Adventurous travelers heading to North Carolina’s Outer Banks will find most of their adrenaline rushes in the water and in the air over the state’s beautiful coastline.
Here are four opportunities for travel in the Tar Heel State that will appeal to more adventurous souls:
Latest: What's Your Favorite Type of Vacation? Relaxing or Exploring?
1. Skydiving: Experienced skydivers or those wanting to take their first plunge can do so in the Outer Banks, enjoying North Carolina’s awe-inspiring coastal scenery as they sail through the air. Skydive OBX, which closes during the winter, points out that taking to the air for fun in the Outer Banks means you’re paying homage to the area’s history — the Wright Brothers piloted the first powered airplane in the Outer Banks in 1903.
2. Learn to surf: The Outer Banks is rife with areas to surf because a narrow shelf allows swells to hit the beaches "relatively unfettered," according to Surfline. All along the coast, the beaches offer "a refreshing shot of consistent and hollow surf for the dehydrated traveler," the website said.
If you’ve never been on a board, you can find businesses in almost every town willing to teach you the basics and then set you free to tackle the waves.
Tell Us: What Part of the World Do You Like to Visit?
3. Stand-up paddle boarding: If you’re an experienced surfer wanting to try something new or someone who can’t seem to handle surfing swells, give stand-up paddle boarding a shot. It’s one of the newest crazes in the area, according to an Outer Banks website. Although it looks easy, learning to balance can be a little tricky, the website warned, so you might want to get some basic instruction before setting out.
4. Hang gliding: Leave the sea to go into the air with hang gliding adventures, many at Jockey’s Ridge, where the biggest sand dune on the East Coast can be found. For those with no experience but plenty of guts, you can take a tandem trip to begin learning about this sport that takes humans as close to flight as possible. Kitty Hawk Kites is the largest hang gliding school in the world.
Vote Now: Should the Government Be Doing More to Promote Tourism in America?
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.