2025 Swimwear Guide

17th Street Surf Shop is where you’ll find the latest beach, skate park and nightlife fashion trends.  This Outer Banks favorite gets its name from the flagship store's address, which opened at the nearby Virginia Beach oceanfront in 1970.

Located next to the famed Awful Arthur’s restaurant, and offering all of the sunny supplies required for enjoyable days on the shoreline, the Awful Arthur's Beach Shop is a great destination for Outer Banks vacationers, thanks to its assortment of souvenirs, beach supplies, and everything in between.

Voted Best Swimsuit Shop on the Beach! Birthday Suits offers top-quality, name brand clothing for the entire family. Birthday Suits will outfit you and your family for summer, so ironically, you won’t ever find yourself stuck in your birthday suit with nothing to wear! Swimwear and Beyond! Situated on the breathtaking Outer Banks of North Carolina, we are a chain of surf boutiques specializing in women’s and men’s beach fashion year-round. We are dedicated to finding our customers beach lifestyle clothing and swimwear that will carry them from surf to sand, beach to brunch, or fishtails to cocktails! Voted “Best Place To Buy A Swimsuit” for over 30 years, we feature the largest selection of swim separates on the Outer Banks, including bra sizes B through G!

One of the original surf shops on the Outer Banks, if not in the state of North Carolina, the quaint and friendly Cavalier has been at the same Beach Road location for more than 50 years. It’s been owned and operated by the same local family for close to 30 years, so you know this is the real deal.  Not only does the shop have a lot of customers who come back every year, now they’re seeing children of the repeat customers coming back every season.  At 1,300 square feet, the shop is a simple square building built right at ground level across from the beach. It’s had some close calls, but somehow it has survived numerous hurricanes and nor’easters. A photograph taken after the infamous Ash Wednesday Storm in 1962 shows the devastation on the oceanfront, and there’s the Cavalier sitting intact in the midst of the mayhem. Despite its compact size, the shop is stuffed top to bottom with all a surfer would want: top brand surf clothing and footwear; surf gear and accessories; boards, beach chairs and umbrellas for sale or rent. Surfing lessons are also available, and loyal customers and lovers of Outer Banks heritage can pick up Cavalier T-shirts.  

A fll service surf shop offering lessons, new equipment, clothing and rentals. 

As everyone can see just walking past this store, many of the mild-weather recreational activities that can be done outdoors are covered here. Racks in front of the store are filled with fat tire beach cruisers, kayaks and surfboards. Inside, surf gear and beach wear ---bathing suits, shorts, shirts and dresses, pants and hoodies ---fill racks and shelves.

Hatteras Island's #1 shop for men's, women's, & kid's, beach lifestyle apparel, swimwear, equipment sales/rentals, surf lessons, & so much more!

Load up on everything you’ll need for a long day on the Outer Banks shoreline with a visit to this Kill Devil Hills store that has everything beach-worthy under the sun. The OBX Beach Shop is stocked with swimwear, sunscreen, gifts, souvenirs, and more, which makes it a great place to fill up a beach bag or two before heading to the oceanfront.

At Ocean Threads, you can find the latest fashions and the hippest styles in casual beachwear and surf and skate apparel. This trendy and hip store is stocked with popular brands both locals and visitors have grown to love, from Roxy and Quiksilver to Paul Frank, Billabong, O’Neill and Volcom. First established in 1991, the family-business has its pulse on pop culture. There is something here for everyone, men and women and girls and boys alike. After picking out the perfect outfit, you can find jewelry and other accessories to compliment it. Ocean Threads carries a huge selection of t-shirts, shorts, hats, skirts, board shorts, dresses and swimsuits. Check out the selection of shoes and flip flops by Reef, Eliza B., Uggs, Crocs and Rainbow. The store’s knowledgeable and helpful staff will help find the perfect swimsuit from the store’s expanded line of swimsuits – one that is just the right fit for your body.  There’s more that Ocean Threads has to offer than just clothing. The store stocks luggage, bedding, towels, cover ups, watches, sunglasses, wallets, handbags, scarves, belts, key chains and more. At Ocean Threads, you can be sure to find something you will fall in love with, whether you are a young and hip consumer or a more conservative, mature customer. You can also be sure to find competitive prices and great customer service at Ocean Threads.

From surfing lessons and kayak tours to all the gear you’ll need to stay active on the Ocracoke beaches, Ride the Wind Surf Shop has everything under the sun for island visitors who want to uncover all the on-the-water fun that the Outer Banks has to offer. Featuring beach gear, watersports equipment sales and rentals, lessons, tours, and a host of other unique items for sale, this destination is miles beyond your typical surf shop, and is a must-stop for anyone who wants to enjoy an active Ocracoke vacation to the fullest.

Browse from store to store under covered porches and a grove of shady live oaks! Along the meandering Duck Road that runs through the village of Duck, NC, you’ll find the Scarborough Lane Shoppes, a collection of cool clothing boutiques and restaurants, shops that help you make your house a home, fun food stores, a place to relax, to taste and buy wine and craft beer, art to express your taste in living and jewelry to express yourself.Outer Banks shopping aficionados know that Scarborough Lane Shoppes puts them in Duck NC Shopping Central where they can find…well, practically anything they want. Browsing from store to store is comfortable under the covered porches that connect the shops, no matter what the weather. So, when the sun’s too hot or the rain is pouring (the best Outer Banks shopping days, by the way!), Scarborough Lane is the place. And, when it’s time to take a pause, or if you’re simply starving, two of Duck NC’s most-liked restaurants are right here.   Also on this site is our Specials sections where Outer Banks shopping experts know they can get valuable coupons and learn about the offers from each of our stores. If you’re not familiar with the area, you can go to our Directions tab to see a map and get oriented to the lay of the land for Duck, NC.

One of the oldest authentic surf shops on the Outer Banks, Secret Spot has been surfer-owned at the same location since the early 1980s.  Store founder Steve Hess started board shaping in 1971, and his world-renowned boards have been ridden by many of the Outer Banks’ best surfers, and by many others from Hawaii to California to Australia. With its ceiling covered with surfboards, the shop offers custom made Secret Spot Surf Boards and used boards, body boards, skim boards, as well as skate gear.  Board rentals and surf lessons are also available. A wide range of designer surfwear can be found here, including Rip Curl, Sanuk, Roxy, Rainbow, Lost, Oakley, Electric and O’Neill.  Bathing suits, hats, shoes, shorts, sunglasses, watches and T-shirts are available in a variety of sizes and styles for the entire family.  There’s even cool infant and baby clothes, and tropical gifts and surf art in stock.

From a romantic evening out to a casual afternoon along the beachfront, Outer Banks fashionistas can find everything required to embrace the casual and coastal beach lifestyle at Starr Boutique. This charming shop in the heart of Kitty Hawk is outfitted with a selection of apparel and accessories for all seasons and is a great stop to find contemporary clothing that fits in seamlessly with the Outer Banks beach scene.

Since 1975, Surfside Casuals has been selling a vast selection of bathing suits and beach accessories for men, women, girls and boys. And if there’s one truism about the Outer Banks, it’s that no one stays in business unless they’re doing it right.  Surfside, locally owned and operated by the same owner since day one, knows their inventory, and they happily help customers with fitting and other details about selecting the right suit for their needs. Sizes offered include juniors, women’s 4-24W and girl's 4-16. Not only are there thousands of swimsuits to choose from --- long torso, bra sizes, separates, bikinis, men’s board shorts --- there are also cover-ups, dresses, footwear, beach jewelry, hats, sunglasses, and rash guards. There’s the usual tourist souvenirs sold here --- shell wreaths, OBX glasses and cups, for instance --- but mostly it’s a great place to find the perfect swimsuit at a time-honored Outer Banks establishment

Wave Riding Vehicles is a water sporter’s dream. The store offers gear that any beach goer would love and use. From pro surfers to pro sandcastle builders, Wave Riding Vehicles is sure to please.

Owners Jim and April Vaughn operate a surfer’s surf shop, with a great selection of wetsuits, sportswear, swimwear and accessories for men, women and youth from all major surf brands. Upstairs, there’s an exceptional range of surfboards to choose from. Whalebone Surf Shop specializes in bringing in the best board shapers from around the world. The shop also offers surfboard rentals and surfing lessons in the summer months.