Outer Banks, North Carolina

Welcome to a 200-mile long string of narrow barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina and a small portion of Virginia. The Outer Banks is famous for its scenic beauty and for providing a haven for various types of flora and fauna.

Known as a major tourist destination around the world, the Outer Banks boasts a temperate climate and a wide expanse of open beachfront. This area was first settled by European colonial settlers, many whom still have descendants living on the islands today. The Wright brothers’ first flight in a controlled, powered vehicle, took place here on December 17, 1903, at Kill Devil Hills, near the seafront town of Kitty Hawk. For more than two centuries, the beautiful lighthouses of these islands have guarded generations of seaborne travelers and mariners in the channels and shoals that mark this treacherous coast, known by the nickname Graveyard of the Atlantic. Complete with rolling sand dunes and a menagerie of wildlife, these islands are home to herds of feral horses, which, according to local legend, are descended from Spanish mustangs washed ashore centuries ago in shipwrecks. In addition to its rich historical attractions and pristine beaches, the Outer Banks is home to a variety of flowers, palms, sea grasses, cacti, gulls, terns, herons, geese, ducks, plovers, deer, egrets, cranes, turtles, crabs and pelicans.