often experienced for the 45 minute guided tours offered in years past. This change should allow more visitors to have an opportunity climb the lighthouse each day.

Opening day climbs will be FREE! Residents and visitors are welcomed to tour and climb the lighthouses at no charge on, Friday April 17. Free tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis and can only be obtained in-person, that day, on-site.

02/19/15

Cape Hatteras Named Travel Channel’s #5 Sand and Surf Hotspot

With miles of uncrowded beaches and unrivaled kiteboarding conditions, it’s no surprise that Cape Hatteras was named #5 on the Travel Channel’s countdown of the Top 101 Sand and Surf Hot Spots in the world. The unique shape of the island means there’s almost always a hot spot for watersports – a place where the conditions are just right for surfing, kiteboarding, sailing, boogie boarding or just flying a kite.

The unique geography of the Outer Banks is what drew the Wright Brothers here over 100 years ago to test the flying machines that would become the first airplanes. It’s also what brings kiteboarders from all over the world to Hatteras Island to experience the thrill of riding the wind. With soft sandy beach breaks and miles of coastline the island is known as the best place on the East Coast to learn to surf. Another reason Hatteras Island is a must visit vacation destination.

Each hour-long Travel Channel episode features 20 Hotspots. Travel fans have been eagerly awaiting the top 20- catch it tonight at 5:00 Eastern Time on the Travel Channel or check out the Hatteras Island clip here:

02/11/15

Exciting new ways to search for your vacation home

The process of finding the perfect Outer Banks vacation home has naturally evolved over the years. Instead of just bookmarking pages in a catalog, now you can walk through the house with an interactive floor plan, compare your favorite homes side-by side, and invite family members all over the country to leave comments and vote on their favorite houses while saving all of the information in your online account.

When redesigning the Surf or Sound website we thought long and hard about the best ways to help people discover the perfect vacation home for their family. We wanted to go beyond the typical web search and make finding a vacation home both exciting and intuitive. We had custom features built, like the ability to view the homes in your search result in a gallery-like grid or on a map with optional aerial overlay to get the best idea of the home’s exact location, interactive maps that let you find things to do and places to eat near homes you’re thinking of renting and a total cost calculator that lets you determine the total cost of your reservation and see the price per person or per bedroom with just one click!

Check out this video that takes you through the different ways of finding your home on our website:

12/17/14

Perfect Weather for the 2014 Hatteras Village Christmas Parade

This Saturday was a beautiful cool sunny day – perfect weather for the annual Hatteras Village Christmas Parade! This mile-long traditional parade brings out neighbors, businesses and visitors full of holiday cheer and a real sense of community.

Among the school marching band, the police departments, churches, horse stables and fire engines were the Surf or Sound Realty Elves! Bounding along the parade route next to a Surf or Sound maintenance truck all done up as the “seashells and jingle bells” float – the elves happily greeted parade-goers and handed out candy canes.

Afterwards everyone gathered at the community center for hot chocolate and cookies, another Hatteras Holiday tradition.

If you are ever in town parade weekend in December – the Christmas Parade is a village event your whole family can enjoy.

12/12/14

Shop Daniel Pullen Photography – Fine Art Prints, Wedding & Portrait Photography

Shop Hatteras Deal: Get 10% OFF Your Order of $10 or more of Fine Art Prints next week (December 14-20) Use the code SURFORSOUND at checkout. 10% off a Professional Wedding or Portrait Photography Package when you book it next week

Hatteras Island native Daniel Pullen is the descendant of 9 Cape Hatteras lighthouse keepers. His photography has been published by the world’s leading surf publications and he has become one of the leading photographers on the Outer Banks. His fine art photography is available for sale online in a variety of formats from gorgeous 5 foot wide photo canvases to incredibly affordable 8×10 fine art prints.

Daniel’s intimate knowledge of the Hatteras Island landscape and his gift for lifestyle photography make him one of the most popular portrait and wedding photographers on the Outer Banks. Is your family planning a 2015 beach vacation? A portrait package would make a memorable gift. If you know a bride-to-be getting married on Hatteras Island a wedding package would make an amazing Holiday and Wedding gift. Be sure to book next week for 10% off!

12/11/14

Shop Kinnakeet Clay – Handcrafted functional works of art

Shop Hatteras Offer: FREE shipping until December 19 when you mention Shop Hatteras! Click here to browse their virtual catalog on Facebook to see the latest and greatest of the beautiful items that are in stock and ready to ship.

Offering beautiful, affordable, works of art – hand-crafted regionally and locally with lots of love, Kinnakeet Clay has been a favorite shop of art collectors and savvy shoppers for many years. Their online catalog is a huge hit with Holiday shoppers looking to find a unique gift for friends and loved ones. Here are ceramic artist and shop owner Antoinette Mattingly’s hand-picked favorite gifts, all handmade in-store at Kinnakeet Clay – Studio & Showroom. Don’t forget to mention Shop Hatteras for free shipping! Give art this holiday season!

1 – Nautical Stoneware Ornaments – These make a complete gift all by themselves or can be used as gift tags or a little extra something around the neck of a bottle of wine. Individually hand pressed using slabs of stoneware clay. These ornaments are glazed in Peacock or Mint Green glazes. Design choices include: Crab, Seahorse, Starfish, Shells & Dragonflies. Remind those special folks on your list of their favorite Hatteras Island vacation! $12 each or 3 for $30.

2 – PEACE, LOVE & JOY Heart ornaments – Stoneware ornaments with net or vintage lace impressions and your choice of Peacock or Mint Green glaze. Wishing you Peace, Love & Joy this holiday season! $12 each or 3 for $30.

3 – Jar Frogs – What is a jar frog? So glad you asked! Simply place this stoneware jar frog atop a “regular” mouth jar and insert your fresh cut flowers. Voila! One stem or ten, you’ll create a beautiful arrangement. This is – by far – our most popular gift. Everyone loves a jar frog! $15 each. Glaze choices change often, see our Virtual Catalog for today’s options.

4 – Original Watercolor Beach Scene by resident artist Denise Gaskins – A well known local artist, Denise has been painting scenes depicting the stunning nature of Hatteras Island for the last thirty years. Her work is included in the collections of many Hatteras Island enthusiasts. This image measures 11″ X 15″ with an outer mat measuring 16″ X 20″. Make someone very, very happy with this fabulous gift. $175

5 – Mugglies – a CatFish Pottery original! Local potter, Edith Camp, sculpts characters onto her thrown stoneware forms. These are one of a kind, useable art pieces. No two are ever alike. Look around, you may see someone you know. Any resemblance to relatives, neighbors, friends or enemies simply can’t be helped. Starting at $50 – $68

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