Sea Oats

Sea Oats is a vacation rental on Middle Road, set in the village of Ocracoke rather than out on the open seashore — the kind of address that puts Silver Lake Harbor, the shops and restaurants of the village, and the ferry docks within an easy walk, bike ride, or golf-cart trip. There's no bridge to Ocracoke, so however guests get here, the last leg is by water: the free hour-long NC ferry from Hatteras village, or the longer toll runs from Cedar Island or Swan Quarter on the mainland.

Village-based, island-paced

Staying in the village puts Springer's Point Preserve — the maritime forest at the edge of town tied to Blackbeard's final battle in 1718 — and the grounds of the 1823 Ocracoke Lighthouse within easy reach (the lighthouse itself has never been open for climbing, but the grounds and the view across Silver Lake are worth the walk). Head north on NC-12 and you'll reach the fenced wild pony pasture and the long undeveloped stretch of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, where beach driving is permitted with an NPS permit.

Because Ocracoke has no bridge or evacuation route beyond its ferries, hurricane season (June through November, with the sharpest risk in August through October) is worth watching closely when planning a stay — mandatory evacuations and ferry suspensions happen here more readily than almost anywhere else on the Outer Banks.