1. "Corolla" is actually pronounced KUH-raw-luh—not KUH-roll-uh like the car. Although Toyota makes a darn nice product.
2. There are bike lanes on the Outer Banks on Route 158 and parts of Route 12 (beach road). If you'd prefer to take in the scenery at a slower pace and get a little exercise at the same time, rent a bicycle built for two!
3. The Outer Banks are basically undersea sand bars. This series of barrier islands has been stabilized by the vegetation, which has made the Outer Banks habitable.
4. The first Nazi submarine destroyed by the Americans during World War II, the U-85, was sunk off of nearby Bodie Island on April 14, 1942. Yes, this is beginning to sound like Cliff Clavin from "Cheers."
5. The "Wild Horses of Corolla" is not a youth soccer team. Small herds of Spanish mustangs have run wild since the 1500s. Some were put to use for various duties over the years, but as the population grew, the horses split into distinct herds in Currituck County (north) and Ocracoke (south). They are protected by law and sacred to the area, so please do not try to re-create the final scene of "Seabiscuit" for any reason whatsoever.
6. The rather-popular shorthand for the Outer Banks is "OBX." So popular, in fact, that you'll likely be surrounded by cars with Ohio plates that are plastered with "OBX" stickers, license plate holders and other paraphernalia.
7. Edward Teach—perhaps better known as "Blackbeard"—was killed by the Royal Navy in Ocracoke Inlet on November 22, 1718. Described as a tall, intimidating figure with a braided beard and lit fuses in his hair, the menacing tales of Blackbeard made their way all the way to Elizabeth City … where neighborhood kids would frighteningly stare across an empty field at an abandoned house that, legend had it, was once used as a hideout by Blackbeard. <*shudder*>
8. On August 15, 1587, the first English child born in the New World at Fort Raleigh on Roanoke Island—Virginia Dare. After mysteriously disappearing, Virginia and her fellow colonists would come to be known as the "Lost Colony." In fact, for 71 seasons, the "Lost Colony" has been performed at Waterside Theater on Roanoke Island, making it the longest-running symphonic drama in the nation.
9. Bird lovers will be happy to know that the Outer Banks lie on the "Atlantic flyway." Pea Island boasts more than 400 species of birds and is considered a local mecca for bird-watching, where, depending on the time of year, one can observe peregrines, ibises, scoters, gannets, cormorants, mergansers, gulls, terns and other rare birds. You should probably wear a hat.
10. Hatteras Inlet, Chicamacomico and Roanoke Island were the sites of three Federal victories in the Civil War between 1861 and 1862. The North seized control of the Outer Banks, and with most of the inhabitants being the peaceful, calm types, many residents simply took the oath of allegiance to the United States so they could get back to enjoying the beach.
2. There are bike lanes on the Outer Banks on Route 158 and parts of Route 12 (beach road). If you'd prefer to take in the scenery at a slower pace and get a little exercise at the same time, rent a bicycle built for two!
3. The Outer Banks are basically undersea sand bars. This series of barrier islands has been stabilized by the vegetation, which has made the Outer Banks habitable.
4. The first Nazi submarine destroyed by the Americans during World War II, the U-85, was sunk off of nearby Bodie Island on April 14, 1942. Yes, this is beginning to sound like Cliff Clavin from "Cheers."
5. The "Wild Horses of Corolla" is not a youth soccer team. Small herds of Spanish mustangs have run wild since the 1500s. Some were put to use for various duties over the years, but as the population grew, the horses split into distinct herds in Currituck County (north) and Ocracoke (south). They are protected by law and sacred to the area, so please do not try to re-create the final scene of "Seabiscuit" for any reason whatsoever.
6. The rather-popular shorthand for the Outer Banks is "OBX." So popular, in fact, that you'll likely be surrounded by cars with Ohio plates that are plastered with "OBX" stickers, license plate holders and other paraphernalia.
7. Edward Teach—perhaps better known as "Blackbeard"—was killed by the Royal Navy in Ocracoke Inlet on November 22, 1718. Described as a tall, intimidating figure with a braided beard and lit fuses in his hair, the menacing tales of Blackbeard made their way all the way to Elizabeth City … where neighborhood kids would frighteningly stare across an empty field at an abandoned house that, legend had it, was once used as a hideout by Blackbeard. <*shudder*>
8. On August 15, 1587, the first English child born in the New World at Fort Raleigh on Roanoke Island—Virginia Dare. After mysteriously disappearing, Virginia and her fellow colonists would come to be known as the "Lost Colony." In fact, for 71 seasons, the "Lost Colony" has been performed at Waterside Theater on Roanoke Island, making it the longest-running symphonic drama in the nation.
9. Bird lovers will be happy to know that the Outer Banks lie on the "Atlantic flyway." Pea Island boasts more than 400 species of birds and is considered a local mecca for bird-watching, where, depending on the time of year, one can observe peregrines, ibises, scoters, gannets, cormorants, mergansers, gulls, terns and other rare birds. You should probably wear a hat.
10. Hatteras Inlet, Chicamacomico and Roanoke Island were the sites of three Federal victories in the Civil War between 1861 and 1862. The North seized control of the Outer Banks, and with most of the inhabitants being the peaceful, calm types, many residents simply took the oath of allegiance to the United States so they could get back to enjoying the beach.
And one more for good measure …
11. Sometimes, when the sun goes down, residents of local golf courses will take a frosty beverage and a pitching wedge out to the backyard and get a little practice in. Or so we have been told.
