Outer Banks Scenic Byway
Ocracoke Village, NC

The centerpiece of Ocracoke village is Silver Lake. Picturesque docks and boats can be glimpsed as the byway turns right and follows the harbor’s edge to the ferry terminal, a Cape Hatteras National Seashore visitor center, and lots of parking. Ocracoke village is a walkable, bike-riding community.

About halfway around the harbor, the Ocracoke Fish House, cooperatively owned by the Ocracoke Working Watermen’s Association, provides a market outlet for the island’s working watermen. A watermen’s exhibit allows visitors to learn of fishing as a living tradition. The Ocracoke Preservation Society preserves the island’s history and traditions. Its David Williams House museum exhibits life on the island and explains the island’s distinctive “brogue.”

The happy wanderer on foot has many choices on Ocracoke's back streets like narrow, unpaved Howard Street. Pleasant shops and a British cemetery are there to be discovered. Ocracoke has a strong music tradition which is celebrated seasonally at the Deepwater Theatre and during special events like Ocrafolk, a two-week-long fall school, and June’s Ocracoke Festival.