Featured Stories
Swan Quarter boat access renamed for local conservationist Kelly Davis
By Stephanie CaplanThe most-used state-managed boat ramp in Hyde County was renamed “Kelly N. Davis Boating Access” in a ceremony in Swan Quarter on...
Eduardo gets a final sendoff
By Jeanne Brook
Early on an April morning a group gathered in front of the Ocracoke post office on Irvin Garrish Highway.
They wanted to wave...
Ocracoke Fig Festival to feature (little) Washington Chef Jamie Davis
The Ocracoke community will celebrate the summer’s fig bounty with special guest chef Jamie Davis Aug. 6 to 8 in the Berkley Barn.
The free...
Ocracoke island-wide yard sale set for May 16
Ocracoke is an island where folks think they can find the purported treasure of Blackbeard, but island homes and businesses will unveil their own...
Ocracoke Access Alliance proposes new tolling plan for Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry route
From our news services
Clarification: The Ocracoke Access Alliance asks for increased tolls on only the Cedar Island and Swan Quarter routes, not other routes...
General Island Information
The Ocracoke lighthouse was 200 years old in 2023. Photo: C. Leinbach
Island Images
A Snowy Owl over the Ocracoke dunes. Photo: P. Vankevich
Snowy South Point Road. Photo: P. Vankevich
Northern lights seen on Ocracoke Nov. 12, 2025. Photo by Ocracoke Harbor Inn
An Ocracoke canal. Photo: C. Leinbach
The Ocracoke ponies. Photo: P. Vankevich
Ocracoke summer surf. Photo: C. Leinbach
The Island Inn Commons in bloom. Photo: C. Leinbach
Sunset cruise on the Pamlico Sound. Photo: C. Leinbach
May 2026 print issue.
The Ocracoke Observer website won first place in the 2020-2021 NCPA contest Online Division, plus four other awards. It has won more than 60 awards, many in first place, since joining the N.C. Press Association in 2015 and entering the contest starting in 2016.
