Oriental and Ocracoke

One of several of Oriental's dragons

Half way up the coast of North Carolina, Oriental and Ocracoke are two small coastal towns with very different flavors. On the mainland and the ICW, Oriental is by far the friendliest town we have seen. With a large population of sailors and retired cruisers we had a constant stream of people at our boat whether at the marina or the free town dock.
40 miles across Pamlico Sound lies the little town of Ocracoke on the Outer Banks. Accessible only by ferry or private boat it is more isolated than Oriental and has its own unique atmosphere. All of Ocracoke Island is National Park except for the village so there are miles of undeveloped beach and than lots of wonderful small cottages with screen porches tucked all over town.

Ocracoke cottage

Fishing still provides an important livelihood but the town is mostly tourist oriented which makes the narrow streets crowded with cars, bikes and pedestrians. We biked all over town and to the ocean, enjoyed a night program at the lighthouse, and listened to a marvelous, well known storyteller at the tiny local theatre. We laughed for 2 hours. Coastal folk music is a huge part of this island and we enjoyed 2 performances, one by locals 'Molasses Creek' and another by a visiting group 'Mandolin Orange' who stayed on after the Ocrafolk festival.
Even after 5 days we were very tempted to stay much longer in this delightful anchorage, but we have more towns to see and experience, although we look forward to returning to North Carolina in the fall.

Silver Lake anchorage in Ocracoke