Outer Banks Day 4-5: Kill Devil Hill / Corolla / Duck / Roanoke Island

We road tripped from the Jacksonville / Camp Lejeune area up to the Outer Banks in April and had a blast exploring these barrier islands!! Make sure you check out our 5 day itinerary, read about our 1st day on Ocracoke Island, our 2nd day on Hatteras Island and our 3rd day driving up the villages before reading this post on day 4-5.

On Day 4 we had a southern breakfast at The Dunes Restaurant. We then visited the main attraction in the area, the Wright Brothers National Memorial. Arrived right on time to do a tour with a park ranger and walked up the Kill Devil Hill. We almost got on Cassi a self-driving shuttle they were testing at the memorial, but sadly didn’t make it on. Then we learned more about the brothers inside the museum before heading out.

Afterward we drove 45 minutes north to Corolla and honestly this area was my least favorite. Right after the town of Duck it’s just fancy resorts and very boujee beach houses. But we drove up just to visit the Currituck Lighthouse, which is known for its red brick exterior. Which is different from most of the other Outer Banks lighthouses which are painted in black and white patterns. This was also the only lighthouse we got to climb up and see the amazing view.

We then drove back down to Duck in hopes of eating at Ducks Donut, since that’s where it’s originally from. Just our luck it was closed that day. We did manage to find a similar donut at Donut On A Stick, so at least our craving was satisfied. We also walked along the boardwalk and walked into a few shops.

I’m including the morning of Day 5 on this post because we only spent a few hours in Roanoke Island, but make sure you scroll down to see!

Wright Brothers National Memorial

^^ Here’s the self-driving shuttle! Didn’t get to ride it because only 1 family could go in because of COVID ^^

Currituck Lighthouse

                                                             ^^ just a little otter out for a swim ^^ ^^ not Duck Donuts but we’ve had them in Jacksonville (although they’ve closed) but equally as good! ^^

Back to Kill Devil Hill! We stopped at Jeanette’s Pier for a few minutes, then had dinner and beers at the Outer Banks Brewing Station.

Day 5

On our last day we checked out of our AirBnb, had an amazing breakfast at ‘Stack ‘Em High Pancakes and So Forth’ before heading off to Roanoke Island. We visited Fort Raleigh and their small museum, then took a tour with a park ranger to learn more about England’s first New World settlements. There is a theater that holds a Lost Colony Drama but it doesn’t open until end of May, so we sadly didn’t get to see it. We continued onto the Elizabethan Garden which was small but still lovely!

Afterward we headed to the downtown area to visit the Downtown Books, the Lost Colony Brewery and the smallest lighthouse in the Outer Banks. The Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse, unlike its Outer Banks counterparts, is not an original. It’s actually a replica of the original lighthouse that was constructed in 1877. The new lighthouse was completed in September 2004. We then had lunch at the Lost Colony Brewery and Cafe before starting our 3 hour drive back to Jacksonville.

Fort Raleigh

Elizabethan Garden

Downtown Manteo

And that was a wrap on our Outer Banks road trip!!

If you made it all the way down here you’re awesome!! Don’t miss the rest of the blogposts from this Outer Banks road trip >> 5 Day Outer Banks Road Trip Itinerary | Day 1: Ocracoke Island | Day 2: Hatteras Island | Day 3: Avon / Rodanthe / Nags Head | North Carolina Lighthouses << Also check out the rest of my North Carolina posts!