North Carolina Highway 561 (NC 561) is a 100-mile-long (160 km) North Carolina state highway and a rural traffic artery connecting Louisburg and Ahoskie with many small-to-medium-sized towns in the Down East and Coastal Plain regions within minutes from the Virginia state line.

All three are concurrent along Memorial Drive upon entering Ahoskie until reaching Academy Street.

NC 561 turns left onto West 1st Street, continuing westward towards Rich Square.

The highway breaks off heading north to Littleton as NC 561 continues west to Hollister.

By 1963, NC 561 discontinued going to Main Street in Louisburg and was truncated at the current western terminus at US 401/NC 39.