Located at the island's widest point, and near the famous Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Buxton has become the "center of the island" for residents and visitors. The National Park Service maintains a small museum and visitor center near the lighthouse.

Buxton hosts the island's only school and also a branch office for Dare County. The village itself has a fair number of shops, motels, and restaurants. The U. S. Government Weather Bureau Station is housed at Buxton. Much of the visual storm warning and other weather information gathered along the eastern coast of the United States is processed here.

The Buxton Woods nature trail is a marked walk explaining the ecosystem of the area. Noted as one of the country's most beautiful remaining maritime forests, it begins in Buxton and continues down Hatteras Island to the village of Frisco.

The actual point of land which juts into the Atlantic at Cape Hatteras, known locally as "Cape Point," is the island's most popular spot to fish in the surf.

A surfing championship is held near the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse each year.

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