Hatteras Shopping: Gifts

Established in 1984, Buxton Village Books makes its home in a Civil War-era island cottage. Sometime in the 1960s this vintage kitchen house was floated up the shoreside of Pamlico Sound from Hatteras village, hauled up the cart path from Buxton Harbor and placed in its current location along N.C. Highway 12. Owner Gee Gee Rosell has a welcoming smile and great taste in books. Prepare to spend some time browsing, as every room offers more titles than you would imagine finding in a bookstore at the beach. In addition to a surprising number of selections in the young adult and health/awareness sections, look for new releases in fiction and nonfiction along with cookbooks, local interest books, a great selection of Southern and contemporary fiction, mysteries, a well-stocked adventure section with many books recommended by Outside magazine, field guides, unique greeting cards and journals. There is truly something for everyone here. Buxton Village Books offers a great selection in a charming space and has an easy to navigate website so you can shop local when you’re not on Hatteras Island. The shop is open year-round, and the interior has recently been renovated. Ebooks, online ordering and shipping are available.

Kitty Hawk Kites has been teaching the world to fly since 1974. With 10 retail locations from Corolla to Ocracoke, Kitty Hawk Kites boasts an impressive selection of kites, flags and spinners, toys, apparel, gifts and games on the Outer Banks. Kitty Hawk Kites specializes in kites, from the single-lines for kids to high-tech stunt varieties. The stores also sell fun outdoor goodies such as flags, toys, boomerangs and games. You’ll find a wide selection of Outer Banks gear, beach sportswear and footwear from Crocs, Chaco, Hey Dude, Southern Fried and Life is Good apparel, t-shirts, sweatshirts, outdoor clothing, sunglasses and more. Kitty Hawk Kites also offers a number of adventure activities including hang gliding, kayak and SUP tours, lessons and rentals, parasailing, Jet Skis, dolphin tours, wild horse tours, historic tours and much more. The brand-new Whalebone Watersports Center on the Nags Head Causeway offers kayak fishing, Jet Skis, pontoon boat rentals and more. At Kitty Hawk Kites' Waves Village Watersports in Rodanthe, you can learn kiteboarding; buy and rent kiteboarding gear; rent a kayak, surfboard or standup paddleboard or climb the adventure tower/ropes course. Kitty Hawk Kites Hang Gliding School at Jockey's Ridge in Nags Head offers private lessons, beginner lessons, advanced lessons and training packages for hang gliding, as well as retail merchandise and sand boards available for rent.

At this tiny cottage shop in Rodanthe, Hatteras native roots are apparent among elegant gifts, original art and rustic vintage items. Stop in to explore an assortment of offerings and village history. Print pictures at the Kodak Kiosk or book a guided history tour. The name honors a beloved Rodanthe resident, Nora Midgett Herbert, who had an abiding wish to open a gift shop to welcome the village visitors. Her husband built her the building on ship’s timbers in 1968, but the shop was not to be until decades later, following an unexpected renovation after Hurricane Irene. You’ll find it across from North Beach General Store and near Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station.