Outer Banks

Our family has traveled to the Outer Banks every year—except one—since we moved to the U.S., and it has become a place we deeply love. There’s something about crossing the bridge onto Hatteras Island that feels like a return, not just a visit. The stretch near Buxton, especially around Cape Hatteras, has woven itself into our story—through long beach walks, salt-sprayed mornings, and the quiet rhythm of the sea.

The history of the Outer Banks is as rich and shifting as its sands. These barrier islands off North Carolina’s coast have long been shaped by wind, water, and resilience. Long before European settlers arrived, the area around Buxton and Cape Hatteras was home to Algonquian-speaking Native American tribes such as the Croatoan. It’s near here that the English made their first attempt to settle the New World in the 1580s—an effort that ended in mystery with the disappearance of the “Lost Colony” on nearby Roanoke Island.

Cape Hatteras itself has stood as a sentinel for seafarers for over two centuries. Known as the “Graveyard of the Atlantic,” the waters off the cape have claimed thousands of ships, victims of shifting shoals and sudden storms. The iconic black-and-white lighthouse, built in 1870 and later moved inland in 1999, has become a symbol of endurance against nature’s power. During the Civil War and even World War II, this coastline held strategic importance, with German U-boats prowling just offshore.

Buxton, the quiet village nestled near the Cape, has always felt like the heart of Hatteras Island to us. Life here has long revolved around the sea—fishing, life-saving stations, and now the ebb and flow of travelers like us who return year after year. For our family, it’s more than a vacation spot. It’s a place that holds memories, history, and a sense of belonging we carry with us all year long.