Town of Duck

Duck is a place that was on a list a couple years ago — a list suggesting that it was a little known tourist destination and would be much less busy or crowded as other beaches along the OBX. This may have been true, yesterday, in that the weather was awful (windy as all get out, overcast, on and off rain), however, I think too many people do know about this place, so it did not seem as described.
Regardless, the town was cool, nice parks, nice boardwalk and nice beaches. Yes, traffic was a bear. Finding a place to park (public parking) was a bear in that there is little or no public beach parking. We found a place to park at one of the commercial strips and just walked the rest of the day, to the beach, on the boardwalk, to the businesses etc.
Charming little town that lives on the tourism industry — nice place to be.

Great place to vacation or live year round. The only thing that keeps it from being a 5 is the fact that traffic in the peak season can be challenging. The coffee shop is a place you don’t want to miss.

There’s not many places you go to that you think of as being just really cute. But a town called duck and it has different streets called ductus induct dad or different kinds of ducks like mallards it was absolutely fabulous. The street lights at ducks on them there were unusual renditions of duck memorabilia comes, abstract looking ducks and any kind of duck you could think of.
The shops in the restaurant even had unusual names that went along with the whole theme of duck. This is near Nags Head & is really just a cute to location. It is also very picturesque and of course on the water since its in OBX. I wish I’d had more time to look in the various Shop because they all looked very interesting and unique.
What’s a girl to do? When on vacation check on unusual name sounds like duck.

I HEART DUCK! Recently took a swing down to Outer Banks and had no idea Duck, N.C. even existed. After some bar-​top cell phone research at the steakhouse, the whole Duck boardwalk situation presented itself. After reading a few lines about Duck, how could anyone not take a ride up Rt. 12 for a visit?
The boardwalk isn’t a boardwalk the way places like Ocean City, Md. or Myrtle Beach have wide expanses of basically beachfront plank to help people rumble their strollers from shop to shop where tacky graphic tees are sold between taffy shops 5-​for-​$ 10. Duck’s boardwalk is basically a breezy waterfront walkway system wide enough for 2 – 3 walkers across. There’s ample access to auxiliary pathways and boat slips, with benches and spots for pics. As I walked it up and back, I paused quite a bit to enjoy just how stinking charming Duck is. Man. People did great work here.
This section of Duck in particular is what I’d consider a mature beach town. There were no obnoxious drinking parties, no packs of high schoolers jamming the attractions, and no muttonheads drag racing their cars on the main road. Duck is clearly a town where people vacation to spend quality time in a quaint, serene getaway nook.

We loved the town of Duck! There was a small playground right near the awesome boardwalk along the sound. We did that with the kids just about every morning. Then at 10am there was something for the kids in the amphitheater. the Lost Colony put on a play, it was so cute and the kids got on stage with the actors. And very educational for older kids. We also did story time and played Frisbee in the grass. The bathrooms were so clean and the town hall adorable. We can’t wait until next summer. Wonderful place, I wish I could live there year round.

From my tourist perspective I really enjoyed Duck! It’s a cute residential town with lots of people running & riding bicycles. The waterfront shops are very cute with restaurants on the boardwalk.
Out of the places we visited in the Outer Banks, Duck was our favorite.

Such an amazing town with compact everything. When I say that, a majority of what you will want to do here is so centralized that if you blink, you will miss it.
Majority of the shopping in this small, quant town is what I assume is the center of town, and their business district. When you think shopping while on vacation you are probably thinking chain stores and discount outlets. Not here, a majority of what you will run into is local spots and small chain stores relevant to the area.
There is some great dining in the area as well. Just about every palate can pleased in this small town. The problem is trying to find just one place you like.
A lot of the places in Duck still come up as Kitty Hawk, since the town is relatively new in means of being founded. I’m sure Duck is much older than most people realize.
It’s a great little place to shop, dine and play.

In 1960, a man named George Koenig bought land from the federal government. After inviting both his kids and grand kids to enjoy a good time at his beach home. He then told friends about a place in paradise called Duck. Tourists began to flood in the tiny community and now it is one of the most desirable tourist destinations on the island. One visit to the village and you will understand where the towns name is derived. The area is flush with water fowl, but admittedly is no where near levels it once enjoyed in it’s hay day prior to major development.
There are several reasons why families flock to the Outer Banks newest town in Dare County. The area is consistently ranked as a top 10 «Best Beach» and top 10 «Family Beach Vacation» If you have ever been to this small city you can see why the town is so decorated. There are many opportunities for outdoor recreation, bike and walking paths, fine dining, specialty shopping, art galleries, concerts and even a nationally known jazz festival. Duck has two seasons, much like all of the Outer Banks. On Season Summer months the small community swells to over 20,000. Off season it turns into a sleepy little village with a population of less than a 1,000. During this «off season» time many of the shop owners close for lack of business.
Prior to the incorporation of the town in 2002 it had already been a top destination for vacations. Families have loved the small town beach feel of the village with it’s quaint boutique shops and spectacular wide beach. With the incorporation the town took on an aggressive beautification effort to add a .75 mile boardwalk along the Albamarle Sound, an outdoor amphitheater, a green space for recreation and a children’s park. These type of services have been fully embraced by locals and tourist alike and has driven even more interest to this tiny enclave.
Also with the incorporation is a city police force. Watch your speed going through town. the speed limit is 25 mph. This is not only marked by road signs, but a huge portable that shows your speed. I must say from my years of being in Duck the speed limits makes sense. There are many pedestrians crossing the road going from shop to shop. There is almost no crime in Duck, so officers need something to do and basically are traffic cops. The heavy vehicular traffic through town «on season» is probably the only blemish I can think of for the tiny enclave.
There are many reasons why tourist choose a Duck destination for their vacation. I highlighted several of the top attributes the city enjoys, but possibly glossed over the primary reason George Koenig fell in love with this adorable area. It is without a doubt a stunningly beautiful area that is no longer a secret to it’s annual visitors and residents. If you have yet to experience Duck, NC I encourage you make the trek and decide if this is paradise for your family.

Wonderful summer town… beachs are beautiful :)

Such a great small town for a vacation. Super laid back and very family oriented. 10 of my friends decided to rent a house when two of our friends decided to get married here. The town has a lot of charm and is remote enough for you to feel like you are «getting away» without too much of a sacrifice on modern amenities.
There are a ton of things to do: beach, adventure tours, kayaking, paddle boarding, lighthouses, mini-​golf… if you run out of things to do there is probably something wrong. Honestly, the best thing I found was to sit on the beach, with a good book, and just take in the waves… the wildlife (we saw a ton of dolphins swimming 50ft from the shore).

When you put in the zip code for Duck, NC it shows the address as «Kitty Hawk, NC». But Duck is actually a little town of its own, just North of Kitty Hawk on the outer banks (OBX) of North Carolina. 95% of the people here are families from up and down the East coast, especially the Carolinas, Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Since my wife and I have several good friends living in the D. C area (with kids about the same ages as ours), it’s been a great place for us to meet up and chill out for a truly relaxing vacation.
Duck is basically a quiet, laid-​back town with beautiful beaches, warm water (compared to the chilly Pacific), and sunny skies, punctuated by the occasional afternoon thunderstorm in the Summer. The town (or village, as some call it) is full of the usual t-​shirt stores, cafes, gift shops, equipment rentals, etc., though it’s higher-​end and less commercialized than Kitty Hawk and Nags Head to the south.
It’s pretty much an ideal family spot; It’s not so much a party town — There are no weekend warriors in site (since there are few motels) and only a few bars. Most of the people here are renting for the entire week. Consequently, traffic in and out can be downright horrible as the changeover occurs (Saturdays or Sundays around midday). Traveling early morning or late evening is the best time to avoid this.