The Outer BanksDon't adjust your dial, we have control of your vacation!If you come go North Carolina’s Outer Banks to enjoy their 130 miles of beaches, that’s okay. Folks go for the sun and sand all the time - only to discover a year-round destination where national parks, wildlife refuges and maritime forests offer bird-watching, kayaking, hiking, windsurfing, and other adventures. History is abundant, too, with an event that transformed the world taking place here. The Wright brothers broke our bond to the earth on December 17, 1903, on a windy strip of dune at Kill Devil Hills in the Outer Banks. Another historic event was the arrival of the first English settlers on Roanoke Island. Although the colony mysteriously disappeared, their efforts paved the way for the future colonization of America. Today, the Outer Banks provides such glimpses of the past and a playground to enjoy the splendor of the area’s natural resources. The Outer BanksMore than six million visitors each year sample the warm hospitality that attracted the Wright brothers in 1899. Outer Banks postmaster William J. Tate had advised the brothers that the region "...would be a fine place; our winds are always steady, generally from 10 to 20 miles velocity per hour." Tate clinched his pitch, "If you decide to try your machine here, I assure you, you will find a hospitable people when you come among us." So hospitable were the people of the Outer Banks that Orville and Wilbur continued their annual trips to North Carolina over the next four years, where their dreams came true on a blustery December morning. The historic flights of that day are remembered at the Wright Brothers National Memorial. A granite pylon rising 60 feet stands atop Kill Devil Hill as a tribute to the first flight. After retracing the paths of the four flights that Orville and Wilbur made that day, visitors can view a replica of the original plane as well as other exhibits about firsts in the world of flight. The spirit that powered the first flight remains a part of the Outer Banks. Just ask any visitor taking a hang- gliding lesson at Jockey’s Ridge State Park in Nags Head. "Visiting Jockey’s Ridge gives me an idea of what the Wright brothers saw when they arrived here all those years ago," one visitor said recently. A 414-acre park, it includes the tallest sand dune on the East Coast, about 140 feet high. A trek to the top provides a spectacular view of both Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills, as well as the Roanoke Sound and the Atlantic Ocean on opposite sides of the narrow stretch of land. Just as the magic of the Outer Banks invigorates those who come here, it shapes an ecosystem unique in the world. Nags Head Woods Preserve, a national landmark owned by the Nature Conservancy, is proof of this. Mysteriously, cool and nourishing freshwater pools bubble up out of the sandy loam to create a 1000-acre enclosure that is home to a variety of rare plants and animals. There are only five listed maritime forests remaining in North Carolina. Other maritime forests in this area are located at Buxton Woods and Kitty Hawk Woods. There is a nature trail at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, on the northernmost section of Hatteras Island ranging between Oregon Inlet and Rodanthe. More than 265 species of birds are known to visit the area regularly, including snow geese, egrets and herons, along with other varieties of shore and song birds. West of Nags Head on U.S. 64 is Roanoke Island, the locale of an Outer Banks mystery, one that has baffled scholars around the world. More than 400 years ago, two explorers returned to England from there with tales of the "goodliest land under the cope of heaven." Soon after, the first permanent European settlers to the "New World" arrived. No one knows what became of those settlers, for they disappeared without a trace three years after their arrival. Ask any number of Outer Banks natives, and you might hear as many different versions of what happened. Some would say that the local Indians kidnapped or even killed the settlers. Others would claim that the settlers were shipwrecked on nearby islands. While the fate of the colony remains a mystery, one thing is certain in providing a home to a group of women and men for three years, the Outer Banks claims the title of Birthplace of English America. On Roanoke Island one can stand on the very spot where those pioneers stood centuries ago at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, where a restored earthworks and museum/visitors center recalls the colonists’ courage. The story of Sir Walter Raleigh and his colonists is recounted each summer in "The Lost Colony," the oldest outdoor drama in the nation. "The Lost Colony" was written by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Paul Greene. This summertime performance is where Andy Griffith pursued his acting career. Nearby are the beautiful Elizabethan Gardens, a re-creation of a 16th century pleasure garden where there is something blooming almost year-round. Roanoke Island Festival Park, also located in Manteo, is the home port of the Elizabeth II, a representation of the ships that brought the colonists to what would eventually be called America. Once on board, you will be transported back to the 16th century. Sailors, dressed in authentic garb and speaking in the traditional 16th century English accent, tell of the experiences on the three-month trip to this land. Also on Roanoke Island is the North Carolina Aquarium, one of three state aquariums. The aquarium has displays of marine life and year-round activities, as well as displays unique to North Carolina’s delicate estuaries, salt marshes, and sounds. Upon leaving the mystery of Roanoke Island, venture to the most pristine stretch of beach on the East Coast, Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The country’s first national seashore, this 75-mile run of beach is the composite name for all of the Outer Banks coastline from Bodie Island, across Hatteras Island and down to Ocracoke Island. Strict building regulations limit development on these shores. The beaches are what attracts most visitors to the Outer Banks. And with good reason. More than 30,000 acres of surf and sand provide limitless potential for fun. Once you attempt the obvious, swimming or wading in the giant pool that is the Atlantic, the magic of the Outer Banks will entice you to try windsurfing or sea kayaking. Teachers from one of the area outfitters can have you windsurfing like a " pro" in less than two hours. Indeed, the Outer Banks is perhaps the ideal place to take up an exciting sport. The constant gentle morning and afternoon winds, averaging from 7 to 15 miles per hour, and the warm, shallow waters of the sound yield perfect conditions for the beginning windsurfer or hang-glider. Experienced windsurfers, often traveling thousands of miles to pursue their sport, find perfect conditions on the Outer Banks as well. In fact, the area inside the bend on Hatteras Island is known as Canadian Hole, named for the substantial number of visitors from our neighbors to the north who make a 15-hour trek each spring and fall. Kitty Hawk Kites operates the largest hang-gliding school in the world. A three-hour lesson on Jockey’s Ridge State Park can have you soaring just as Orville and Wilbur did. The gentle slope and soft, forgiving sands of the dunes almost eliminate the risk of injury. Fishing is a sport as well as big business on the Outer Banks. At Oregon Inlet Fishing Center on the northern tip of Hatteras Island, or at Pirates Cove Yacht Club located on the Manteo/Nags Head Causeway, you can charter a boat and spend the day fishing offshore. Numerous local restaurants will clean and cook your catch for a nominal fee. If fishing is not your style, you can board one of the many sightseeing boats along the Outer Banks to experience a magnificent sunset or to simply enjoy watching the dolphins frolic. There is a reason why the coast of North Carolina is known as the "Graveyard of the Atlantic." More than 2,000 ships have sunk in these waters since people began keeping records in 1526. After all, the Outer Banks is the spot where the cold waters of the Labrador Current, which originates around the coast of Norway, collide with the warm waters of the Gulf Stream.. In addition, shifting underwater sand bars, the Diamond Shoals, conspire to send ship after ship to the depths of the Atlantic. The Outer Bankers (the correct way to refer to residents of the Outer Banks) did not give up in the face of such adversity. Before the Coast Guard existed, lifesaving stations dotted the shore. From these wooden shanties, hardy men kept watch for ships in peril from the sea. At the Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station, located 15 miles south of Oregon Inlet at Rodanthe, six men saved the lives of 42 men of the British frigate, the Mirlo, when a German U boat surprised our allies. Of the 11 Crosses of Honor ever awarded in this country, the men of Chicamacomico hold six. The restored station re-enacts drills during the summer months. At the southern tip of Hatteras Island stands the majestic Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. As the story goes, Alexander Hamilton, our nation’s first Secretary of the Treasury, made a trip as a child around the pitch-black cape in a storm. He became so sick and frightened that he vowed, if ever he amounted to anything, to arrange for a lighthouse to be erected on that very spot. Hamilton fulfilled his promise, and a lighthouse was built in 1802. Later, Congress decided that a larger one was needed. The present lighthouse was constructed in 1867 and is the tallest on the East Coast. Visitors may climb the 268 steps to the top of the structure during summer months. The trip to the final island is not made by bridge. Year-round ferries depart from Hatteras to Ocracoke Island at regular intervals. During the 40-minute trip, the scenery is beyond compare. Various stories abound about how the island got its name, but the most popular involves Ocracoke’s most notorious visitor, Blackbeard The Pirate. Blackbeard was a rum-drinking Englishman who ordered his crew to anchor off the southern end of Ocracoke Island. Together they terrorized the channel, waylaying countless ships and stealing valuable cargo. Fed up with Blackbeard’s successes, the English Crown put a price on his head in 1718. Lieutenant Robert Maynard took up the challenge. On the night before what was to be his final battle, Blackbeard received word of Maynard’s imminent arrival. Unable to flee that night because of the treacherous Diamond Shoals, Blackbeard was heard to wail repeatedly, "O cock crow! O cock crow!" as he pleaded for the familiar sound signaling dawn’s first light so he could make his escape. Daylight did not come soon enough, for Blackbeard was captured and beheaded. The name Ocracoke is said to be derived from Blackbeard’s final cries. Around Ocracoke Island you may encounter yet another one of the Outer Bank’s mysteries the Ocracoke Ponies. Since horses are not native to North America, the most popular story about their arrival to the island is that a British ship was finally allowed to search for the Lost Colony of Roanoke and stopped at Ocracoke. Also in Ocracoke is a plot of land known as the British Cemetery, where four sailors of the Royal Navy are buried. Their ship, HMS Bedfordshire, was torpedoed by a German U-boat during World War II, and the United States donated this small piece of Ocracoke to England in 1942. If the wonders of history in the Outer Banks do not cause the breath to catch or the heart to race, then the beauty of the land, at once foreboding and appealing, is surely a draw. It is here where the ocean gives way and land begins. Quinn E. Capps |
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