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Outer Banks Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour

Overview
Explore North Carolina's Outer Banks on this self-guided car tour. First, see the majestic Bodie Island Lighthouse and the peaceful Coquina Beach, where nature and history merge. Continue to Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station Historic Site, a maritime hero attraction. Next, see the Currituck Beach Lighthouse, a coastal landmark. Last stop: the Wright Brothers National Memorial, where flight dreams were realized. Explore maritime history and pioneering spirit in stunning coastal scenery.

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.
City: Outer Banks
Sat 05 Apr
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You can choose the date already on the booking website
Starting at $24.99
Sat 05 Apr
Starting at $24.99
Make a reservation
What's Included
Easy-to-use app: download Actionā€™s Tour Guide App onto your phone
Great value: purchase per car, not per person. More affordable than bus or guided tours!
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!
Additional Info
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • How to access: Once you book a tour, youā€™ll get a confirmation email and text with instructions: ā€¢ Download the separate tour app by Action ā€¢ Enter the password ā€¢ Download the tour MUST DO while in strong wifi/cellular Works offline after download
  • How to start touring: Open Actionā€™s separate audio tour guide app once onsite. ā€¢ If there is just one tour, launch it. ā€¢ 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 storyā€™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 donā€™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.
What To Expect
1
Bodie Island Lighthouse
In 1921, the four-masted schooner Laura Barnes was sailing from Massachusetts to South Carolina to pick up a load of cargo. But the weather turned foul. A dense fog rolled in and the waves grew treacherous. Unable to see, the captain didnā€™t spot this shoreā€¦ until it was too late! The ship crashed into the beach and broke apart. The entire crew made it out alive, but the ship stayed stuck! Salvagers scavenged most of it, but some of the shipā€™s remains are still lodged in the sand here to this day!
2
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge
Weā€™re now driving through 13 miles of nature preserve! Itā€™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 itā€™s part of what scientists call ā€œthe Atlantic Flyway.ā€ 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.
3
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
Do you remember that the Bodie Lighthouse was so poorly built that it leaned like the tower of Pisa? Well, youā€™re about to see the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, and it had a tough time starting out too.
4
Hatteras
Weā€™re entering the small village of Hatteras. If you love fishing, this little village is the place for you! Locals and visitors alike make their money and spend their free time with a rod and reel in their hands. Itā€™s got a population of around 400 people, so itā€™s as quiet and as quaint as a small town can get. The roads snake and meander around with no grids and no official plots. Everything here feels connected to nature.
5
Jockey's Ridge State Park
In just a moment weā€™ll see huge sand dunes off to our left. Those belong to Jockeyā€™s Ridge State Park, the tallest sand dune system in the Eastern United States! But why are there sand dunes in the middle of this island? Arenā€™t the islands themselves sand dunes? Well, scientists believe that over many years, storms and hurricanes wash sand inland. Meanwhile, the winds from the mainland blow in the other direction.
6
Wright Brothers National Memorial
To visit the Wright Brothers National Memorial, turn left onto Wright Memorial Drive. Itā€™s got full-scale models of the brothersā€™ planes, markers of the distances of each flight the Wright Flyer took, and more.
7
Kitty Hawk Woods Reserve
Weā€™re driving through the town of Kitty Hawk. Youā€™ve probably heard the name before. After all, historians credit this town with being where Wilbur and Orville took their first flight. But technically, the brothers took their flight a few miles south of the town line, in a place called Kill Devil Hills. Quite a name, I know! Since that wasnā€™t an official town in 1903, Kitty Hawk gets the credit for Orville and Wilbur!
8
Duck Town Park Boardwalk
Coming up on our left is the Duck Town Park Boardwalk. This scenic park features waterfront trails, shops, restaurants, and more. If youā€™d like to visit and stretch your legs, turn left at the sign that says, ā€œTown of Duck.ā€ Otherwise, continue straight.
9
Corolla
Weā€™re entering the town of Corolla. Off to our right, beyond the houses, stretches the seemingly infinite expanse of sand known as Corolla Beach. The locals here number around 500, but in the summer, the population surges into the thousands! Vacationers come here from all over to enjoy the small-town feel, the watersports, and that herd of wild horses.
10
Currituck Beach Lighthouse
Currituck Beach Lighthouse is coming up in a few minutes. Iā€™ll let you know when to turn if you want to see it. On December 1, 1875, engineers finished construction on this ā€œfirst-orderā€ lighthouse. ā€œFirst orderā€ means the biggest kind of lighthouse. The Fresnel lens at the top of the tower stands about eight and a half feet tall and stretches to around six feet wide! Its light can be seen from 21 miles away! The lighthouse itself stands 162 feet tall.
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Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Traveler Photos
Reviews (18)
Steve_S
Mar 2025
Very difficult to coordinate trip on call phone. I was driving and had to switch with another passenger to operate cell phone. Took 30 minutes before I was able to get the route to appear on my cell phone. Was unable to get the trip map on the cars screen
Response from Host
Mar 2025
Hi Steve, sorry to hear you found the tour tricky to use. Itā€™s essential to start from the designated start point mentioned in the instructionsā€”once youā€™re there, the tour should automatically trigger as long as you follow the route and the speed limit. Since itā€™s a GPS-based tour, staying on the path ensures the audio plays smoothly within its trigger radius. Currently, the app doesnā€™t support CarPlay, but you can always connect to your car stereo to enjoy the audio while driving. If you need help, my support team is available from 9 am to 6 pm EST and happy to assist!
sheilamQ5206WF
Mar 2025
This was the perfect way to enjoy the Outer Banks. We learned so many interesting things and it enhanced our drive tremendously. The snippets of information and stories were appropriately brief but frequent, and the guide's voice pleasing and entertaining. Wonderful!
Response from Host
Mar 2025
Sheila, Iā€™m glad you enjoyed my Outer Banks Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour. Itā€™s great that the stories and info added so much to your drive, and Iā€™m happy the pacing and narration worked perfectly for you. For more adventures, check out my East Coast USA Bundle with tours from Acadia to Key West. Happy travels!
Hillary_M
Jan 2025
Great experience, very informational. The south-side tour isnā€™t as busy as the north-side tour, but itā€™s a lot of history to listen to while you drive the long stretches of the barrier island. The north side tour (kitty hawk, duck, corolla was a lot to look at and places to stop. 10/10!! 5stars!
Response from Host
Jan 2025
Hillary, Iā€™m thrilled you loved my Outer Banks Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour. The blend of history on the south side and the vibrant stops on the north side make it unique, and Iā€™m glad you enjoyed both. For more experiences like this, check out my East Coast USA Bundle, featuring a variety of self-guided tours from Acadia to Key West, all designed for you to enjoy at your own pace.

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