Ocracoke Island | 5 Amazing Things to Do on a Day Trip

Planning a day trip to Ocracoke Island is super easy with my minimal list.

Planning a day trip to Ocracoke Island or any place can seem like a daunting task. You don’t want to miss any of the must-sees, plus you don’t want to be running ragged. Well, let me take some of the pressure off and save you some quality time. My husband and I often hop to smaller destinations in one day, so we’ve gotten pretty good at this. My suggestions include the can’t-miss staples but also allow you to move at a comfortable pace so you can slow down and enjoy this cozy little island.

Ocracoke in general is very small and you feel like you’re walking around a Nicholas Sparks novel movie set. I love the small-town feel even though there are tourists around. We went at the end of April so nothing was crowded. I cannot imagine the place ever really gets crowded, to be honest. You’ll love this laid-back day if you decide to plan a trip.

This post is all about amazing things to do on Ocracoke Island.

1. Ocracoke Island Ferry

I don’t know that you’ll have a big choice here as I’m not sure there is another way to get to the island. Most people take the vehicle ferry which is free. You can drive right on and get out of your car if you’d like and enjoy the upper deck. There are restrooms on board, which were surprisingly not bad. The plus here is you have a car to get around easily. The con is the vehicle ferry lines are a bit long. We waited about an hour to get on the ferry and the ride was another hour. The ferry ride itself is nice as you’re on the water. The way back was at least a two-hour wait.

You can see the vehicle ferry schedule here.

Another less time-consuming option is to take the passenger ferry. At the time of this post, it costs $5 per person, and 3 and under ride free. This ferry ride is about 70 minutes and drops you off in the heart of Ocracoke. The plus is there are no long wait times. The con is you have to explore on foot. A good option is to rent a golf cart once you’re there to get around. This is pretty popular and is entertaining in it itself. Find rates for golf cart rentals here. A friend of mine did this and they had a great time. If you have kids who require a car seat you need to bring their car seat with you for the golf cart.

You can see the information for the passenger ferry here.

tip: Bring along some car games such as madlibs and Would you rather to pass the wait time in those ferry lines. car snacks are a must as well. See my post: Easy Peasy Road Trip Snacks | No Cooler Needed

2. Pony Pen

These used-to-be wild ponies are located right on Highway 12. If you are driving, you’ll be passing them on your way to the village area where you’re likely heading. We stopped quickly for a few photos. Keep in mind you may see numerous ponies, one or none. The grounds are good sized so these ponies can roam. We did see a few but not super close up. Worth a peak, being that you drive right by. You can read more about the Pony Pen here.

3. 1718 Brewing Ocracoke

We stopped here for lunch, mostly to try their crab-stuffed soft pretzel which was TOTALLY WORTH IT! I highly recommend that and the fish tacos. They were both excellent. We went with a group of 13 including 4 kids. Everyone was impressed with their food. The guys liked the beer. We, ladies, stuck to ciders which were good. The kids had eaten in the car and basically got some chips and salsa and snacky things. The house chips are homemade kettle chips that come with a lot of dishes. My father and brother-in-law got Philly cheese steaks which looked amazing if you like that sort of thing. All of us thought it was a great find. Good food, good drinks, good ambiance. There is indoor and outdoor seating.

tip: Head upstairs to eat. THEY have seating up there and a lounge area where you can sit and play games. You can also access the rooftop to sit with drinks.

4. Lifegaurded Beach

This beach was voted the #1 beach in America in 2022 so I figured it was worth a gander. Now keep in mind, I’m sure many organizations run these polls, but someone at least voted it that. I can see why, there is plenty of soft light sand that seems wider than most beaches. There are shells for the kids and waves for the surfers. I like that it is less crowded than most Outer Banks beaches. Ocracoke is also known for great shells so be sure to bring a bag to collect some if you’re into shelling. Personally, last year my sisters had me grabbing shells and lugging them home and they’re still in a ziplock bag in my closet. So this year I opted out of snagging shells. My family walked around shelling while my husband and I laid out a big Turkish beach towel. He napped while I read (naturally a Nicholas Sparks book :). It was a nice relaxing hour or two we spent there.

Parking is free and there are nice bathrooms in the parking lot and little foot showers to rinse your feet on your way out.

5. The Slushy Stand

I feel like no one-day island trip is complete without ice cream. We asked the kid who took our order at the brewery to recommend an ice cream place. He recommended The Slushy Stand. There are other ice cream places and they may be just fine, but I always feel like I can’t go wrong with a local’s recommendation when I know literally nothing, LOL!

The ice cream was very good and they also made these odd floats, a slushy with ice cream. My sister and her husband got those and they liked them. Now looking back I’m glad we grabbed ice cream because we waited over two hours in the ferry line to head back to Hatteras. The kids took photos with the giant mermaid around the side of the building, we sat on the big porch and ate. It was nice, I’d recommend a stop.

These were 5 amazing things to do on Ocracoke Island

I hope these 5 things to do on Ocracoke Island help you to plan a spectacular day trip to this little island. Trust me, grab some car snacks and a few car games if taking the vehicle ferry, a bag for shells, a beach blanket, and a book, and you’re good to go! Happy travel planning!