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Cape Hatteras National Seashore Self-Guided Audio Driving Tour

5 Reviews |

Recommended by 100% of travelers

| Outer Banks, USA

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2 to 3 hours (approx.)

Mobile ticket

Instant confirmation

Overview

Embark on a captivating drive along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore with this self-guided tour of North Carolina's Outer Banks. Dive into a rich tapestry of history, from tales of the Lost Colony to the legendary pirate Blackbeard as you marvel at stunning oceanside scenery. Visit the majestic Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, encounter the unique marine wonders of the Pamlico Sound, and so much more. This tour ends at the Hatteras Ferry in case you want to keep the adventure going on the remote island of Ocracoke. The barrier islands await!

After booking, check your email to download the separate Audio Tour Guide App by Action, enter your unique password, and access your tour. These steps require good internet/Wi-Fi access. From there, follow the audio instructions and the route.

Buy once, use for one year! Ideal for extended visits and return trips over the next 12 months.

This isn't an entrance ticket. Check opening hours before your visit.

What's Included

Engaging storytelling: Uncover unique tales and thrilling history for a memorable journey!
Perfect narrator: nothing can beat listening to a great voice. Proven with tons of rave reviews!
Offline maps: no signal, no problem! Works perfectly without cellular or wifi.
Comprehensive route and stops: See it all, miss nothing, leave no stone unturned!
Go at your own pace: Start anytime, pause anywhere, enjoy breaks for snacks and photos freely!
Hands-free: audio stories play on their own based on your location. Easy to use!
Great value: purchase per car, not per person. More affordable than bus or guided tours!
Easy-to-use app: download Action’s Tour Guide App onto your phone

Attraction passes, entry tickets, or reservations

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Meeting Location

Meeting point

Cape Hatteras National Park Road
Nags Head, NC 27959, USA

Show on Google Maps

Detailed check-in instructions, including the exact address, are provided with your booking confirmation.

End point

Museum Drive
Hatteras, NC 27943, USA

Options & Pricing

Opening Hours • Daily 6:00 AM - 9:00 PM

What To Expect

Whalebone Junction Information Center - Outer Banks Visitors Bureau

Welcome to The Outer Banks and Cape Hatteras National Seashore! This stretch of picturesque coastline is packed with stories of lost colonists, shifting sands, and of course… pirate ghosts! So let’s get started!Note: This 60-mile-long tour covers the essentials of the Cape Hatteras in 2-3 hours.Buy once, use for one year! Ideal for extended visits and return trips over the next 12 months.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Bodie Island Lighthouse

In a moment we’ll come to Coquina Beach and the Bodie Island Lighthouse. Coquina Beach gets its name from the coquina clams found here, but it’s famous for something totally different: The wreck of an old ship!

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Oregon Inlet

In a few minutes we’ll cross over the Oregon Inlet. This waterway unites the Pamlico Sound with the Atlantic Ocean. And speaking of storms, it didn’t exist until 1846, when a huge hurricane hit! A ship called the Oregon was in Pamlico Sound during that storm. As the story goes, the Oregon was sailing back to Edenton, North Carolina from Bermuda. It was right next to the Outer Banks when the hurricane hit. The rough, stormy seas lifted the entire ship up… and deposited it safely on a sandbar! Talk about luck!

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Herbert C. Bonner Bridge

Just ahead stands the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge, built in 1963. That huge body of water to the right of the bridge is the Pamlico Sound. It measures 80 miles long and about 18 miles wide, though it never gets any deeper than 26 feet! The rivers from the mainland flow down and into the sound too, creating the second largest estuary in the US, after Chesapeake Bay. The shallow water makes for some great fishing. Pamlico Sound is where 90% of North Carolina’s commercial fishermen catch their crabs, oysters, and clams!

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Oregon Inlet Life Saving Station

Coming up on our left is the Oregon Inlet Life-Saving Station from 1874. It’s the only structure we’ll see when the bridge meets land again; you can’t miss it. Can you imagine being on a ship in the dark, trying to find a dock along this coast? Before there was radar, GPS, or sonar, sailors didn’t have an easy time navigating this cape or the Oregon Inlet. Shipwrecks were incredibly common. So common, in fact, that the Outer Banks earned the nickname “The Graveyard of the Atlantic".

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Pamlico Sound

That huge body of water to the right of the bridge is the Pamlico Sound. It measures 80 miles long and about 18 miles wide, though it never gets any deeper than 26 feet! The rivers from the mainland flow down and into the sound too, creating the second largest estuary in the US, after Chesapeake Bay. The shallow water makes for some great fishing. Pamlico Sound is where 90% of North Carolina’s commercial fishermen catch their crabs, oysters, and clams!

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge

We’re now driving through 13 miles of nature preserve! It’s the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, and it stretches from the bottom of the Oregon Inlet to the northern border of the community of Rodanthe. And it’s part of what scientists call “the Atlantic Flyway.” This is a corridor that migratory birds use to travel up and down the coast, sort of like a highway in the sky! Birds use these beaches as pit stops along their way.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Pea Island Beach

Coming up in a moment will be parking for Pea Island Beach. This is a popular beach, but it’s so big you wouldn’t guess it! So even if you don’t go out in the water, take some time to sit on the sand and take in the gorgeous view.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Jug Handle Bridge

We’re driving along Jughandle Bridge. But why does this bridge actually exist? After all, we’re not traveling from one island to the next, we’re just traveling next to the island!

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station Historic Site & Museum

Off to our left is another life-saving station, the Chicamacomico US Life-Saving Station. Like the Oregon Inlet Life-Saving Station, this served as a hub for rescue crews to live, observe the coast, and conduct training exercises with the peculiar device known as a beach apparatus. But what on earth is that?

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

The Mother Vine

The Outer Banks are home to some fascinating pieces of history, but one of the most unusual can be found on Roanoke Island. It’s known as the Mother Vine, and it’s the oldest grapevine on the continent still producing grapes! The vine is about 400 years old, though no one is sure of its exact date of origin.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Kite Point

We’re approaching a little spot on our right that locals call “kite point.” It’s just a strip of sand beach, but it’s become a mecca for kitesurfing! The beaches near here have been popular with windsurfers since the 1970s. And Kite Point is the perfect spot to watch this high speed sport in action. But where exactly did kitesurfing come from?

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

Do you remember that the Bodie Lighthouse was so poorly built that it leaned like the tower of Pisa? Well, you’re about to see the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, and it had a tough time starting out too.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Teach's Lair Marina

We’re coming up on Teach’s Lair Marina. It’ll be the collection of boats off to our right in just a minute. As you’ve probably already guessed, the marina and plenty of other landmarks around here are named after Edward Teach, otherwise known as Blackbeard.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Show 12 more stops

Additional Info

Confirmation is instant and will be received at time of booking
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
How to access: Once you book a tour, you’ll get a confirmation email and text with instructions: • Download the separate tour app by Action • Enter the password • Download the tour MUST DO while in strong wifi/cellular Works offline after download
How to start touring: Open Action’s separate audio tour guide app once onsite. • If there is just one tour, launch it. • If multiple tour versions exist, launch the one with your planned starting point and direction.

Go to the starting point No one will meet you at the start. This tour is self-guided Enter the first story’s point and the audio will begin automatically Follow the audio cues to the next story, which will also play automatically. Enjoy hands-free exploring. If you face audio issues, contact support. Stick to the tour route & speed limit for the best experience.
Travel worry-free: Use the tour app anytime, on any day, and over multiple days. Start and pause the tour whenever you like, taking breaks and exploring side excursions at your own pace. Skip anything you don’t care about or explore bonus content for everything that interests you
Savings tips: Driving tours: purchase just one tour for everyone in the car
Buy once, use for one year! Ideal for extended visits and return trips over the next 12 months.

Frequently Asked Questions

(6)

Q: What is the cancellation policy for the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Self-Guided Audio Driving Tour?

A: You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the tour for a full refund. For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the tour start time.If you cancel less than 24 hours before the tour start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.Any changes made less than 24 hours before the tour start time will not be accepted.Cut-off times are based on the tour local time (EDT). Read more Apr 2025

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the tour for a full refund.

Still have questions?

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Activity code: C-267535P42

Traveler Photos

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Reviews

5.00

5 reviews

Average 5.00 out of 5 stars based on 5 traveler reviews collected by City Boat Tours and partner sites such as Cool Destinations and TripAdvisor

5 stars

5

4 stars

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3 stars

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2 stars

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1 star

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The answers provided below were previously given in response to questions from City Boat Tours customers.

Q: What is the cancellation policy for the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Self-Guided Audio Driving Tour?

A:

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the tour for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the tour start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the tour start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the tour start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the tour local time (EDT).

Apr 2025

Q: What's included in the price?

A:

The following is included:

Engaging storytelling: Uncover unique tales and thrilling history for a memorable journey!.
Perfect narrator: nothing can beat listening to a great voice. Proven with tons of rave reviews!.
Offline maps: no signal, no problem! Works perfectly without cellular or wifi.
Comprehensive route and stops: See it all, miss nothing, leave no stone unturned!.
Go at your own pace: Start anytime, pause anywhere, enjoy breaks for snacks and photos freely!.
Hands-free: audio stories play on their own based on your location. Easy to use!.
Great value: purchase per car, not per person. More affordable than bus or guided tours!.
Easy-to-use app: download Action’s Tour Guide App onto your phone.

The following is NOT included:

Attraction passes, entry tickets, or reservations.

Apr 2025

Q: What is the minimum age for this tour?

A:

There is no minimum age for this tour, so bring your wee one along for an adventure..

Apr 2025

Q: My date is not available in the calendar, I am just checking to see if it is available?

A:

If a date or time is not listed on the calendar, it’s sold out or unavailable for another reason. Support cannot assist further if a date or time is not on the calendar.

If you find a date and time that works for you, book it NOW because things always sell out at this time of year.

Apr 2025

Q: Is this an accessible tour?

A:

Accessibility information for the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Self-Guided Audio Driving Tour is as follows:

Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Apr 2025

Q: Where is the meeting point for this activity?

A:

Detailed check-in instructions – including meeting point address, Google map, and parking information – for Cape Hatteras National Seashore Self-Guided Audio Driving Tour will be included in your confirmation email from City Boat Tours. Please be sure to double and triple check your email address is correct at checkout so this important email makes its way to you!

Mar 2024