The Mandala, Tibetan sand painting, is an ancient art form of Tibetan Buddhism. The mandala is a Sanskrit word meaning cosmogram or world in harmony. Mandalas are drawings in three-dimensional forms of sand. In Tibetan, this art is called dul-tson-kyil-khor which means mandala of colored powders.
Driving distance from Nags Head, NC to Washington, DC. The total driving distance from Nags Head, NC to Washington, DC is 279 miles or 449 kilometers. Your trip begins in Nags Head, North Carolina. It ends in Washington, District of Columbia.
Your limited time may be best used exploring the Outer Banks themselves. It's going to take you a goodly portion of a full day each way. It's about 6 hours from DC to Nags Head via I-95/I-64/SR-168/US-158. Via US-50/US-13 is more like 8 hours. I'd probably take the longer way down and the shorter way back, and make it a 3 day trip, staying in the Nags Head area both nights. It's going to take a full day to enjoy the Outer Banks. 08-15-2010, 10:28 AM #3.