1. British Cemetery Ceremony
City: Ocracoke Island, NC
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (252) 928-3711
Address: British Cemetery Road
Description: This ceremony commemorates the 1942 sinking of a British ship. On May 11 of that year, the HMS Bedfordshire, a trawler stationed off Ocracoke to protect our shores during World War II, was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine. All on board perished, and only four bodies were recovered. Island residents buried these men, and every year on May 7 the US Coast Guard holds a service to honor them. The service is free.
2. The Ocracoke School
City: Ocracoke Island, NC
Category: Education
Telephone: (252) 928-3251
Address: 1 Schoolhouse Rd.
Description: Part of the Hyde County school system, the Ocracoke School is one of the smallest public schools in the United States, serving an island where the entire year-round population is only 750. It is a K–12 school and in 2005 had about 100 students, with only seven graduating seniors. The Ocracoke School was built in 1931. For the last several years it has been designated a School of Excellence, a state honor awarded to schools where more than 90 percent of students are performing at or above their grade level. The Ocracoke School is also repeatedly honored as an Exemplary School, which means that academic growth has exceeded expectations by more than 10 percent. Though small, the Ocracoke School is sophisticated. Every classroom is equipped with computers that are linked to the rest of the state via the Internet. Student clubs, a student newspaper, and a basketball team provide extracurricular activities. The basketball team is not in a league but plays numerous independent games throughout the season.
3. Ocracoke Island Airstrip
City: Ocracoke Island, NC
Category: Getting Here, Getting Around
Telephone: (252) 928-9901 (pay phone)
Address: NC 12
Description: Another airstrip maintained by the National Park Service, this unattended facility has a 3,000-footlong runway and no lights. There is a parking lot and a pay telephone. The runway has brush and 25-foot sand dunes at either end. Listen to the weather radio or call for weather updates.
4. Ocracoke Campground (Nps)
City: Ocracoke Island, NC
Category: Parks & Recreation
Address: NC 12
Description: An oceanfront campground 3 miles east of Ocracoke Village just behind the dunes, this National Park Service campground maintains 136 campsites. No utility hookups or laundry facilities are available, but there are cold showers, a dumping station, drinking water, charcoal grills, and flush toilets. As at all NPS campgrounds, stays are limited to 14 days. The facility is open May through Sept. Since most of these sites sit directly in the sun, bring some sort of shade. Long tent stakes help to hold down tents against the often fierce winds that whip through this campground. The breeze, however, is a welcome relief from summer heat. Bug spray is a must in the summer. Ocracoke is the only campground on the island operated by the National Park Reservation Service. Call or visit the website from mid-May through mid-September to make reservations. Major credit cards are accepted. Sites are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. All sites cost $23 per night.Even though it looks like an inviting spot, camping on the beach is not permitted. Local officers and National Park Service personnel patrol the areas regularly and will ask you to leave.
5. Silver Lake Trading Co.
City: Ocracoke Island, NC
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (252) 928-3086
Address: Back Road near British Cemetery Road
Insider Pick:
Description: Silver Lake Trading Co. is one of the best gift shops on Ocracoke Island, with goods that are eccentric, fun, and fashionable. You’ll find things for your home and garden, including Christopher Radko ornaments, Asian-inspired pottery, locally made pottery and wooden bowls, picture frames, funky lamps, Sandra Drennen linens, pillows, candles and soaps, garden statues, and even plants. Other goods include off-the-wall refrigerator magnets and poetry kits, lunch boxes, unique toys, naughty but hilarious cards and cocktail napkins, and Dirty Girl soap and bubble bath.
6. Hatteras–Ocracoke Ferry
City: Ocracoke Island, NC
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (252) 986-2353, (800) BY FERRY
Address: NC 12, Hatteras Village NC 12
Description: The only link between Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands, this free state-run ferry carries passengers and vehicles across Hatteras Inlet daily, year-round, with trips from 5 a.m. to midnight. A fleet of 10 ferry boats, some 150 feet long, carry up to 30 cars and trucks each on the 40-minute ride. You can get out of your vehicle and walk around the open decks or stay inside the car. A passenger lounge a short flight of steps above the deck offers cushioned seats and wide windows. On the lower deck telescopes give people a chance to see seagulls and passing shorelines up close for a quarter. Free restrooms also are on the deck; however, there’s no food or drink to be found on this 5-mile crossing, so pack your own picnic. Beware if you decide to break bread with the dozens of birds that fly overhead; after they eat they, too, look for free bathrooms. And they’ll follow—overhead—all the way to Ocracoke. The experience is exciting but can be messy. A souvenir shop is located at the Hatteras ferry docks; it sells everything from coloring books and Frisbees to sweatshirts and coffee mugs. Drink and snack machines are on-site. A day trip to Ocracoke is a must for every Outer Banks visitor, whether you’re staying in Corolla or on Hatteras Island. The free ferry is the only way to get there besides by private boat or airplane. On summer days more than 1,000 passengers ride the flat ferries. A 12-mile stretch through open marshlands and pine forests lies between the ferry and Ocracoke Village. NC 12 picks up at the ferry docks and continues to the southern end of the island. On the left, wide-open beaches await avid four-wheelers and those who like to have a piece of the seaside to themselves. A National Park Service oceanfront campground is to the left before you get to the village. Ocracoke is a quaint fishing village that has recently grown into a popular tourist destination. Over 700 people live on Ocracoke Island year-round. Boutiques, seafood restaurants, craft shops, and other retailers line the quiet, twisting lanes, but most are open only in the summer. We recommend that you park your car somewhere near the waterfront and rent a bicycle to tour this picturesque, isolated island.
7. Ocracoke Pony Pens
City: Ocracoke Island, NC
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: NC 12
Description: The Ocracoke Pony Pens are one of the most popular attractions on Ocracoke Island. The National Park Service maintains a herd of about 30 horses in a 180-acre pasture located off NC 12, about 6 miles south of the Hatteras–Ocracoke ferry docks. Visitors can walk up to the pens to view these once-wild horses. An observation platform allows a good view of the ponies.Ocracoke ponies have played a large role in the history of the island. At times the herd’s population ranged from 200 to 500, all of the animals roaming free on the island. No one is really certain how the horses arrived at the island, but legend says they swam ashore from Spanish shipwrecks off the coast. The horses adapted well to a diet of marsh grasses and rainwater. The locals used this natural resource for work and recreation, and even the Coast Guard and US Lifesaving Service employed the ponies. The pen is free to visit, but donations are certainly welcome. Though not running wild, the ponies are not tame, and they may try to kick or bite if you try to climb into the pen or feed or pet them. Ocracoke ponies have distinctive physical characteristics: 5 lumbar vertebrae instead of the 6 found in other horses, 17 ribs instead of the 18 found in other horses, and a unique shape, posture, color, size, and weight.
8. Hammock Hills Nature Trail
City: Ocracoke Island, NC
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: NC 12
Description: A 0.75-mile nature trail north of Ocracoke Village, Hammock Hills covers a cross-section of the island. The 30-minute walk begins near the sand dunes, traverses a maritime forest, and winds through a salt marsh. Hikers learn how plants adapt to Ocracoke’s unusual elements and the harsh barrier island weather. Bring your camera on this scenic stroll. We highly recommend bug repellent in spring and summer months. Watch out for snakes in the underbrush. The well-marked trailhead is on NC 12 just across the road from the National Park Service campground.