A rainy day doesn't have to put a damper on your Outer Banks vacation. Beyond dining at local restaurants, shopping for souvenirs, or catching a movie at the theater, there are plenty of fantastic indoor activities to keep the whole family entertained.
Indoor Adventures
Put your problem-solving skills to the test at OBXscape Rooms in Southern Shores. Participants are figuratively locked in a room where they must work together to solve puzzles, uncover hidden clues, and crack codes before time runs out.
Step into the action with state-of-the-art sports simulators at Turf’s Up OBX in Kitty Hawk! Perfect your golf swing, pitch a perfect inning, hone your penalty kick, or unleash your inner quarterback when you select from 13 different hi-definition games.
Destination Fun in Kill Devil Hills offers exciting activities for the entire family to enjoy rain or shine, including live-action laser tag, blacklight mini-golf, over 60 arcade games, and an enclosed bounce house play area.
Fill some spare time with bowling, arcade games, and a fully stocked cafe at OBX Bowling in Nags Head.
OBX Laser Tag & Arcade in Nags Head offers state-of-the-art laser tag games, arcade games, air hockey, and more fun for the whole family.
Jumpmasters trampoline park on Roanoke Island features open jump trampolines, a foam pit, an epic ninja obstacle course, and more.
Take the Edge Off
Treat yourself at the award-winning Sanderling Spa in Duck, the perfect destination for your physical and mental rejuvenation. Relax and take in tranquil views of the Currituck Sound, followed by a delicious lunch at the Sanderling’s Lifesaving Station.
For the adults - take a tour of the first "legal" distillery on the Outer Banks! Taste the award-winning Kill Devil Rum, see how it's made, and have one of their specialty cocktails at Outer Banks Distilling on Roanoke Island.
Learn Local Lore
The North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island educates visitors on the state's many ecosystems and the animals that call these areas home. Marvel at sharks in the 285,000-gallon Graveyard of the Atlantic exhibit, along with alligators, turtles, fish and North American river otters. You can also visit the Sea Turtle Assistance and Rehabilitation (STAR) Center to see the turtle patients and hear their recovery stories from the people who help them every day before they are released back into the wild.
Also on Roanoke Island, the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site features indoor displays highlighting the island's history, including the infamous Lost Colony, and the Gateway Visitor Center showcases coastal North Carolina's wildlife refuges with interactive exhibits.
Named in honor of the thousands of shipwrecks that litter North Carolina’s coast, the recently remodeled Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras (pictured above) is dedicated to the preservation and presentation of the state’s coastal and shipwreck history. Shipwrecks associated with piracy, the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, and World Wars I and II are the subject of changing exhibits. The museum has remnants of the earliest known shipwreck found in North Carolina waters, dating to 1650.
Get Creative
Show off your artistic side and create a unique souvenir to bring home during an art class hosted by Absolutely Outer Banks in Kitty Hawk, Artsy Octopus in Nags Head, or Studio 12 in Avon.
Not feeling crafty? Browse through one of our favorite spots, Seagreen Gallery, for a one-of-a-kind piece, including repurposed antiques, local art and nautical finds, jewelry, sea glass, crystals, shells, fossils, and recycled art, located on the Beach Road in Nags Head.