Outer Banks Link Love: 2.3.12 – Island Happs

Posted on February 3, 2012

Outer Banks Link Love

Here’s this week’s edition of Outer Banks Link Love – all the stories/links I couldn’t get to on the blog this week.

When I’m faced with a good news/bad news situation, I’m the type of person that likes to get the bad out of the way first so I can end on a good note. So, let’s look at the not-so-great links first.

Five months after Hurricane Irene wreaked havoc on the Outer Banks, her effects are still being felt. Sands that shifted during Ms. Irene’s visit have created some of the worst shoaling conditionsthe ferries have seen between Hatteras and Ocracoke. Add this channel to the list of dredging needs on the OBX!As a reminder, here’s what Hurricane Irene looked like:
While we’re on the subject of that nasty lady Irene, the news broke this week that a decision on how to find a “permanent” – permanence is all relative on a sand bar – solution to fix the breaches on Hatters after Irene’s visit has been delayed. It was determined that the engineers need more time to assess a possible 7 mile bridge that would run from the Ranger Station Inlet, currently spanned by the temporary bridge, to the village of Rodanthe on Hatteras Island. Hmmmm…so how do we access all of the PUBLIC conservation land then?
In a previous edition of OBX Link Love, I shared the news that Corolla is getting pretty close to getting it’s first new school since 1957. Eh, not so fast. Seems the NC State Board of Education may wait another month to make their vote on the new OBX charter school. Bureaucracy at its finest.
Here’s a nice story of an islander visiting another island – from Maine to the Outer Banks. It’s a good description of an OBX trip and the hospitality they encounter. It’s interesting the think that “island life” is a different sort of existence…but I guess it is.

Should I close with food or art? Tough one. Let’s start with food and close with art…

Did you know there is an Outer Banks chowder? Yep, we have our own chowder, thank you very much. Here’s a list of 7 Popular Chowders Across the US. ”Outer Banks” Clam Chowder does not include cream. Instead, the standard recipe is thickened with flour and seasoned with plenty of pepper.
Here are the results from the 34th Annual Frank Stick Art Showshowcasing the art of OBX locals. 110 entries! And here’s the best in show…congrats Ray Mathews.
Frank Stick Art Show - Best in Show - Ray Mathews

Time Capsule:

Here’s the beach report from 2.4.2011. It was definitely a chilly winter last year, but the FISH WERE BITING! Not so much this year. And my winter beard was giant…and awesome. Makes me want to bring that beast back. Hmmmmm.

Outer Banks Link Love: 1.13.12 – Potpourri

Posted on January 13, 2012

Outer Banks Link Love

This week’s edition of Outer Banks Link Love is a bit of a potpourri; a big question, a book review, amazing pictures of the Sound, some free music, and a new school.

A mixed bag of love, but some good OBX jewels. Enjoy…

The Big Question: Here’s a great story about a wedding proposal that took place on the Outer Banks for a couple from Washington DC. A delicious way to pop the big question!
Outer Banks, The Real Treasure Island: In early December we share an amazing Outer Banks pirate tale. It turns out Black Beard wasn’t the only OBX pirate! John Amrhein, Jr shares this awesome story in his new book, Treasure Island: The Untold Story, and here is a great book review of his work.
Snapshot of the Sound: Here’s a very cool website I stumbled across this week; Earth Snapshot – “A Daily View of the Planet.” Very cool idea. And it just so happens that last Sunday’s snapshot was of the Pamilco and Albemarle Sounds. They are a great view from the air (space?), and give a very informative description.

Earth Snapshot - Outer Banks - Pamlico & Albemarle Sounds

Free Music: How about some free music?! As an added bonus, it’s live tracks recorded at the Outer Banks Brewing Station. Sweet! The Muckrakes have decided to kick of 2012 by giving away their music. They are a fun rock band with alt-country roots. Definitely worth a listen…it is free after all.
New School headed to Corolla? The Waters Edge Village School, a proposed charter school in Corolla, was approved by the NC Office of Charter Schools. The first new school in Corolla since 1957 is one step closer to becoming a reality. Next month it will need to be approved by the NC State Board of Education.

More Couples Say “I Do” to the Outer Banks

Posted on November 8, 2011

Every little girl dreams of their wedding day, dressing up in a beautiful white gown, walking down the aisle to the perfect man, and basically just being a real princess for one day. Although this idea has never seemed to fade, the big to-do of a wedding has gone down, and the popularity of “destination weddings” is at an all time high. Today’s brides are cutting their guest list and combining vacations with the big event. In many cases, bride and groom will book one or more vacation homes for the wedding party and family during a week-long stay at the resort. Several event homes on the Outer Banks have been built for just that purpose.

The wedding season is longer and more businesses are offering services. About ten years ago, there were only about 40 vendors that catered to weddings on the Outer Banks, in both Dare and Currituck counties. Now there are more than 300 vendors in our area. The wedding industry is huge to the Outer Banks and is great for our local economy. Beach weddings can range from $15,000 to $100,000, depending on the bride and groom’s budget.

Hope Quade Anderson, who married on the beach last year, said she budgeted $25,000 for a “simple but elegant wedding.” The price included a week’s stay for the bridal party and family members at an 18-bedroom oceanfront home and a catered dinner by Ocean Boulevard in Kitty Hawk for 80 guests. She believes a little goes a long way in such a beautiful place.

The tourism department recently launched a new wedding website that lists 78 Currituck vendors for everything from photography to catering. The website offers tips for planning a wedding and allows a couple to create their own mini-website. With so many options and the perfect setting for a small but beautiful wedding, many couples from all around the country are saying “I-Do” to the OBX. For more information on Seaside Vacations event homes, or planning an Outer Banks wedding visit our website.

History and Mystery on the Outer Banks

Posted on November 2, 2011

Ran across an awesome article written by Washington Post author, Zofia Smardz about her recent trip to the Outer Banks and specifically her ghost tour of the Whalehead Club in Corolla. Yeah we know.. Halloween is over, but there’s some neat history built in that even I didn’t know about. Another example of being a local and not getting to experience all the cool stuff

Read along and let us know what you think.

“There are 13 of us,” says my sister, nodding meaningfully as I join her at the door of the historic Whalehead Club. Whoa! Thirteen. On a moonlight ghost tour. Now that. Is. Spooky. . . .

Spooky, of course, is what we’re after on this nearly full-moon October night in the old mansion-turned-museum on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. But alas, once we get going, I’m not really feeling it. We make our way from room to darkened room, up the staircase and down, listening to unlikely tales of smoking paintings and self-igniting candles and murder in the kitchen, and I’m thinking ho-hum.

Uh — wait a minute. Murder in the kitchen? Of the lady of the house’s ne’er-do-well brother, you say? Well, that is interesting. But hmm. There was no mention of any such event in the regular historical tour we took a couple of days earlier. Are you sure about that? Well, it certainly does add that necessary little frisson to the evening.

But it doesn’t quite fit with the picture of wealthy industrialist Edward Collings Knight Jr. and his wife that you get on the daytime audio tour of their winter vacation home near Corolla, a village on the northernmost reaches of the Outer Banks. There are (Mc)mansions galore on the Banks these days, of course, but back in the Roaring Twenties, the Knights’ splendid 21,000-square-foot, five-story art nouveau house, with its sweeping grounds on Currituck Sound, was truly one of a kind. And unlike many a McMansion, it was a welcome addition to the neighborhood, bringing jobs and riches to a fairly impoverished region.

So murder and coverup? Seems out of sync with old-timers’ memories of the Knights’ generosity and graciousness. But then again, the wealthy pair did have their little, oh, oddities. There was Marie Louise’s passion for hunting and her preference for pants over party dresses. And then the couple’s separate (though adjoining) bedrooms. The tour describes this as “common for the period.” But what about that other, not-so-common adjoining bedroom to Knight’s, where his friend and doctor, Harry Knapp, routinely slept? Okay, Knight had a heart condition. But still. . . .

I could be completely wrong, of course, but hey. I’m not the only one to wonder about the arrangement. Two years ago, at my nephew’s wedding on the Banks, the maid of honor, a local girl, planted the seeds with her stories of Banker lore and gossip about the Knights and their grand house. When she was a kid, the place was nothing but an abandoned wreck that teens liked to prowl around. Ditto the empty lighthouse keeper’s residence beside the nearby Currituck Beach Lighthouse. You know how stories pile up around mysterious places like that.

Today, the mystery’s mostly in the mind. Both buildings have been rescued and spiffed up to perfection as part of Currituck Heritage Park, a 39-acre enclave on the sound that encompasses the Whalehead Club, the still-operating lighthouse (last one built on the Banks, in 1875, its red bricks left unpainted to distinguish it from its iconic black-and-white brethren farther south), a wildlife center and Historic Corolla Village, a group of restored buildings that formed the little fishing village in the late 19th century.

Poking around the park on a drizzly day, we pick up some less well-known Outer Banks history. Because Roanoke we know. And Kitty Hawk, of course. But who knew that in the early 20th century, the waterfowl were so plentiful on Currituck Sound — the body of water separating the Banks from the mainland is on the Atlantic Flyway, the north-south migration route for many a goose, etc. — that locals did a booming business selling their catch to restaurants in the Northeast? Pretty soon, natch, the sportsmen wanted in on the action, and hunt clubs proliferated. Then the Knights built their haven, dubbed Corolla Island, so that Marie Louise — sorry, no ladies in the clubs — could get her hunting jollies, too.

After the Knights died and the waterfowl declined (totally unrelated!), the estate served variously as a World War II Coast Guard receiving station, a weekend playground for a wealthy Washington meatpacker (he gave it its present name), a boys’ academy and a secret research center for a company trying to develop a solid rocket fuel. Wouldn’t have been hard to keep things secret around here: Before a paved road from the more southerly town of Duck was laid in 1985, this was one tough spot to get to. “It was a really desolate place,” declares our ghost tour guide.”

Currituck Officials Look for Ways to Make Beach Driving Safer

Posted on October 18, 2011

After these busy summer months have come and gone, Currituck County officials are looking for ways to make beach driving along the 11 mile strip of Corolla up to the state line, safer for drivers and pedestrians. If you have ever been up that way you can see that as of now beach driving is pretty much unlimited, you can drive close to the waters edge or up near the dunes, and everywhere in between. With so many people out on the beach there seems to be a ton of accidents waiting to happen.

The off-road tract is a popular destination for locals and tourists to enjoy oceanside driving, the sight of Currituck’s wild horses or a trip to the water’s edge to spend the day. The experience is one of many that make Currituck such a popular tourism destination.It’s that popularity, however, which has led to the concerns now being addressed by the county’s citizens, officials and businesses. The increase in beach traffic poses serious concerns about safety for pedestrians as well as other beach traffic.

The Daily Advance noted some of the ideas the appointed beach driving committee had about ways to make our beaches safer yet not try to limit access. Oriiginally they reccomended the idea of issuing permits to reduce the amount of vehicles out on the beach, but this idea didnt sit well with the community. Locals and businesses agree that this would not only hurt the county’s reputation of friendliness and accomidation, but would also penalize the 2,000 day-trippers who visit the Northern Outer Banks for beach driving.

Currituck County Sherriff Susan Johnson opposed the permit system and instead recommended changing the traffic patterns on the beach to prevent drivers from weaving down and around beach goers, but instead driving behind them close to the dunes. She believes this will create a predictable traffic pattern, improve safety and not limit any access for locals and visitors.

Officials are still researching the best way to accomplish the number one goal of safety out on the beaches by researching other communities that allow beach driving. As the amount of visitors continue to increase in the Outer Banks, this will continue to become a bigger problem if nothing is done soon.

I am not sure what the answer is. As a local I feel that the suggested traffic pattern idea would not work because there is really no way to enforce it, as well as most people follow that pattern now. Only a few crazies drive down close to the water and weave in and out of pedestrians. Maybe some more enforcement down on the beach to give people like that a ticket for their reckless driving? Definitely not a permit system. Plus we have to keep in mind the tide changes, sometimes the tide is so high in certain areas there would be no way to have a set traffic pattern. What do you all think?

Corolla Wild Horse Fund: Mustang Music Festival Nov.12th

Posted on October 12, 2011

Coldwell Banker Seaside Realty is proud to announce their sponsorship in the Mustang Music Festival in Corolla, Saturday November 12th at the Grill Room. The event is shaping up to look like tons of fun for the whole family. There is still more planning going on but so far we know there is going to be great music and delicious food for a great cause!

Scheduled to perform:

There are some great Outer Banks restaurants that will be selling food all day, including Mike Dianna Grill Room, Metropolis Tapas and Martini Bar, Cosmos Pizza and Coastal Cantina.

Here are some things you should have with you for the event:

Baby stroller
One sealed water bottle (up to 1 liter)
Regular non-framed backpacks
Personal recording devices

The event is going to be hosted by the Wild Horse Adventure Tours benefiting “Food for Thought” and the Corolla Wild Horse Fund. Mark your calendars and make sure to keep an eye out at our page for any updates or new information. Pre-sale tickets are available for $35 each until October 18th at the Grill Room or Trio. We will see you there!

: Outer Banks: 2011 Mustang Music Festival

Rainy Day in Corolla=Invitation to Explore

Posted on September 29, 2011

We came across this great post written by Andy Thompson of the Richmond Times Dispatch about a recent trip to Corolla and what he discovered on a rainy day at the beach. It seems like it has been raining for about 2 weeks straight here in the OBX. Its been a drag to say the least, but props to Andy for making another rainy day into an awesome adventure. Its funny because living here you don’t always appreciate the beauty and nature around you because you get busy and caught up in the daily hustle and bustle. The best part about reading articles like this is you realize that you have a lot to share with people who come visit the Outer Banks as a local but they also share a lot of great things with you.

Read along as Andy discovers a little patch of paradise…

“I love rainy days at the beach. Not a lot of them, mind you, just one or two in a week. I know this is heresy for the sun worshippers who can lounge all day in the sand with nothing but a cold beverage and a tube of Banana Boat.

That’s just not me. By the second or third day of swelter, I’m looking over the dunes for a little adventure, but that doesn’t always do well with the group (we all know how intricate vacation politics can be). Rainy days give me an excuse to explore.

Today is one of those days. A stiff breeze has been blowing in off the ocean since last night. The “No Swimming” flags are out. It’s spitting off and on, but not pouring. Perfect conditions to swap the bathing trunks for hiking boots and see what else this coastal village has to offer.

Our group of five bikes north on Route 12 in search of a place we discovered five years ago, the last time we stayed this far north on the Outer Banks (the Virginia border is just 10 miles away). Here it is: a small parking lot and trailhead sign belying the otherworldliness of what lies beyond.

Where are we? The Currituck Banks National Estuarine Research Reserve (CBNERR), an ecologically rare 965 acres of maritime forest, brackish and freshwater marshes and intertidal dunes administered by the North Carolina Coastal Reserve Program.

This patch of green is sandwiched between Route 12 and Currituck Sound.

Land owned by The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to its north makes it feel bigger, more secluded. This is where the famed wild horses of the region roam.

It would be nice to see them, and many come here for that reason, but there’s plenty more to recommend the CBNERR. We start off walking on a raised platform, skirting live oaks and loblolly pines, stopping to read information kiosks. We could continue on the one-third-mile path to its terminus at the shallow sound, but instead we hop off the platform and onto a sandy trail that winds three-quarters of a mile to a different part of the sound.

The tortured trunks of live oaks twist in every direction. Sandy swales suggest this area, probably not too long ago, was dunes exposed to sea spray, wind and ocean wash. As the barrier island shifted, new dunes were deposited in front of old ones and areas such as this were protected long enough to be colonized by maritime forest plants.

Walking here is like entering a house with low ceilings. Trees here know what many trees in Richmond recently learned the hard way, that to grow tall is to risk death with every hurricane season. Even the pines in this forest look like strange dwarves.

Along the trail we pass horse dung but no horses. We make it to the sound and then back to the platform trail. We pick up where we left off and head west.

Though not far from the sandy trail, we soon enter an entirely different ecosystem. The swamp forest is full of plant species that thrive on mucky soil and intermittently wet conditions: red maples, sweet gums, swap black gums, wax myrtle, red bay, Muscadine grape vines, royal ferns and sedges all make their home here.

So, too, do water moccasins, and near the end of the trail, we spot one. It’s maybe 2 1/2 feet long, just sitting there a foot from the platform. The high temperature today is around 68, not exactly warm for the cold-blooded. Maybe that’s why he seems so lethargic and uninterested in us.

It’s not a horse sighting, but it’s probably more appropriate for the world we’re exploring. The horses, of course, are exotics. The snakes and foxes and deer and rabbits that make their homes here have done so for much longer — constantly evolving, adapting to a sometimes-harsh, always dynamic environment.

It’s an environment that has become increasingly rare on our built-up, super-populated East Coast. And it’s one worth spending some time getting to know, whether or not a rainy day gives us an excuse.”

Spotlight on the OBX: Corolla

Posted on August 23, 2011

Whitney Norko Photography - Outer Banks Wild Horses

The beaches along the Outer Banks are pretty amazing. Mile after mile of unspoiled beaches, white sand, gorgeous fishing piers, an abundance of wildlife, and most of the time you can find a quiet spot all to yourself. This gorgeous beach environment is awesome, but it can also overshadow some of the other amazing aspects of the OBX.

It’s easy to be so focused on getting to the beach, setting up your chair and cooler, that you miss what’s going on around you. As the wise Ferris Bueller once said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

At a quick glance, from a car speeding to the nearest beach access, the towns along the Outer Banks may seem pretty similar, but in reality, they all offer their own unique charm. So our hope with the “Spotlight” is that we can help you slow down and take a look around, and today we’re going to shine the “Spotlight” on Corolla – that’s Co-RHALL-a, not like the Toyota car.

Corolla, NC is the northern most town of the Outer Banks, situated just south of the Virginia/North Carolina line. Corolla is rich in history and full of tradition for many.

Corolla is an unincorporated community and home to more than 100 wild Spanish Mustangs. The horses can be found on 12,000 acres in Corolla, north of populated areas. Approximately 500 permanent residents call the community home.

Up until the development boom of the 1980s, some 30 years ago, Corolla was little-known and little-traveled and was often referred to as North Carolina’s last beach frontier. That’s all changed today. Corolla has grown quite rapidly, and the number of people who have decided to move to this edge of the world location has steadily increased.

Today, Corolla is a popular vacation destination for families from all over. Although you may not be able to enjoy the convenience of super stores and malls, you’ll find all the amenities you want for a great vacation. The beautiful beaches are clean and vast, and usually just a short walk from your vacation home. There is great shopping and a fine recreation scene, including kayak tours, jet-ski rents, surf lessons, fishing, wild horse tours, go-carts and more. Dining and entertainment is top notch, many of the renown restaurants provide live out-door music for those beautiful summer nights.

Corolla has a little something for everyone, “It is a world of contemporary luxuries, where vacationing is easy and life is civilized.”

I’ll zip it so you can enjoy the tour, but remember to slow down once in awhile …

Spotlight on the OBX: Parks & Playgrounds

Posted on August 9, 2011

Kitty Hawk Park

The best “playground” on the Outer Banks is the beach and everything water related, surfing, fishing, bodyboarding, visiting the piers, sandcastles, etc, but sometimes we need a break from the beach (I know, hard to believe) – especially the kiddos – but where to turn for a fun cost-effective, and energy-burning, activity?

Ah, I was hoping you would ask.

How about one of the fabulous parks and playgrounds the OBX has to offer?

Let’s spin the “Spotlight” towards the OBX parks & playgrounds this week. I think you’ll be surprised at the variety of fun (and locations) there is to offer. Something for everyone; swings, slides, jungle-gyms, tennis, basketball, skateboarding parks – even the four-legged members of the family have a fun spot…well dog’s anyway…there are no ferret parks…yet!

Here are the parks we’ll shine the “Spotlight” on:

Currituck Heritage Park has 39 acres of sound front property. The park is within walking distance to the Whalehead Club, Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education and the Currituck Beach Lighthouse.
Sandy Run in Kitty Hawk includes a 1/4mile interpretive nature walk with elevated boardwalk, canal pedestrian bridge, canoe/kayak docks, picnic shelter, on-site utilities and parking facilities.
Kitty Hawk Skate and Dog Park consists of a skate park, fenced in dog park, playground, and picnic areas with grills.
Hayman Park in Kill Devil Hills is a neighborhood recreation area that includes a picnic area, playground and open field.
Dare County Rec Park is located beside the Kill Devil Hills Water Plant. There are fields for playing baseball, softball and soccer, tennis courts, a playground and a rec center with indoor courts, game rooms, exercise rooms and space for classes.
Aviation Park in Kill Devil Hills includes a path that is ideal for biking, walking and rollerblading, playground equipment and a roller hockey rink.
Barnes Street Park in Nags Head, has plenty of space for all kinds of functions. There is a covered shelter, bathrooms, and a grill for group picnics or cookouts, a playground for children, and open grass space for soccer games or frisbee.

I’ll zip it so you can enjoy the tour…

Save a Horse, Ride a Land Cruiser. But With New Restrictions?

Posted on August 3, 2011

Currituck County officials are developing a plan to impose limits on the expanding business of Corolla wild horse tours. They are discussing plans to restrict the number of vehicles per tour to 4 and requiring tour operators to get a license each year and the number of licenses issued would be limited to eight companies that must be based in Currituck County.

Other requirements include:

- Vehicles would have to be registered with the county, with a photo included for each one.

- Each vehicle would get a number and must have a sign on the side with lettering at least 3 inches tall showing the ID number and the company name.

- All vehicles would have guides, instead of one guide leading several vehicles.

- More than one violation of the ordinance in a month could mean being shut down for a day or more.

A county law already requires people to stay 50 feet away from wild horses.

Operators could still carry a similar number of passengers by using vehicles with larger capacities, Woody said.

Officials are considering whether to limit tour times. Now they travel dawn to dusk. Residents want hours limited to something like 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“I’m in favor of this, believe or not,” said Jay Bender, owner of Corolla Outback Adventures and Club Seaside partner. “It’s in the best interest of the horses and in the best interest of everybody over the long haul to keep some sort of control over it.”

Complaints from residents and the Corolla Wild Horse Fund explain, “It’s all day every day,” said north beach resident and Corolla Wild Horse Fund Vice President Phyllis Castelli. “There’s never really a time of day when there’s not a tour group going by. It’s completely out of balance.” Castelli saw two wild horses on the beach last week surrounded by people from three different tours. “If I feel this way, imagine how the horses feel,” she said.

There are a couple of things to remember here. If we reduce supply of the horse tours and with demand always increasing this is going to drive up the prices of the tour which is already on the high side. On the other hand it would be in the best interest of our area to restrict the number of companies as to eliminate people in Charlotte, Raleigh or Virginia who see the horse tours as an easy way to make money and have already expressed interest in starting new tour companies.

What do you guys think? There has to be some kind of happy medium…

Here is a video of our recent wild horse tour with Corolla Outback Adventures.

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