Top 10 Must Do Adventures in the Outer Banks

The Outer Banks is more than just the beaches! This unique community also offers loads of opportunities for new adventures. With hundreds of miles of coastline, surrounded by sea and sound, the ways to get outside and enjoy this place are endless, and Kitty Hawk Kites can help you find them. Here's a list of our top 10 must do adventures in the OBX!

1) Hang Gliding

The Outer Banks is a natural wind paradise, and hang gliding is one of the best ways to enjoy it! Since 1974, Kitty Hawk Kites has operated the largest hang gliding school in the world. For more than 50 years, we’ve been dedicated to teaching the world to fly through continuous dedication to fun, safety, and memory-making experiences. Fly the sandhills of Jockey’s Ridge State Park with our dune school, or be towed 2000 feet in the air and glide back down to our Cotton Gin Flight Park in Currituck for the thrill of a lifetime. Fun for ages 4 to 94, this is a unique OBX experience you won’t want to miss!

2) Learn to Kiteboard

We love watersports at Kitty Hawk Kites and you will too! Hit the water with our Kiteboarding instructors in Waves Village Watersports Resort in Rodanthe and try your hand at the most exhilarating watersport there is. The sea breeze of the OBX makes for the perfect place to learn to kiteboard with our incredible and PASA certified team!

3) Explore Corolla on a Wild Horse Tour

The wild horses of the Outer Banks are natural wonders that date back hundreds of years. Descendent of shipwrecked Spanish horses, seeing these majestic creatures is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. You can’t miss this adventure where you will be guided and driven in a custom 10 passenger four wheel drive vehicle. Your guide will take you into the Wild Horse Conservation Easement and other areas accessible only by us. They will stop along the tour to share their knowledge and history of the horses and surrounding area where they live.

4) OBX Kayak Tours

Gorgeous marshland and sounds surround the Outer Banks. Explore them for yourself on one of our Kayak tours! Kitty Hawk Kites offers kayak tours throughout the OBX. We are proud to offer the largest selection of Outer Banks kayak tours and locations extending from Corolla to Hatteras Island. Our kayak tours are all well equipped with all the gear needed to show you everything from the majestic sunsets to the unique local wildlife of the OBX. With single and tandem boats, paddling with a certified guide is a great way for the whole family to explore the outdoors. Offering over 13 kayak tours, including specialty tours and instruction- there is a tour for everyone!

5) Parasailing

Experience a bird’s eye view of the Outer Banks. Parasail with us in Duck or Manteo for an aerial perspective of the OBX’s natural beauty. With two convenient locations for Parasailing, you can have the opportunity to soar above the Roanoke Sound and the Currituck Sound while enjoying the best sight-seeing of the Outer Banks. The views of the ocean, Roanoke Sound, Southern Shores, the barrier islands, Corolla Lighthouse, Bodie Lighthouse and marshes in between are fantastic. This is an experience you won’t want to miss!

6) Family Fishing aboard the Miss Oregon Inlet Head Boat II

The Miss Oregon Inlet II is an Outer Banks fishing tradition! With a capacity for up to 65 passengers, this family-friendly fishing trip will offer your an experience you’ll cherish for the rest of your life. Offering multiple trips a day through both the sound and ocean, a trip on this vessel is affordable, and fun for all passengers, big and small!

7) Jet Ski Rentals

If you have the need for speed, this is the perfect adventure for you! Rent Jet Skis from our Watersports centers in Duck and at our Whalebone location for thrilling rides through the sound waters of the OBX! Make your Outer Banks vacation extraordinary this year with the ride of a lifetime on our Yamaha jet skis. Our jet skis can accommodate as many as 3 people at a time. Great for the solo traveler and the whole fam!

8) Hatteras Island Horseback Riding

Experience the idyllic OBX beaches on horseback! Explore the Buxton Woods Coastal Reserve and the Cape Hatteras National Seashore on Hatteras Island by horseback. You will see the natural beauty of Hatteras Island from a completely different perspective! Kids, parents, and the entire family will love this eco-tour aboard the back of friendly creatures! A can’t miss experience!

9) Walking Ghost Tour

Manteo, North Carolina, located on Roanoke Island is one of the oldest towns in America. Home of legends like the Lost Colony and stories of Pirates, this idyllic sound-side community is filled with rich history and the potential spirits that accompany it. OBX Ghost Tours is something your family will be talking about the rest of the summer! You’ll be entertained as a guide leads you through downtown Manteo by lantern telling the spooky stories that make the Outer Banks one of the most haunted beaches in America! Whether you believe or not, you’re guaranteed to enjoy your time!

10) Inshore Excursions aboard the Island Hopper

The possibilities are endless with our friend Captain Randy! Choose from Fishing, Tubing, Crabbing, Dolphin Searches, and Island Explorations for a great time aboard the Island Hopper Pontoon. The time on the water with your family is yours, Capt. Randy is just there to help you experience something like you’ve never done before. Whether you want to Fish, Crab, Tube, search for Dolphin or go find your own island for a few hours, this trip will be guaranteed fun for you and your family.