Since the late 1980s, the small Outer Banks town of Corolla has grown in popularity to become one of North Carolina's premier destinations, attracting more than 50,000 vacationers weekly throughout the summer months. There's plenty to do in Corolla, from outdoor, recreational and sightseeing adventures to shopping, dining and entertainment diversions.
The Outer Banks near Corolla have long miles of unspoiled beaches fronted by newly built vacation and rental homes. In addition to swimming, surfing, sunbathing and strolling along the shore, you can explore the Outer Banks by kayak, segway, jeep, go-cart, skiff, bicycle or hang-glider. For a family-friendly adventure, rent a paddle boat and discover the wildlife of Currituck Sound, or plan an excursion to see the wild Spanish mustangs that have ranged the northern Outer Banks for more than 400 years. You can also visit many of the wildlife refuges in the area, such as the Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge, which has marshy trails snaking through Currituck County and a bird population that includes peregrine falcons and American bald eagles.
For a glimpse into the rich cultural history of the Outer Banks, spend a day in historic Corolla Village. One of the primary attractions is the Whalehead Club, originally constructed during the 1920s as a lodge for wealthy hunters. The fully restored Club has many of its original furnishings and fixtures, including Tiffany lights, and houses a waterfowl museum. During the summer, the Club offers family-friendly activities, such as treasure hunts for children and ghost tours for all ages. The Corolla Wild Horse Museum is in a schoolhouse dating from the turn of the century, and the Corolla Chapel, constructed in 1885, is still used for church services and weddings.
One of the most popular destinations in Corolla is the Currituck Beach Lighthouse, towering 180 feet over neighboring Corolla Village. Constructed in the late 1800s, the red brick, Gothic Revival--style lighthouse still has an original Fresnel lens, one of the few surviving and one of the largest of its kind. Between Easter and Thanksgiving, you can climb all 214 steps to the top of the lighthouse, as well as tour the grounds, a restored lightkeeper's house built in the 1890s and a small museum. Still a functioning lighthouse, with a beam that stretches for 18 nautical miles, the Currituck Beach Lighthouse has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1973.
On nearby Roanoke Island, the Outer Banks Conservationists have fully recreated a working 19th-century family farm. The Island Farm features a two-story main house dating from the mid-1800s, with a privy, corncrib, dairy, smokehouse, livestock barn and pasture, as well as other historic buildings. Located on the 150-acre Etheridge Homestead, originally established by the Jesse Etheridge family in the late 1700s, the Island Farm also presents dramatic performances that tell the story of everyday life for a small farming and fishing family.
Corolla is also home to hundreds of locally owned and operated shops and boutiques, from artisan galleries and antique dealers to kite retailers and surf shops, as well as a wide variety of restaurants, many of which serve up fresh seafood and farm produce. Popular shopping destinations include the Monteray Plaza, the TimBuck II, the Corolla Light Town Center, and the Shoppes at Currituck Club, and most of these feature family-friendly recreational activities as well, such as watersports, a climbing wall and a skate park.
