Avon Fishing Pier

Avon Fishing Pier has stood over the Atlantic since the early 1960s, the first pier built on Hatteras Island and one of the longest-running fishing spots on this stretch of the Outer Banks. The wooden pier reaches out from the beach in the village of Avon and is open daily from 6am to 10pm, drawing anglers, sightseers, and anyone who wants to walk out over open water.

A Working Piece of Hatteras History

The pier predates NC-12 as it exists today and has ridden out decades of nor'easters and hurricanes since it first opened. Its weathered, buckled planking gives it a lived-in, uneven look that regulars treat as part of the character rather than a flaw. Avon Pier is one of only two wooden fishing piers remaining on Hatteras Island.

Drum Water

Avon Pier earned a permanent place in Outer Banks fishing lore in 1984, when a world-record red drum weighing more than 94 pounds was landed just off the structure. Red and black drum, bluefish, and king and Spanish mackerel all pass through these waters in season, and the pier keeps a steady run of rod-and-reel regulars from spring into fall.

• Location: NC-12 in Avon, within Cape Hatteras National Seashore
• Hours: Open daily, 6am-10pm