Seven Summer Days in the Outer Banks, Corolla, North Carolina

by Bridgette Johnson

for Advanced Composition, ETSU, Spring 2011

Bridgette Johnson is an English student at ETSU. Her mom, younger sister, and best friend took their first trip to the beach in Corolla, NC in the summer of 2010.

Back Story

Corolla, North Carolina is the northern most accessible town in Currituck County in the well-known Outer Banks, North Carolina. Corolla is a small town full of beach houses, the most popular option for vacationers. Corolla lacks the large crowds and touristy feel of most other beaches, which is good for the person who wants the beach but not the people.

Check-In Day

Most beach houses in Corolla, North Carolina rent Sunday-to-Sunday or Saturday-to-Saturday, with check in times starting from around noon to four or five in the evening. Finding a rental house is fairly easy, but it will take some effort if you are on a budget. Three of the best websites to find a vacation home are sunrealtync.com, joelambjr.com, and resortrealty.com. All of those sites offer homes that are a 5-10 minute walk from the beach for about $1500 a week during peak season which usually starts on Memorial Day and extends through Labor Day.

There is one main street, a two-lane highway, which serves the entire peninsula. Traffic is miserable on check-in and check-out days, but doable every other day. Since you’re going to be stressed getting to your check-in point, Check-In Day should be spent doing a lot of nothing once you are settled in your home for the week. The only thing you should do on Check-In Day is go to the ocean to enjoy the sand and the ocean. Once you’ve spent all the time you can at the beach, or it gets too dark to enjoy it anymore, walk back to your house and watch a movie on the big screen TV your rental has mostly likely come with.

Go Exploring

Now that you’re settled in your house, you’ve seen the ocean for a bit, it’s time to explore. Day one should be a leisurely day, spent driving around town and looking at the multi-million dollar vacation homes all around you. Your first day in Corolla is an excellent time to see the sights and the shopping. In Corolla, Tim Buck II is the closest shopping center, less than five minutes away. It boasts a Brew-Thru, a drive through which only sells beer and the best ice cream in Corolla at Big Buck’s Homemade Ice cream for about $5. You can also drive down to Duck, about twenty minutes away for more shopping, or to eat at Outback Steakhouse, or visit Kill Devils Hills, Kitty Hawk, or Nag’s Head, all of which have their own shopping centers and restaurants. Of course, at the end of the day, you should go visit the ocean. Evening is the best time because is most likely to have the least people and you won’t get sun burnt as badly.

Wild Horses Can’t Keep You Away

For day two, I recommend going on a Wild Horse Adventure tour. Corolla is one of the few places that still have wild horses, originally brought over by Spanish conquistadors. The horses are in Carova beach, one of the last unspoiled, natural beaches on the Eastern Coast. Carova, 10-15 minutes from the heart of Corolla is only accessible with a four-wheel-drive vehicle. You take a slight turn off Ocean Trail, and you are literally right on the gorgeous beach. The horses are not on the beach, but up behind it, roaming around, and sometimes even going right up to houses. The horses are not afraid of humans, but you are under no circumstances allowed to touch them. You’re actually not supposed to get within fifty feet of the horses because they are truly wild horses, and the people of Corolla do not want them domesticated.

The best way to see the horses is to go with a tour group. There are a couple of places in Corolla that offer guided tours, but there is only one that will give you your money back if you don’t see horses: Wild Horse Adventure Tours. If you go with Wild Horse Adventure Tours, there are a few options to do the tour: you can ride in a open Jeep with a tour guide, drive your open Jeep, or ride in a closed top Suburban. If you’re adventurous, drive your own Jeep, but beware. It is most definitely four-wheel-drive, and if you aren’t used to rugged terrain, don’t drive yourself. Everywhere you drive is sand. To take a tour, it is about $50 a person, but it is well worth it. Don’t forget to bring a hat, tons of sunscreen, water, and, of course, your camera.

The Biltmore of the Outer Banks

Day three is perfect for anyone in your party who likes history or wants to know about Corolla. The Whale Head Club is in central Corolla, within just a few minutes drive of any house in Corolla. The Whale Head club was established in the 1920s, as a hunting club for the families who lived and vacationed there. The most interesting part of Whale Head is the picturesque, newly restored historic house, often called the Biltmore of the Outer Banks. Tours are given for the house and are very reasonable ranging from twenty dollars to only about five, but the most popular one is eight dollars a person for a “Behind the Scenes” tour that reveals how the house functioned in the 1920s. If you decide on the “Behind the Scenes” tour, you get to go in all the places that are marked “Do Not Enter” and go up into the attic to see the first elevator on the Outer Banks

After you’ve seen the house, take a stroll out to the gazebo looking out over the Sound, which provides the perfect place for an artistic photo or a family portrait. There is also a museum with programs for children a short walk from the gazebo. The rest of the day should be spent relaxing at home or at the beach.

Sand So Hot It Will Burn Your Feet

Day Four is for the adventurous and those that can handle heat. Jockey’s Ridge State Park is located about twenty minutes south in Nag’s Head with free parking and admission. The most popular activities at the park are taking a hang gliding class or climbing the sand dunes. Jockey’s Ridge has the largest naturally occurring sand dunes on the East Coast. You must register with the Visitor Center at the Park if you want to hang glide from the dunes or sand board. Hang gliding classes happen every hour and do require a hike to the sand dunes. The hike, however, is worth it. Once you reach the summit of the sand, you can literally see the ocean on one side, the sound on the other. It’s amazing to be able to realize that water is on both sides of you, and to be able to see both. The only other place to see this is to climb the lighthouse. The sand dunes are also amazing because before you reach the summit all you can see in every direction is sand. It looks like scenes out of Aladdin or pictures of the Sahara.

I mentioned at the beginning that this is for those who can stand heat, and it certainly is. Don’t do this on the spur of the moment as my group did. The sand dunes are insanely hot. The air temperature there is twenty to thirty degrees hotter than the temperature on the rest of the island. Do not ignore the warnings posted all over about the temperature difference and the need for water. Take water. And take more water. Put your hair up. Do not wear flip-flops; the sand is burning hot. Don’t wear jeans. You will feel like you’re on fire. Trust me, I’m speaking from personal experience. Wear something light and airy, but not a skirt; it is very windy on the dunes. Guys, wear shorts or swim trunks, a tank top, or even no shirt at all. Once again, don’t forget the sunscreen and camera!

The next few hours should be spent indoors with air conditioning, until you’re ready to go to beach for a few hours. If you haven’t been at the beach at sunset, stay for that.

214 Steps to the Top of the World

If you haven’t done so already, day five would be a great time to watch the sunrise on the beach. It’s breathtakingly gorgeous even though the water is too cold to get in past your ankles. As I’ve said many times, don’t forget your camera, otherwise you will have to rely on your cell phone (if you remembered that) like I did, and the pictures simply aren’t as good. Enjoy the slow rise of the sun glinting off the waves, the occasional jogger and dog, and the birds swooping down.

After you’ve seen the sunrise, feel free to go back to bed for several hours because you can’t go to your next destination until evening. A must see while vacationing in Corolla is the Currituck County lighthouse, nestled across the way from Whale Head club and historic home mentioned in day three. You can explore the grounds around the lighthouse, or you can choose to climb the 214 steps for $7. The lighthouse has no air conditioning; so if you’re going to climb, go early in the morning or in the evening when it’s cooler. The views from the top of the lighthouse are even better than those from the sand dunes mentioned in day four. You can literally see everything on the entire island. You can walk all the way around the lighthouse. One word of warning though: do not wear a skirt. It is very windy on the top of the lighthouse. Holding down your skirt and taking a picture at the same time is very hard. Guys, just wear something comfortable.

Relax, Pack, and Drive

You are nearing the end of your trip, and you should enjoy what you really went on vacation for: the beach. Day six is your last full day in Corolla, and you should spend most of it on the beach. Soak up the sun, play in the waves, but don’t step off a sand bar and nearly drown. Always keep out a watch for dolphins and remember that dolphins go up and down and sharks circle. At least, that what’s I was told when I saw the dolphin fin and freaked out. Build a sandcastle, collect seashells, and just relax. You need to relax now because once you get back to your rental house, it is time to pack everything up for check out on day seven. Check out time is usually by eleven, but depending on your drive home, you may want to leave earlier.

On day seven, you need to say your final good-byes to your rental house, and if you have the extra time, or if your house is close enough, go to the beach one last time before you lock up, drive away, and make the journey home.