It began with maybe America’s biggest unsolved thriller ever.

John White, chief of what was meant to be England’s first everlasting settlement within the New World, left over 100 fellow colonists on Roanoke Island in 1587 as he set off to their homeland for provides—however when he returned, each single one in every of them had vanished. Although the Misplaced Colony was by no means discovered, the area has since recovered after which some, rising into some of the fascinating locations to go to within the nation: the Outer Banks (or OBX). Wealthy in each historical past and limitless outside adventures, this two-hundred-mile stretch of awe-inspiring barrier islands off the North Carolina coast has one thing for everybody to get pleasure from.

The Northern Seashores

Start your journey on the OBX’s quaint northernmost seashore cities: Carova and Corolla, a twenty-mile expanse that provides a lot to do and see, you would spend days exploring it. The gentle, white sands and ocean entry beckon each households and water-sport fans, and at both city you may witness—out of your automotive or by way of varied excursions—the famed majestic Corolla wild horses, the state’s official horse, whose lineage is believed thus far again to the sixteenth century.

Carova Seashore is the extra non-public of the 2, eschewing paved roads for 4×4 seashore adventures. Whereas this makes it the proper seaside escape, it additionally implies that recreation is considerably restricted. For those who’re searching for a extra packed itinerary, contemplate Corolla, which has every thing from procuring at its historic village to fascinating reveals on the Currituck Maritime Museum to mountain climbing through its many trails. On the westernmost a part of city overlooking Currituck Sound, you’ll discover Historic Corolla Park, a 39-acre haven that includes quite a few partaking websites, most notably the Currituck Seashore Lighthouse and its magnificent 360-degree view of the OBX and Whalehead, a lavish, restored century-old mansion.

Kill Satan Hills and Kitty Hawk are a should, in fact, merely due to their place in US historical past, because of Orville and Wilbur Wright. Right here you may wander the very areas from which they took off and landed and really feel such as you’re a part of aviation lore. The previous is dwelling to the Wright Brothers Nationwide Memorial, full with a reproduction of their hangar and aircraft, and the latter is extra of a tourist-focused city that options loads of procuring, watersport-friendly seashores, and eating places; it even has an 1,800-acre maritime forest protect to discover.

Then there’s the ever-popular Nags Head, sitting on the backside of the Northern Seashores and flanked by Cape Hatteras Nationwide Seashore to the south and Roanoke Sound to the west. Make sure that to scale the mighty sand dunes at Jockey’s Ridge State Park—the tallest on your entire Atlantic coast—which reward your effort with superb views. Then head over to the 1,000-foot-long Jennette’s Pier to loosen up; it supplies a stellar fishing location, a plethora of indoor and outside reveals, an aquarium, and extra. Additionally make plans to go to the Bodie Island Lighthouse (or Mild Station), a staple of Nags Head itineraries. Constructed within the 1870s, this piece of OBX historical past is out there for touring from the third weekend in April by way of Columbus Day.

A western diversion

For those who veer west on Route 64 after leaving Nags Head, you’ll uncover the place all of it started: Roanoke Island, whose heart of exercise, Manteo, combines small-town waterfront atmosphere with schooling and leisure. Widespread points of interest right here embrace the North Carolina Aquarium with its 2,000-plus creatures in addition to Roanoke Island Competition Park, which options sixteenth-century points of interest akin to a re-creation of a circa-1585 ship. Fort Raleigh Nationwide Historic Website additionally takes you again in time, recounting the story of the unique colonists; it even has the Elizabethan Gardens, a lush, serene, ten-acre “dwelling memorial” of its historical past. To really see the story come alive, add the Tony-honored The Misplaced Colony—an out of doors drama that has been reenacting the story of its namesake since 1937—to your to-do checklist.

Hatteras Island

Close to the underside of the OBX lies this fashionable fifty-mile island. With all it has to supply on its seashores and in its seven villages, it’s not tough to see why so many find it irresistible. For households, Salvo Seashore is a superb repose: comparatively uncrowded for Hatteras and chock-full of picnic potentialities. Frisco Seashore is likewise quiet and clear, presents nice shell-collecting alternatives, and, as a bonus, tends to have even hotter waters than these of Cape Hatteras.

Hatteras Island is also referred to as the Graveyard of the Atlantic. Between it being a key nautical battleground in each the Civil Warfare and World Warfare II and having infamous shifting sandbars often called the Diamond Shoals, lots of of boats have been sunk alongside this coast. (For those who’re an skilled diver, you may even enterprise right down to see a few of them.) The famed Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in Buxton, constructed to assist vessels previous the realm’s dangerous waters, is the tallest brick one within the nation; nonetheless, it’s at present closed for renovations and might solely be skilled through digital tour or webcam.

For those who want being within the water slightly than viewing it from above, you’ll discover the biggest portion of Cape Hatteras Nationwide Seashore right here. The nation’s first nationwide seashore is a world mecca for water sports activities, a spot the place swimming, browsing, windsurfing, and kiteboarding fans unite. (Simply be cautious of the harmful rip currents.) It additionally presents calmer, drier actions: fishing is plentiful, there are a number of mountain climbing trails to discover, and off-roading is permissible in sure places. It’s additionally a wondrous place for nature lovers—over twenty varieties of marine wildlife may be discovered on and off these seashores, together with seals, dolphins, whales, and several other species of sea turtles in addition to greater than 360 fowl species.

Ocracoke

Lastly, slow-paced Ocracoke, situated on the southern tip of the OBX, lets you really get away from all of it—in truth, it’s worthwhile to take a automotive ferry to entry it. When you do, although, you’ll really feel like you have got your personal piece of paradise, the place sixteen miles of undeveloped seashores, domestically owned outlets, eating places, facilities, and extra await on the simply bikeable island. Whereas there, remember to go to Ocracoke Lighthouse, the second-oldest working beacon in America.

The Outer Banks is a southeastern coastal paradise that may preserve you enthralled for a day, per week, and even longer. With a plethora of sights to see, adventures available, and historical past to discover, it’s no thriller why this area will beckon you again time and again.

For more information, go to outerbanks.org