Island Tobacco

Island Tobacco is a genuine local icon in Nags Head, and folks around the Outer Banks will tell you it has earned that reputation. The story people love repeating is how it grew from a humble little spot by the bathrooms in the long gone mall into the expansive showcase it is today. Walk through and you understand the fuss quickly. One regular summed up what everyone thinks: "hands down the best tobacco shop I've ever been to." With well over four and a half stars from a big pile of happy folks, this is one of the most respected tobacco shops on the coast. The cigar side is where Island Tobacco really shines.

There's a walk-in humidor, and the guys behind the counter know their leaf. Ask anyone who shops here and they'll point you to Dave and Rusty, who have a knack for good recommendations even if you only smoke a cigar now and then. The lineup covers serious names: Cohiba, Ashton, Rocky Patel, Gurkha, Padron, Drew Estates, Tatianas, and CAO. We've heard from more than one person who came in hunting a specific cigar they couldn't find anywhere else on the Outer Banks and left happy. Beyond cigars, they carry just about everything.

Tobacco pipes, glass pipes and water pipes, vapes, hookah and shisha, plus a full wall of smoking accessories. They also stock local North Carolina Broadway Hemp CBD products, a seed-to-bottle operation that regulars appreciate seeing on the shelf. The selection gets praised over and over, and the staff, by most accounts, are friendly, patient, and non-judgmental with newcomers. Locals are a little split on a couple of things. A few have run into a less welcoming face at the register, and some feel the prices run high for a smoke shop.

The overwhelming word around Nags Head is that this is a fun, impressive place to browse and an easy recommendation for anyone visiting the area. If you're looking for a tobacco shop in Nags Head with real depth, this is the one people keep coming back to.