There are no entrance or parking fees for the seashore. Primitive camping is allowed everywhere. On the northernmost tip of the Core Islands is the deserted village of Portsmouth, chartered in 1753. Its buildings are maintained by the National Park Service and attract tourists by boat from Ocracoke. Its onetime population of 500 maintained a major lifesaving station and an active seaport, but the town gradually died when other islands became linked to the mainland by roads and bridges.
Ferry service is available to four points.
As a safety precaution, I suggest carrying information about locations and current schedules of all ferries while on the islands. Each of the big Islands is serviced by small commercial ferries capable of carrying several four-wheel vehicles. They depart from the mainland towns of Davis and Atlantic and are a good fallback option for leaving the islands if weather prohibits safe paddling. Each lands at one of the two small clusters of residential cottages. One difficulty of touring in the sound along the lower big island is the difficulty of landing in the salt marsh which forms the island's backside and isn't easily traversible.