One of the nice aspects about life is that there is generally a “silver lining,” or a positive spin, that can be found in difficult situations.  The current economic pinch definitely qualifies as a difficult situation, but a silver lining for visitors and local residents to North Carolina is an increase in interest towards North Carolina state parks. 

State parks offer a wide variety of great activities and a great opportunity to get closer to nature, and considering the current economic conditions, state parks are a great opportunity to enjoy some unique activities at a very reasonable price…many free!

The North Carolina state parks reported record attendance for 2009, with 14.16 million visits.  That is a 13% increase  from 2008 and a 5% increase from the previous record set in 2007.

The Outer Banks offers some great areas to escape to nature, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Nags Head Woods, Outer Banks Wildlife Center, and one North Carolina designated state park;  Jockeys Ridge State Park. 

In 2009, Jockey’s Ridge earned the designation as the most visited North Carolina state park with 1.4 million visitors.  Considering this was a record setting year for all North Carolina state parks, it is pretty impressive to see the OBX state park with the most visitors. 

 Jockey’s Ridge is centrally located in Nags Head, a quick walk or ride from many vacation homes.