2025 Kid Friendly Activities Guide

Coastal Creamery OBX sells a wide variety of frozen treats: hard scooped ice cream, soft serve frozen yogurts, sorbet, and custard, and our dairy free selection of Italian Ices. They serve in cones or cups with all of the toppings available and offer old fashioned milkshakes, banana splits, and sundaes. Coastal Creamery also takes orders for ice cream cakes and sells ice cream in quarts to take home. Their bumper boats are a huge attraction for children of all ages. Coastal Creamery is a family destination. They are located on the 16 milepost on the Soundside in Nags Head.

Night climbing starts in June of 2019! FFAP is an Aerial Adventure Park overlooking the beautiful Albemarle Sound. Platforms range from 12 feet to 50 feet high. Climbers take the action into their own hands by choosing to go on the easiest of the courses (Tropical Storm) or going all the way up to the most difficult (Category 5). The platforms are installed on utility poles.  From an aerial view the course looks like outer bands branching out from the central tower, which is the Eye of the Hurricane. There are 6 courses with 7 obstacles on each course. The obstacles are designed around a beach theme using ropes, cables, wood, barrels, stir-ups, and even a hammock. The higher up the central spiral staircase you go, the more difficult the obstacles are. At the end of each course there is a short zip back to the central tower. Have no fear, climbers will be in a harness and on belay for the duration of the climb. Typically climbers will complete 3-4 courses (21-28 obstacles) during the 2 hour climb. Guides take care of the climbers and make sure everyone stays safe!  So bring the whole family and experience and adventure like never before!

Start Your Engines! Full Throttle offers gas powered go karts on two exciting tracks for the entire family. Drivers must be at least 51 inches tall to drive. Double seat karts are available for adult drivers with passengers at least 2 years old and no more than 51 inches tall. Rookie racers from 41 to 51 inches may choose to drive our Junior karts. Cool down with a shaved ice or soft serve ice cream from the Pit Stop, located between the tracks. Our Figure Eight Track can accommodate up to 20. Perfect for large crowds on a hot summer night!

WHEN IT'S HOT, OUR WATER MISTERS WILL COOL YOU OFF SO YOU WILL ENJOY PLAYING! This is a fun, inexpensive miniature golf course located right across the street from a large beach access—so you can spend all day at the beach, rinse off and go play putt-putt! It has two courses, each with 18 holes. The theme is outer space, with a lava-formed volcano in the center spouting a waterfall. Mixed in nicely with flowers and small trees, you'll encounter spacemen, aliens, a big other-worldly elephant, and various spacecraft throughout the course, which is trimmed with bright colors. So clearly it’s geared for light summertime entertainment, with sea breezes to keep things cool. Cash only.

Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head offers fishing and fun for the entire family! Go fishing, take a family fishing class or simply walk out to the end of this 1,000-foot-long, concrete ocean pier.

WHEN IT'S HOT, OUR WATER MISTERS WILL COOL YOU OFF SO YOU WILL ENJOY PLAYING! Mini-golf can be enjoyed here under the shadow of T-Rex and Raptor dinosaurs, depending on which side you choose to play on. Either one has what it takes: 18 hole courses, tropical landscape touches and a playful approach to putt-putt. One sign declares the “Law of the Land,” which includes a warning not to ride, feed or beat the animals. The animals, of course, are oversized sculptures of cartoonish fierce-looking dinosaurs, who guard waterfalls and peek out from ponds and canals. Golfers are also guided to their chosen course by different colored footprints for each monster --- red for T-Rex, yellow for Raptor. The courses are Par 2, easy enough for kids, but still fun enough for the older folks. The view of Manteo and the Roanoke Sound from the course is a bonus. 

 Awarded the Certificate of Excellence by Trip Advisor for 2016! Braids by Life on a Sandbar & Braids is about fun and creating memories. We specialize in: braids, hair wraps, feather extensions, as well as henna tattoos, air brush tattoos, stepping stones, and making your own sand art creations. We offer fun for the whole family and are great for birthday parties.  In addition to braids and braid services, we offer many activities to choose from, and we can accommodate big parties. Just call to make a reservation in either location of Nags Head or Corolla. 
 
Snow Cones are hand made in the Corolla location only. Many toppings to choose from and very refreshing, great for a summer.

Aarrgh! Mutiny Bay Adventure Golf beckons you back to the days when pirate ships roamed the coast and sounds of the Outer Banks and local land pirates lured ships to shore. Enjoy 18 holesof miniature golf on our beautifully landscaped soundside course. We are handicap and stroller accessible. All day play is available until 4:00 pm. And don’t miss the arcade, ice cream, and souvenirs located in the club house.

You haven’t been to the Outer Banks if you haven’t been to a fishing pier, and Nags Head Fishing Pier is as authentic as they come. One of the oldest and longest surviving piers on the barrier islands, this is a great place to take the kids or less agile folks to hook a fish. But people of all ages and skill levels enjoy the great inshore fishing available here, thanks to the closeness of the warm Gulf Stream off the coast. There’s a full-service tackle shop with gear for rent, including rods, reels and other tackle. Bait is also for sale. One-day, three-day eight-day and season passes are available, and kids pay half. And if you catch a fish, you can have the pier's restaurant cook it for you! Even if you never fished a day in your life, it is worth paying the $1.50 to walk on the pier to enjoy the view and the wonderful social scene, and be entertained watching folks fish. The ocean looks awe-inspiring, and it’s fun to feel the sturdy pier sway as the waves crash under it.

Nags Head Pier offers some of the best fishing on the east coast. Its proximity to the Gulf Stream provides access to a great variety of inshore fish, and the Pier Shop furnishes all the equipment needed to catch them. The Shop’s experts can even offer a few tips, along with the bait, tackle and rod and reel rentals.Not only will the pier help you catch the fish, the Nags Head Pier Restaurant with cook them up - fried, grilled or blackened - and serve them to you with fries, cole slaw and hushpuppies. The restaurant is a great place to come early for breakfast and watch the sunrise and specializes in Carolina-style cooking, offering fresh seafood and other dishes for lunch and dinner, with entrees priced from $7.95 to $24.95.But you don’t have to fish to enjoy the pier. After a filling dinner, you can take the kids or that special someone for a lazy stroll down the pier for only $1.50 per person, with kids sightseeing at half price. Day and season passes for fishing are also available.The Pier Shop also sells souvenirs and Nags Head Pier caps and T-shirts that can be ordered online as well. The pier is at milepost 12, has ample parking and is open to fishin 24 hours a day throughout the spring, summer and fall. The Pier House is open from 6 a.m. to midnight.

Nags Head Town Park is nestled among the trees on the edge of Nags Head Woods and offers plenty of space for all types of activities. For kids there’s a playground with swings and slides, and for family and group get-togethers, grills and a covered shelter with bathrooms and picnic tables are provided.  Besides the shaded areas, there’s plenty of open space for soccer and other games, frisbee throwing and kite flying. As a bonus, a nearby Nags Head Woods Preserve nature trail offers a scenic .8-mile trek through sand dunes and maritime forests, ending at a small, quiet soundside beach.  To make sure the Park Pavillion is available for group picnics or parties, call the Town of Nags Head to reserve the space. Although reservations are free, a $50 clean up deposit must be dropped off or mailed to Town Hall prior to your event date. The deposit will be returned if the Park is left clean and in good order.West Barnes Street off of Highway 158 at milepost 11 (beside Ace Hardware) runs right into Health Center Drive. Entrance to the Park is just south of the parking area.

Here’s the place to go for some healthy entertainment when the weather is too hot, too rainy or too cold.  Situated at Milepost 10 off the Bypass on the border of Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills, The OBX Bowling Center is the only bowling alley on the Outer Banks. It’s big enough to handle large groups and parties,but the friendly staff also welcomes last-minute visits from a couple, an individual or a family who wants to play a couple of games and grab a slice of pizza.  

Outer Banks Horseback is a rental service specializing in guided beach horseback rides. We genuinely have a passion and love to horseback ride. Our ability to do it on the beach is something everyone in this world should experience. We strive to give our customers an adventure and memory that they will never forget. Be sure to look out for our services available Fall through Spring in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

The Outer Banks Family YMCA is a great place for all ages. Programming offered for children, teens, and adults to stay active in mind, body, or spirit. Though COVID-19 restrictions may currently limit the use of the YMCA facility, outdoor fitness, camp and recreational/lap swimming are available to participate in!

Outer Banks Pier is one of the few fishing piers still standing on the Outer Banks, and it worth a visit even if you don’t fish. The ocean pier in South Nags Head was first built in 1959, and rebuilt after the Ash Wednesday storm in 1962.  When owner Garry Oliver purchased it in 1970, it was about the same length it is now --- 550 feet. Then he decided to extend it 150 feet. But when Hurricane Isabel ripped through the Outer Banks in 2003, it tore the entire 150 feet off.  With the beach widened in 2011, the shoreline is also about where it was when Oliver first owned it.  Open 24 hours a day in the summer, there’s a small fee to walk on the pier without fishing. Fishing passes are available for one day, three days, one week, by the season, and for couples.  Basic tackle and fishing supplies are sold at the pier, along with snacks and T-shirts. There is also a snack bar and outdoor bar that serves beer and wine right behind the pier house. 

Rock On Charters promises you the “best fishing experience you’ll have in the South.“  Rock On’s Marc Kerns, a US Coast Guard approved captain, has been fishing the Outer Banks’ waters most of his life, and he’s always trying new and old techniques to help him improve his and his clients’ angling skills. Rock On keeps it simple and affordable and yet will still cater a fishing tour to your or your family’s individual needs. Captain Kerns will take you out on a Coast Guard approved and fully equipped Center Console, loaded down with all the rods, tackle, bait and ice you’ll need.For children and beginners, Kerns provides a professional, courteous and patient approach and for seasoned anglers, he goes the extra mile to locate feeding fish, always living up to Rock On’s reputation of providing locals and vacationers with a satisfying and memorable fishing experience.Rock On is very kid and family friendly and “takes a great deal of pride” in being the only charter on the beach to offer a Kid Adventure trip with hands-on experience, teaching all the basics: bait & hook, catch & release and the thrill of catching and taking home the keepers. The family trips also double as a sightseeing tour that’s often enhanced by visits from dolphins swimming and playing beside the boat and pelicans diving for fish.Just call or use the online form any time to book your charter, and Captain Kerns will be waiting for you in the water at the Washington Baum Public Boat Ramp, where you’ll find plenty of parking and clean restrooms.