Duck Is the Quietest Town on the Outer Banks

Three blocks of shingled shops and restaurants along Duck Road, built with the understated architecture of a place that knows a hurricane will eventually test everything. The main form of entertainment in Duck is watching the ocean rearrange the furniture.

Duck Donuts is a franchise now, but the original shop here still makes them to order — warm, cake-style, toppings chosen from a menu of glazes and crumbles. I get the maple bacon and take it to the boardwalk behind the shops, where the Currituck Sound is flat and silver and the only sound is a kayaker's paddle. The Duck Town Park Boardwalk runs along the soundside through maritime forest and marsh. The bird-watching is excellent without requiring expertise — just walk slowly.

Aqua Restaurant does dinner with waterfront views and local catch. Honestly, the dinner scene in Duck is limited — it's a tiny town and your options narrow fast. But what's there is good, and the kayak rentals on the sound at sunset make up for whatever the restaurant scene lacks.