This 9250-acre wildlife and migratory-bird marshland habitat is most stunning during the December migration season. The refuge's visitor center is open from 8am to 4pm weekdays, 9am to 4pm weekends.
Shutterstock / Sherry V Smith
Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge
Virginia
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
27.19 MILES
A glorious setting for an eclectic collection of artifacts from ancient Egypt to the present day, including works by Henri Matisse, Albert Bierstadt,…
Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center
14.26 MILES
If you want to see an aquarium done right, come here. In various habitats, you can see a great array of aquatic life, including sea turtles, river otters…
17.84 MILES
The sunflower-yellow, art nouveau–style Whalehead Club, built in the 1920s as a hunting 'cottage' for a Philadelphia industrialist, is the centerpiece of…
17.79 MILES
This very pleasant manicured park in Corolla preserves 39 acres of gorgeous sound-front and sound-side property that was once the waterfowl- and duck…
26.94 MILES
This massive, interactive, maritime-themed museum has exhibits on undersea exploration, aquatic life of the Chesapeake Bay and US Naval lore. The museum's…
21.81 MILES
Shake off the Virginia Beach flash at this lower key 2888-acre woodland, which has 20 miles of hiking trails and 1.5 miles of beach, plus opportunities…
Corolla Wild Horse Fund Museum
17.48 MILES
This small nonprofit museum spotlights the wild mustangs that inhabit the dunes and shoreline north of Corolla. Also runs two-hour tours to see the horses…
Currituck Banks Maritime Forest Trail
16.77 MILES
A hidden 0.3-mile Boardwalk Trail (with disabled access) and a 0.75-mile Maritime Forest Trail snake through sections of the 950-acre Currituck Banks…
Nearby Virginia attractions
1. Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center
14.26 MILES
If you want to see an aquarium done right, come here. In various habitats, you can see a great array of aquatic life, including sea turtles, river otters…
2. Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art
16.12 MILES
Housed in an ultra-modern building, this museum has galleries hosting a rotating program of exhibitions by regional artists.
3. Currituck Banks Maritime Forest Trail
16.77 MILES
A hidden 0.3-mile Boardwalk Trail (with disabled access) and a 0.75-mile Maritime Forest Trail snake through sections of the 950-acre Currituck Banks…
4. Corolla Wild Horse Fund Museum
17.48 MILES
This small nonprofit museum spotlights the wild mustangs that inhabit the dunes and shoreline north of Corolla. Also runs two-hour tours to see the horses…
17.64 MILES
You'll climb 220 steps to get to the top of this red-brick lighthouse, which is still in operation. The light from its Fresnal lens can be seen from 18…
6. Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education
17.74 MILES
This modern education center has an 8000-gallon aquarium and a life-size marsh diorama with a duck blind. Don't miss the 20-minute film about area history…
17.79 MILES
This very pleasant manicured park in Corolla preserves 39 acres of gorgeous sound-front and sound-side property that was once the waterfowl- and duck…
17.84 MILES
The sunflower-yellow, art nouveau–style Whalehead Club, built in the 1920s as a hunting 'cottage' for a Philadelphia industrialist, is the centerpiece of…