Member-only story
Day Trip
Ocracoke: In Search of Shells and Buried Treasure
My Life in Vignettes
A week's vacation on the Outer Banks with a visit to Ocracoke has been a much-anticipated highlight of our summers for as long as I can remember.
Ocracoke, a barrier island off the coast of North Carolina, lies near the southern end of NC Route 12. It is only accessible by ferry or private boat.
Ocracoke is best known for being a base and hangout for the infamous pirate Edward Teach, more commonly known as Blackbeard, who was killed in a fierce battle with the Royal Navy on Ocracoke in 1718. He and his crew were rumored to have buried treasure on the island. If so, it has never been found.
Also known for great shelling, many vacationers make a memorable trip each year during their stays on the Outer Banks of North Carolina to walk the beaches of Ocracoke in search of Scotch Bonnet, Whelk, Olive, and many other shell varieties.
The islands of Hatteras and Ocracoke lie within the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, a protected stretch of desolate shoreline and windswept dunes stretching 70 or so miles.
In our early years of beachgoing, we stayed in Corolla, on the northern end of the Banks. The 135-mile-drive from…
