
Maps
Area
Overviews
Getting Here,
Getting Around
History
Restaurants
Nightlife
Weekly &
Long-term Cottage Rentals
Accommodations
Camping
Shopping
Attractions
Kidstuff
Weddings
Arts and Culture
Annual Events
Natural
Wonders
Beach
Information and Safety
Recreation
Watersports
Fishing
Golf
Daytrippin'
Real Estate
Retirement
Healthcare
Education
and Child Care
Media
Worship
|
 |

Outer Banks

Welcome
to the land of beginnings -- and this 26th online edition of one of the
most enduring travel guides ever.
The Outer Banks of North Carolina -- feast
your senses on wide beaches, whispering sea oats, and undulating dunes—a
land where the pace of life is geared to the unceasing sand-sharpened
breezes and wild winds. From the gifts and punishment of the glorious and
untamed waters of these indomitable islands have sprung heroes, pioneers,
pirates, and inventors. Tales of courage and creativity, bloody battles and
savage shipwrecks, resourcefulness and compassion:
Here, the first English colonists set up camp. Blackbeard and his band of
buccaneers anchored sloops along the shallow sounds. Wilbur and Orville
Wright also flew the world's first airplane, buoyed by stiff winds and
brazen determination, and Billy Mitchell proved airpower to the world.
From remote national wildlife refuges, sheltered seashores, and protected
maritime forests to upscale resort communities, these strips of shifting
sand offer both peaceful retreat and awesome adventure. Kitesurf or JetSki.
Surf fish or stroll the endless beaches. Charter a deep-sea fishing boat to
fight an ocean giant. Grab the binoculars and watch birds. Soar from the
East Coast's highest sand dune in a hang glider. Catch some waves and surf
some of the best swells on the Atlantic Seaboard as breakers barrel toward
the beach. It's all here for the choosing, and boredom is not an option.
Only in the last 20 years or so have these ribbons of sand confronted the
rapid-fire development that other coastal areas experienced years earlier.
One of only four states in the nation that forbids hard structures like
seawalls, which can cause severe narrowing of beaches, North Carolina
learned the tough lessons of coastal management by watching the mistakes of
other ocean states. To a large extent, the Outer Banks owes its still
healthy, wide beaches to the luck of its relatively late bloom. Isolated
geographically by water, the barrier islands were accessible only by boat
until the 1930s, when the first major bridges from the mainland were
constructed. Once travel improved, word of the Outer Banks's lovely weather
and beautiful beaches spread, and vacationers and transplants poured in a
steady stream over the shallow sounds, fishing rods and bathing suits at the
ready.
Life on the Outer Banks has changed dramatically since then, but much of the
beauty and color remains unsullied. Some native families, many descendants
of shipwreck survivors, still make their livings through commercial fishing.
Much of the seafood for which we are so famous is caught locally by
fifth-generation water- men. A visitor to Colington, Wanchese, Hatteras
Island, or Ocracoke mingles among people who speak with the distinctive
Outer Banks brogue, an accent carried over by English settlers and sustained
by centuries of isolation.
Four lighthouses (Currituck's red brick beacon, the mid-island light at
Bodie Island, Cape Hatteras's famous candy- striped tower, and the squat,
whitewashed watchdog on Ocracoke Island), once sentinels for sailors
traversing the shipwreck- strewn Graveyard of the Atlantic, dot these
storm-swept shores.
Wild horses roam the northernmost protected refuges and the Ocracoke beaches
to the south, descendants, some believe, of Spanish mustangs that swam
ashore from shipwrecks more than three centuries ago. Waterfowl abound
throughout these islands, attracting bird-watchers, hunters, and long-lens
photographers. The East Coast's best fishing also awaits anglers on the
decks of offshore charter boats, atop numerous piers and bridges, and off
miles of ocean and sound shores.
There are walking paths along flat roadways, and bikes can be rented for
leisurely rides along the shore and on dirt roads through the island
marshlands and woods.
Painters, sculptors, potters, and other artisans open their galleries to
browsers in almost every village. Musicians, comedians, and poets provide
evening entertainment in a variety of cafes and nightclubs. The entire
family can gather under the stars at Roanoke Island's Waterside Theatre and
watch the acclaimed historical production The Lost Colony, our nation's
longest-running outdoor summer theater drama.
Despite its rise as a favorite resort destination, the Outer Banks continues
to be a casual place. Shorts and sandals are accepted garb in even the
finest establishments. Shrimp, crab, and dozens of species of fresh-caught
fish (often hauled in that very day by Outer Banks fishermen) are available
at nearly every one of the slew of restaurants that serve tourists and
locals alike.
While you're trekking the dunes, frolicking in the pristine waters, or
enjoying the Carolina blue skies and soothing sunsets, don't forget that
these overgrown sandbars have provided the setting for some of the most
dramatic moments in American history. Remember that you are walking the
sands of some of the most dynamic barrier islands on Earth.
Some things have stayed the same since Sir Walter Raleigh's party first laid
eyes on Roanoke Island more than 400 years ago. These barrier beaches still
startle visitors as well as natives with their rugged beauty and capricious
topography. The fragile landscape remains at the mercy of the sea, furious
with storm one day, calm the next.
Summer isn't the only time to enjoy the Outer Banks, although the season
from Memorial Day through Labor Day is by far the most packed with people
and things to do. Fall offers fabulous fishing and windsurfing, spring
brings bird- watching and bicycling, and winter is deliciously devoid of
almost everyone.
Spend a little time here, and you'll understand why many of us came back to
stay—or never left. We hope this book helps you find exactly what you want
in your visit to our vibrant barrier beaches.
 |

|