Sandy Run Park

Sandy Run Park in Kitty Hawk is consistently one of the highest-rated parks in the Outer Banks area — and it's not hard to see why. Unlike most OBX outdoor spaces, which are exposed, sun-baked, and sandy, Sandy Run is set within a genuine maritime forest of pine and live oak trees that provide natural shade and a completely different sensory environment from the beach.

The park features multiple playground areas serving different age groups, well-maintained nature trails through the forest, and picnic facilities that make it a great lunch destination. The forested setting means summer visits are genuinely enjoyable without the punishing heat of other outdoor options. Kids who've been on the beach all week respond enthusiastically to the different textures, sounds, and smells of a shaded forest park.

Families staying in Kitty Hawk, Southern Shores, or Duck find Sandy Run their most accessible park, and many return multiple mornings during an OBX vacation. The combination of nature trails and age-differentiated playground areas keeps kids of multiple ages happy simultaneously.

Restrooms are on-site and well-maintained. The park is free and open access. It pairs naturally with the Wright Brothers National Memorial (about 15 minutes away) for a full Kitty Hawk morning that combines nature, history, and outdoor play.