Ocracoke Island

Ocracoke is reachable only by ferry, which has kept it different from the rest of the Outer Banks. The village sits round Silver Lake harbour with the 1823 lighthouse above it, the oldest still operating in North Carolina and among the oldest in the country. Islanders speak what linguists call the Ocracoke brogue, a distinct dialect with roots in early English settlement that survived through isolation and is now receding as the older generation goes. Blackbeard was killed at Ocracoke in a battle with troops from Virginia on November 22, 1718. Banker ponies, a feral horse population, have been kept in fenced areas of about 180 acres since 1959. Hurricane Dorian in 2019 tore up some 300 metres of the island road, and visitors were kept out until December.

Highlights

• A lighthouse of 1823 - the oldest working one in the state.
• The Ocracoke brogue - a distinct dialect, now receding.
• Banker ponies - in fenced areas since 1959.
• Ferry-only access - which is why it stayed different.

When to go

May to October. A full day, better with a night.

Practical notes

Ferries book out in summer and cancel in weather - the long routes need reservations. Hurricane damage has been severe and repeated. There is one village and little else. Off season, most of it closes.

Nearby

Hatteras Island is north by ferry; Cape Lookout is south.

Key facts