Is there anything to do on Hatteras Island in March?

January 22, 2018 2:15 PM

My wife and I are celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary in March, and we are thinking of going to Hatteras Island, North Carolina. We went there about 20 years ago, but I don’t think it was in March. Is there anything to do on Hatteras in March? Are things open?

This trip is only us arriving on Friday and leaving on Sunday, so we don’t need a whole lot of entertainment. Thanks as always for your help.

posted by 4ster to Travel & Transportation around North Carolina (4 answers total)

Best answer: We went several years ago in March, and stayed in Corolla. It was really cold and windy during Spring Break that year, and I know it's been a cold snowy winter there this year.

The state owned museums were open, and a few restaurants and stores.
posted by bessiemae at 2:24 PM on January 22, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Do you have a car? and are you taking the ferry or coming down NC-12?

If you are open to nearby areas my wife (fiancé at the time) and I stayed in a B&B on Roanoke island for two nights.

We:
Visited Hatteras and Bodie Island Lighthouses. (EDIT: Not open in March :(... )
Visited the Wright Brothers National Memorial
Hiked the giant dunes at Jockey's Ridge State Park (the also have hang gliding off the dunes).
Had wine and cheese at Trio

Mefi Mail me if you want details.
posted by token-ring at 3:49 PM on January 22, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Former resident who still visits year-round here.

Way more things will be open in March than they are right now, but not as many things as during peak season (June through late August). Early Spring is a great time to visit, though, because you get off-season prices and beautiful scenery with minimal crowds. Temperatures could range from mid-50s to mid-60s, and it will be windy. The ocean will be too cold to safely or enjoyably swim in. You could surf or kayak with a wetsuit (though it won't be peak surfing season).

Stuff to do:

• Beginner hang-gliding lessons on Jockey's Ridge (north of Hatteras, but easy to get to) are highly recommended! The wind conditions in March are great and you're likely to be able to fly a little higher than you would during the summer. The lessons are super accessible and safe--you're accompanied by an instructor who has control of the glider via a tether or their hand on the bar, and you don't fly high enough to trigger most folks' fear of heights--but still super fun. And you can get a great photo package to commemorate the occasion.
• The Wright Brothers Memorial is open year-round and is a wonderful tribute to the history of aviation. Visitor's center is closed long-term for renovations, but there's lots to see outside, and the park rangers often present interesting programs. (They're part of the National Park Service, though, so if the shutdown is still in effect by then, it's probably a no-go because I think you can't enter the park without going through an attended gate.)
• The Elizabethan Gardens re-open for the season at the beginning of March and are beautiful. The rest of the town they're in, Manteo, is super-cute, and has fun shopping and entertainment. Check out Poor Richard's for sandwiches during the day and live music at night, and the Pioneer Theater for ridiculously cheap movies and popcorn.
• The Lost Colony ghost tour starts at the end of March
• Take a ferry to tiny and beautiful Ocracoke Island
• Go fishing off of one of the many piers. Black Drum, Red Drum, Striped Bass, and Bluefish will all be biting that time of year.
• Just drive down the island, stopping wherever you want to take in the scenery
• Call ahead to make sure they're open (they opened in late March in 2017), and if they are, make your way to the Orange Blossom Cafe in Buxton where you will split a delicious apple ugly (yes, split it--one human cannot eat an entire one along).

I hope that helps! Feel free to MeMail me if you'd like any specific recs for restaurants.
posted by rhiannonstone at 7:23 PM on January 22, 2018 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: Thanks, everyone. This was very helpful.
posted by 4ster at 4:40 AM on January 28, 2018