A Coastal
Getaway, Done Right
You don't need an Outer Banks price tag for a great coast vacation. From Engelhard you can ride the ferry to Ocracoke for the day, fish the sound, drive out to Lake Mattamuskeet, or just slow all the way down on the porch — and sleep cheap and quiet in between.
The trip you
actually relax on
This is the unhurried version of the coast. No boardwalk, no traffic, no resort wristband — just open water, big skies, a working fishing village, and a ferry to a wild barrier island. Families, couples and road-trippers use the inn as a simple, friendly base and spend their money on the days, not the room.
Mornings start with a hot breakfast for a few dollars. Days go to the water, the lake or the island. Evenings end on a wide porch with rocking chairs and a sunset over the sound. It's a real vacation at a pace you forgot you missed — and a bill that won't ruin the drive home.
Call (252) 925-2001- Ocracoke ferry — about 15 min to the Swan Quarter dock
- Lake Mattamuskeet — about 11 miles north
- Northern Outer Banks — about one hour east
- Rates well under the beach-town hotels
What a getaway here gets you
- A ferry day-trip to Ocracoke — the island, the lighthouse, the ponies
- Fishing and crabbing the sound, the canals and the lake
- Lake Mattamuskeet and its wildlife drive, 11 miles north
- The quiet scenic drive along U.S. 264 — half the fun
- A wide porch and some of the best sunsets on the coast
- A clean room and a hot breakfast at a real-world price
A few easy days, mapped out
People ask what they'd actually do here for a few days. The honest answer: less than you would on a packed beach trip, and you'll like it more for that. A good three-day rhythm looks something like this — one big day on the water, one slow day close to home, and one for the road and the porch.
- Day one — the island. Take the ferry to Ocracoke: the lighthouse, the harbor village around Silver Lake, the wild ponies, and a wide, uncrowded national-seashore beach. It's a full day on the water and worth every minute.
- Day two — the sound and the lake. Fish or crab the Pamlico Sound, then drive up to Lake Mattamuskeet, eleven miles north, for the wildlife drive and the big open water.
- Day three — the slow one. A long breakfast, the scenic drive along U.S. 264, and an evening in a rocking chair watching the light go down over the marsh.
The big day: a ferry trip to Ocracoke
The centerpiece of a vacation here is the boat. There are no bridges to Ocracoke — you reach it by ferry — and from our door the dock is only about 15 minutes west. Sleep here, eat early, and you're first in line for the morning sailing instead of fighting beach-town traffic. Spend the day on the island and come back to a calm, cheap room. Our ferry pages have the schedule, the reservations and the full rundown.
Closer to home: water in every direction
You don't have to go far to fill a day. The sound and the canals are right here for fishing and crabbing — largemouth and striped bass, crappie, catfish, and big blue crab. Lake Mattamuskeet, North Carolina's largest natural lake, is a short drive north with a three-mile wildlife drive and, in winter, tens of thousands of swans and ducks. Our things-to-do page rounds it all up.
Why it costs less out here
The Outer Banks beach hotels are about an hour east, and they charge what beach hotels charge. We're the same coast without the resort markup — a clean, simple room, free parking and Wi-Fi, no resort fees, and a hot home-cooked breakfast for a few dollars. The money you save on the room is money for the trip. If you want the plain version of what a night here is like, our budget stays page lays it out.
An easy pace, good for families
This is a quiet village, not a strip, so it suits travelers who'd rather slow down: couples, families, road-trippers, anyone who likes water and weather more than crowds and lines. There's a wide front porch with rocking chairs, owners who actually know the area, and a kitchen that does breakfast in the morning and pizza and wings in the evening. Ask us at the desk where the fish are biting or when the ferry runs, and you'll get a straight answer.
When you've got dates in mind, book a room or call the front desk at (252) 925-2001 — no deposit, no booking fees, and a real person to help you plan the days.
Read more
Day Trip
A Day on Ocracoke
Take the boat to a quiet barrier-island beach, the lighthouse, the harbor village and the wild ponies — then come back to a calm, cheap room.
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Nearby
Things to Do
Fishing, the lake, the scenic drive and the back-door route to the Outer Banks — a small place with a lot of water around it.
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The Approach
The Scenic Drive
Half the trip is the road in — U.S. 264 along the top of the sound, flat, open and beautiful.
Read more →What guests say
We don’t go in for fancy — but year after year, hunters, work crews, ferry travelers and road-trippers leave saying the same things: clean rooms, a warm welcome, and a breakfast that surprises them.
Home sweet home. Great spot, clean and comfortable rooms — my home away from home. Feels like you're in your own house, and a great place to kick back and relax. Folks here look after one another. Going to Hyde County? This is your spot.
Budget stay, good pizza. You can save a lot on your hunting or fishing trip and get a $10 thin-crust pizza served by super-nice local folks. Convenient to Lake Mattamuskeet and all the region's parks and wildlife refuges.
Wonderful hotel, lovely staff! I loved this hotel! If I could give it 10 stars I would. We stayed in a very quaint room that had everything we needed and nothing more, and we felt at home the entire time. Great staff — stay here!
A diamond in the rough. A charming throwback of a hotel. The owner was extremely personable and offered help several times. It was clean, cozy and enjoyable — and I love being able to use a local business over a chain. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay.
A life-saver on the road. This sure beats driving fifty more miles to Manteo for lodging. The room and bathroom were clean, the linens were clean and the heater worked great. Reserve ahead if you're staying in the Engelhard area.
A simple hotel with a warm welcome. Some of the nicest owners I've ever met — welcoming, inviting and very knowledgeable about the area. The hotel is simple, and they take great pride in keeping it very clean. A wonderful place to stay.
Genuine guest reviews, drawn from Tripadvisor & Google. Come add your own — reserve a stay →
The coast, minus the markup.
Call the front desk for a clean, quiet room, and we'll point you to the ferry, the fishing and the best stretch of porch for the sunset.