Outer Banks

Stroll: The 0.78-mile boardwalk in Duck (www.townofduck.com) is short, but offers up a taste of a quintessential beach town boardwalk that’s missing from many shorelines today. As you walk along Currituck Sound, you’ll pass a pair of kayak and paddleboard put-ins, a fishing and crabbing area and a couple dozen spots to linger and shop or snack. At the midpoint of the boardwalk is the Duck Town Park, where there’s a small amphitheater, some picnic tables and restrooms and the town green; it’s a good spot to rest or have a snack. Pick up a donut from Duck Donuts (www.duckdonuts.com) if you feel it’s a just reward for a mile’s walk, or pick one up anyway: You’re on vacation.

Shop: The Duck Merchants Association maintain a website (www.doducknc.com) with a map and listings of town shops, but with so may shops along the boardwalk, just head there to get started on an afternoon of shopping at local boutiques. There are several shopping centers along the water – Osprey Landing (www.ospreylandingshops.com), Wee Winks Square and Waterfront Shops (www.waterfrontshopsduck.com) – and several more across the street. Shops include the expected fudge-and-beach-souvenir shops, but also bookstores, surf shops, a jewelry and gem shop and several canine boutiques.

Hike: At Jockey’s Ridge State Park (Milepost 12.5; at www.ncparks.gov, use the “Find a park” window) a pair of trails take you through the dunes and along the sound, but the best hike in the park is one you make up. Head out into the dunes to climb the tallest one you can find – the one with kites, and hang gliders, flying overhead. Don’t brave the midday sun; instead, climb to the top and enjoy sunset from here.

Put on your close-toed shoes and make the trek to the top of any (or all) of the trio of lighthouses. These aren’t hikes in the traditional sense, but climbing the winding stairs and taking in the view from the catwalk will certainly leave you breathless. The Currituck Beach Lighthouse (www.currituckbeachlight.com) and Bodie Island Lighthouse (www.nps.gov/caha) are twins. In Corolla, take in the maritime forest view from the top of the red-brick tower. On Bodie (pronounced “body”) Island, just south of Whalebone Junction, the view from the catwalk of the black-and-white striped lighthouse is of the pencil-thin line of Hatteras Island stretching into the distance. On Hatteras, climb the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse (www.nps.gov/caha) – a black-and-white spiral and the tallest brick lighthouse in the U.S. – for big ocean views.

Bike: On Roanoke Island, stop by Roanoke Island Outfitters and Dive Center (www.roanokeislandoutfittersanddivecenter.com) and rent a two-wheeler. Riding around downtown and along the waterfront’s a treat, but for longer rides, pedal over to the seven-mile path running along the northern end of the island. This multi-use path ends at a park on the Croatan Sound near the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site (www.nps.gov/fora) – the last-known home of the Lost Colony – and Elizabethan Gardens (www.elizabethangardens.org). Along the way you’ll pass Island Farm (www.theislandfarm.com), a living history site, and the road leading to the N.C. Aquarium (www.ncaquariums.com); both are easy rides from the path. Jason Frye

This story was originally published October 2, 2015 at 7:59 PM with the headline "Outer Banks."