Cape Hatteras/Outer Banks KOA Resort

We spent 2 separate weeks here. The 1st one was planned, the second was because we loved it so much there.

The first thing that captured my heart was the drive in!! It is AMAZING!! The bridges, beach views, sand dunes, inland water views, it is something so pretty it’s hard to describe and be able to capture all the beauty! It truly is something you have to see and experience.

The campground is cute and has a beach vibe. There is a pirate ship playground, a huge pool and hot tub, jumping pillow, basket ball court, your kids will defiantly keep busy! They have my dogs favorite dog parks of all dog parks. They love running free in the sand! The store is cute and. If and has anything and everything you would ever need for an epic beach day.

Speaking of beach…this beach is captivating. The big waves are dreamy. On sunny days you’ll watch surfers and pelicans. Windy days you’ll see kite boarders and pelicans.

We went during the winter and the sea was so amazing. Everyday was a new beach. One day there was a 3’ drop off, the next day it vanished without a trace. The sea birds are adorable. And there are always fishermen being in something exciting be it a fish, shark, or sting ray.

One down side of winter was most of the stores and attractions are closed, but the upside is a quiet campground for beachy dreams and soul filling peace.

The beach was absolutely amazing. By far 10/10 for camp ground beaches. However, the actual campground was not a direct reflection of our beach experience. The KOA Registration building was beautiful. However, the grounds were sub par, the restaurant was closed Monday and Tuesday, and only open for breakfast and lunch. We picked a KOA and spent 100+ a night for a resort style experience. The “store” had a ton of supplies but their refrigerators were broken and they were letting milk and other perishable items sit in a sweltering hot freezer. My first experience with that staff was watching a check in person and a customer have an argument about the check in process. The customer was told they could check in at 3 pm and then was told to wait until 5 because their room wasn’t ready. The staff offered no help only that they needed to wait. As a customer you hate to see the way you could be treated. All in all, my family and I enjoyed the beach, our space was small but still spacious enough to enjoy, and the silver lining of the restaurant being closed got us out into their small community. I wanted to rate is 3 stars but at the end of the day we really enjoyed our time.

When we first arrived, we thought this campground was amazing. Then we realized the bathhouse nearest to us was being renovated. It’s good it was being renovated, ultimately, but was a bummer for us, and left me wishing we had requested a different site closer to an open bathhouse.

The individual showers are nice, but they were not cleaned the entire time we were there.

No one was monitoring the gate house and people who weren’t staying there seemed to be coming in and riding around.

It was a little chilly when we were there, but the pool area seemed really nice.

The camp office store was well stocked and nice.

Our daughter LOVED the jumping pillow and cute pirate ship playground. There were a lot of things for kids to do, including a cute evening train.

The campground was great about sending text messages about what was going on. You can also text to order wood and ice, which they’ll bring to your site!!!

There’s a great spot across the road to watch the sunset and fly kites.

They claim to be a camping resort. Well, their definition of resort and mine are different...The grounds were very well-kept. Their property is Right on the beach and has direct access. Nice sandy beaches. There is a freshwater shower at the entrance to the beach so that you can rinse off when you’re done. The bathhouse was nice and clean. The shower area is co-Ed. They have a cute little play area for the kids, and had scheduled fun activities throughout the week. (some required an extra fee) Office doubled as a little camp store with some basic groceries, cold drinks, and souvenirs type stuff. All of the staff that we came in contact with were extremely friendly and helpful. They have a really nice pool area with zero entry and two small waterslides for the kids. Plenty of chairs on the pool deck, and a small area of shade where you could eat or get out of the sun.They had sites for RVs all the way to tents. We splurged this time (heat, salt, and sand!) and opted for a camping cabin.(I somehow forgot to take pictures of the cabin, but it is identical to the one in my Arkansas review… Except no TV. I really thought there was a TV… But no matter, we didn’t miss it.) The camping cabin was basic one double bed one set of bunkbeds, there was air-conditioning and plenty of room. A nice swing on the covered porch. Picnic table, grill, and fire ring. The cabins were very close together, but it wasn’t an issue. This campground also offers deluxe cabins which look like your typical Beachhouse type rental. We were visiting on the holiday, I had looked into tent camping over the Fourth of July weekend and they wanted $150 a night for a TENT site. Yeah, I don’t think so. The beach at the Outer Banks is lovely, it’s not commercial and trashy (like I would describe Myrtle beach) and as far as I could see everyone on the beach was good about observing social distance, and Nobody crowded each other. We stayed three nights and had a wonderful time. Overall we will definitely stay here again. Oh, dogs are welcome year round on the beach, only restriction being they have to be leashed. They are also welcome at the campground and there is a dog play area and a dog bathing area.

They don't call this the Cape Hatteras KOA Resort for nothing!!  This family friendly campground has SOMETHING for every interest!  

We have several family members/friends who would never camp tent - which makes this is the campground for this purpose!  We are not normally KOA campers, but to be able to stay in the same space as family - and for them to have beds and Aside from tent/RV sites, there are "deluxe cabins" or tiny homes, log cabins, raised cabins etc.  This is a KOA - so the spaces are tight and close together, but for this trips' purpose, it was fine.  

Similarly, if you have people who would never swim in the ocean - they have you covered!  There is a large pool - a double waterslide, a hot tub, a kids pirate playground, 2 enormous jumping pillows, volleyball, horseshoes, basketball, tetherball, etc.  

This KOA is directly on the beach - you never have to get back in your car if you don't want to!  There is a super boardwalk with a bathhouse right off the beach, outdoor shower area (which is SO nice) and even a fish cleaning station for the fisherpeople in your life.  Your four-legged friends are not left out - they have a dog pick up station too!  

The ocean front campsites even offered covered picnic tables - which for us is always a big win!  We love having an extension of our tent because OBX weather is a little unpredictable and summer - well, we can expect an afternoon thunderstorm.   We also liked the choice of camping on the ocean side or the sound side.  There are benefits to both choices - is it more important to you to camp with the shortest walk to the beach?  Is it more important to camp where you can watch the most beautiful sunset from your tent?   

We had wonderful weather and were so thankful for the proximity to the beach.  We caught a beautiful sunrise one morning - and usually we are the sunset chasers!  Our weather was excellent and the ocean water was about 74 degrees - refreshing - yet warm enough to play in!  A strong recommendation if you need some amenities for your camping experience!   

Side note - my ECLIPSE EQUINOX hoodie was amazing as a wet sunshirt this trip.  Not only did I wear the shirt on the SUP but my brother in law loved it as well! I actually prefer this shirt as a swim/sun shirt rather than for hiking now that I tried it in the water.  I did not like the way the hood came over my face when I fell in.  It took me a minute to figure out how to get it off my face.  Yet, my brother in law loved the sunshirt and wore it with a hat on the SUP - said the hood was his favorite feature!!