Ocracoke Island and the Ferry That Takes You Back

Ocracoke Island and the Ferry That Takes You Back

Ocracoke Island is the southernmost island in the Outer Banks accessible only by ferry — a free, 60-minute ride from Hatteras Island across the Hatteras Inlet, with the Pamlico Sound on one side and the Atlantic on the other and dolphins riding the ferry's wake with the practiced ease of animals who have been doing this longer than the ferry has.

The village of Ocracoke at the island's south end is the Banks' last true fishing village — a cluster of clapboard houses, a white lighthouse (the second oldest in the U.S., built 1823), and a harbor where commercial fishing boats still dock alongside pleasure craft. The village has no chains, no traffic lights, and a pace that makes the rest of the Outer Banks feel metropolitan. Eduardo's Taco Stand — a converted house with a walk-up window — serves fish tacos made with whatever came off the boats that morning, and the quality is disproportionate to the setting in a way that only small-town kitchens achieve.

The Ocracoke Beach — sixteen miles of undeveloped National Seashore — is consistently rated among the best in America, and on a weekday in October you can walk a mile in either direction and not see another person. The sand is firm, the shells are plentiful, and the solitude is the kind that makes you think thoughts you didn't know you were carrying.

Practical notes: The ferry from Hatteras is free but lines can be long in summer — arrive early. The Swan Quarter and Cedar Island ferries provide alternative access from the mainland (reservations recommended, 2.5 hours). Bring bikes — the island is flat and the village is walkable. There is one gas station. Plan accordingly.