Try kiteboarding, stay in a boutique hotel and tour historic sites at the Outer Banks.
by Vanessa Infanzon
More than 20 years ago, Charlottean Clay Grubb discovered his love for kiteboarding. Over the last decade, he and friends have planned an annual visit to REAL Watersports on Hatteras Island in the Outer Banks to keep their skills fresh.
“Twenty years later and I’m still going strong,” says Grubb, CEO of Grubb Properties. “It’s a little bit of a steep learning curve because it’s all about flying the kite more than it is strength. It’s something you can do much later in life.”
On the ocean, a kitesurfer focuses on riding waves with their feet strapped to a board while holding a kite. Kiteboarding also harnesses the power of the wind to ride along the water, learning tricks on flatwater such as a bay or sound.
“You start with jumping, and then you work on back rolls, front rolls, double back rolls,” Grubb explains. “I’m probably not as aggressive as I used to be, but we continue to have fun and push everyone.”
Kiteboarding photograph courtesy REAL Watersports. Edgecamp Pamlico Station bedroom courtesy Edgecamp Pamlico Station
Getting started
The Outer Banks, known as the “Kite Boarding and Wind Surfing Capital of the East Coast,” offer kiteboarders and kitesurfers the Atlantic Ocean on one side and Pamlico Sound on the other.
Various companies offer private and group lessons to learn kiteboarding and kitesurfing. Kitty Hawk Kites offers a first-time course and three-hour private lessons. Kite Club Hatteras provides beginner, intermediate and advanced lessons to learn board and kite control, how to launch the kite, and gear selection. REAL Watersports runs Zero to Hero Kite Camp, a three-day experience with five hours of instruction each day, using a proprietary coaching method. A coach works with two students at a time.
“All of our sound-based activities are facilitated by our ‘On the Fly Coaching,’” says Jason Forrest, director of resort operations at REAL Watersports. “We’re the first ones to ever use Jet Skis to teach kiteboarding. No matter the wind direction from our facility, you can go out and find uncrowded terrain and good wind.”
courtesy Edgecamp Pamlico Station
Rest and relax
After a day of jumping waves and flying across the ocean tethered to a kite, Edgecamp Pamlico Station offers nearby accommodations in Rodanthe on Hatteras Island. The 14-suite hotel debuted last summer and is accessible to local attractions, beaches and restaurants.
Pamlico Station’s bright orange doors welcome guests into suites with a living room, dining area, fully equipped kitchen and bedroom. Evidence of designer Jonathan Adler’s “modern American glamour” is marked by the whimsical art, bold colors and personal touches throughout the space. Some suites have private patios with chair hammocks, an ideal place to unwind after a day on the water.
Guests can relax at the wellness center, an outdoor deck with a sauna, two cold plunge baths and a hot tub. Book an in-room massage or a beachside yoga session through the hotel’s concierge service. Arrange for your kitchen to be stocked or for a private chef to provide meals.
Beyond kitesurfing
Attractions along the islands’ shores are a short trip from Rodanthe. Head north to Bodie Island to tour the Bodie Island Lighthouse, Jockey’s Ridge State Park and the Wright Brothers National Memorial. Wander along boardwalks, look for wildlife and learn about the area’s history at each of these parks.
Drive south to the tip of Hatteras, home to the Graveyard of the Atlantic. A museum designed to look like a ship highlights the history of the Outer Banks and the stories behind some of the 2,000 shipwrecks off the coast.
Schedule a guided tour through the Frisco Native American Museum & Natural History Center. The museum features thousands of artifacts from across the country and a special exhibit on the Croatan people who once lived on Hatteras Island. Nature trails lead visitors through several acres of a maritime forest and over a pond.
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, a popular island attraction, is undergoing an 18-month restoration and is expected to reopen in summer 2026.
The Elizabethan Gardens and The Lost Colony, Manteo. Photographs courtesy The Outer Banks Visitors Bureau.
Roanoke Island, just east of Bodie, is home to Manteo, a charming town on the water. Walk to restaurants and shops, visit the Roanoke Island Festival Park and dine at the Lost Colony Tavern. A few minutes away by car is The Elizabethan Gardens, a 10-acre botanical garden with walking trails, sculptures and 500 varieties of plants.
Next door to the gardens is Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, a 355-acre attraction dedicated to telling stories dating back to 1580. The park hosts “The Lost Colony,” a production running since 1937 in an outdoor theater on the water. The performance details the unsolved mystery of England’s attempt to start a colony. SP
Featured image: Photograph courtesy REAL Watersports
