It serves mainly to connect the city of Windsor to communities and towns in eastern Bertie County.

Continuing east, it crosses the Roanoke River, forms a concurrency with NC 45 and North Carolina Bicycle Route 3,[2] then connects the communities of Westover and Mackeys, before ending at NC 32 in Pleasant Grove.

NC 308 covers 24.8 miles (39.9 km) of the loop from Windsor to Pleasant Grove.

The byway is noted for historical homes in Edenton, the Sans Souci Ferry, the scenic river and coastal views, and history.

[3] Established in 1933 as a new primary routing, it went from US 258/NC 12 near Rich Square to NC 30 (today's US 13 Business) at Granville Street in Windsor.