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Just
26 miles from the North Carolina mainland lies an island where
time stands still.
No
mansions mar Ocracoke's 15 miles of unspoiled beaches, home to
seabirds and sea turtles, wild ponies-and some of the best fishing
along the Atlantic coast.

Ocracoke residents
Year
after year, "Dr. Beach" (actually Dr. Stephen Leatherman, director
of Florida International University's coastal research lab) declares
Ocracoke one of the top 10 beaches in the United States, based
on its natural beauty, lack of pollution and visitor-friendly
features.
The Travel Channel, in its March 2006 show "Best Beaches" went
further, naming Ocracoke's shores the best beach in America, beating
out every stretch of sand in Hawaii, California, Florida and even
the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Brown pelicans
All
the publicity raised Ocracoke's profile-and bragging rights-but
has done little to change the island's laid back character.
This is a destination isolated from the bustle of other beach
resorts with no mini golf, no fast food, no restaurant row rush
hour.
Isolation
is one of Ocracoke's splendors. You cannot drive to this island;
you must fly in by small plane, or come by boat. The North Carolina
Ferry System connects Ocracoke to Hatteras in the north, Swan
Quarter to the east and Cedar Island, near Beaufort, to the south.

The ferry from Hatteras Island
Bring
your car, if you like, but once you settle in Ocracoke Village,
the only town, located at the southern end of the island, you
may just leave it parked. Transportation down the village's tree-shaded
lanes is best accomplished by bicycle, and several places around
town rent bikes by the day or week.
"This
is definitely the place to vacation if you want to get away,"
says Jackie Myers, general manager of Ocracoke Island Realty.
"Our visitors are more laid back, less stressed out than you find
at other beaches."
Her
company handles more than 300 rental properties on the island,
ranging from simple cottages to sound-front houses with docks
and hot tubs.

A typical rental cottage on Ocracoke
"We
don't have oceanfront houses on Ocracoke," Myers says. "There's
no construction at all on the beach."
Winter
population in Ocracoke hovers around 800, but in the summer season
that swells to about 15,000, mostly weekly renters.
All
commercial and residential development clusters at the south end
of Ocracoke, near the ferry docks to Cedar Island and Swan Quarter.
The National Park Service manages the rest of the island as part
of Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
Except
for a park service campground and some wild ponies, the miles
of dunes and marshes are largely uninhabited, shaped by wind and
water.

An Ocracoke pony at the NPS pens.
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Surf fishing the day away
Recreational
activities focus on the water. Four-wheel drive vehicles can navigate
a number of roads which lead to the beach, where surf fishing
is a popular activity along with shelling.
Experts
consider the fishing in these waters some of the finest in the
world, with both the ocean and Pamlico Sound easily accessible.
The large charter fishing fleet docked in the village's harbor
can reach the Gulf Stream and its big game fish more quickly than
from any other port in the Outer Banks.
Ocracoke
may not have a movie theater, but there's plenty to do between
leisurely breakfasts and lazy sunsets. Outfitters on the island
teach surfing, lead kayak tours and take visitors for a high-flying
tour of the harbor via parasail.
One
popular day excursion goes across the inlet to Portsmouth, once
a thriving village but now a ghost town preserved by the National
Park Service as part of Cape Lookout National Seashore. Austin
Boat Tours runs a shuttle boat from Ocracoke harbor to the Portsmouth
dock, a trip enlivened by the captain's local yarns told in an
authentic Orcracoke brogue, a unique dialect studied by N.C. State
University.

Above, Capt. Austin on Portsmouth Island
Capt.
Austin, whose family goes back many generations on the island,
also offers tours to nearby brown pelican rookeries.
But
many choose to spend the days strolling the village's shady lanes,
discovering galleries, shops and restaurants half-hidden among
moss-hung live oaks.

Evening on Silver Lake Harbor
Above
the tree line rises the white column of the Ocracoke Light. Built
in 1823, it is the oldest lighthouse still operating in North
Carolina.
Throughout
its history, Ocracoke hosted many colorful characters looking
for a quiet getaway.
Blackbeard
the pirate was one, but here his luck ran out. Just outside the
harbor lies Teach's Hole, site of his final, fatal battle with
the British.
One
of the best places to get in touch with the old pirate's spirit
is aboard the schooner Windfall. Capt. Rob Temple sails his 57-foot
vessel, flying Blackbeard's pirate flag of a skeleton and a bleeding
heart, out of Ocracoke harbor on a daily sunset cruise May through
October.

Above, Capt. Rob Temple aboard the Windfall
As the sun slides down into Pamlico Sound, Temple tells many tales
about Blackbeard, including the story of a mysterious goblet said
to be made from the pirate's skull. National Geographic
recently came to Ocracoke looking for Blackbeard lore and ended
up featuring Temple's tales in its July 2006 issue and on its
website.
The
captain, a North Carolina native himself, says he understands
the attraction that brought Blackbeard and so many others back
to the island: "Once you get away, all you think about is coming
back."
For more information on Ocracoke, visit:
www.ocracokevillage.com
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