The Outer Banks is one of the biggest small towns on the East Coast. If there’s one place in America that can have the charm and character of small seaside villages set against an enormous, untouched natural coastal setting, the Outer Banks is it. History hit the record button with the Lost Colony of Roanoke and in the centuries since, a thing or two has happened here. Keep reading below for more reasons to love the OBX and help you plan your next adventure:
1. The Late Andy Griffith Once Starred In The Lost Colony
Before his self-titled television show captured America’s heart beginning in the 1960’s, Roanoke Island’s most celebrity resident, the late Andy Griffith once starred in The Lost Colony. Our country’s longest running outdoor symphonic drama portrays the story of England’s first settlement in the New World circa 1584-1587. It takes over 100 actors, technicians, designers and volunteers to put on the spectacle of a show every year, which takes place in an open-air theater on the shores of Roanoke Sound in the actual forest that the colonists once explored. Can you guess which real character from history the onscreen icon once brought to life?
2. The Outer Banks Is Home To North Carolina’s Longest Coastal County
At the heart of the OBX, Dare County is 100 miles long, surpassing the stretch of any in-state province on the Atlantic Ocean. If we walked from Duck to Hatteras, NC that’d be almost like walking halfway to the International Space Station above us. That’s a lot of beach! We’ve got 14 towns and villages to explore with lots of pristine national parks and refuges in between. At an average width of a mile wide or so, no matter which island you visit or vacation on, there’s a good chance a dip in the ocean or sound is just a few steps away from your vacation rental home. Brindley Beach Rentals, for example offers over 600 homes rentals, from oceanfront properties to more secluded beach rentals accessible only by 4-wheel drive vehicles.
3. The OBX Is A Shipwreck Graveyard
There are estimates of 3,000 sunken craft off our shores. With that many downed vessels, it’s no surprise the Outer Banks is known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic. These shipwrecks date as far back as the early English settlements more than four centuries ago and as recently as spring 2020. The seasonal breezes erase the sand off some of these wooden hulks, making for neat pictures on the beach. Others are a short swim offshore and attract snorkelers and spearfishing enthusiasts. There are some pretty amazing underwater photos out there of Outer Banks wrecks and relics. The elements that shaped these islands over the millenia don’t take orders from anyone. The main reason Cape Hatteras and Bodie Island Lighthouses are so tall is to be seen for many miles over the horizon, to let sailors and ship captain’s know to be careful along our coast.
4. The Outer Banks Is The Capital Of Big Fish
Just ask the International Gamefish Association—the Outer Banks is one of the likeliest places to catch 1,000-pound Atlantic Blue Marlin. But it’s the access to all kinds of fishing that make the OBX an angler’s paradise. You’ll find a variety of fishing opportunities here year-round, from surf and pier fishing to inshore and offshore charter fishing. We’ve got a playlist of videos and insider tips on where and when to turn your fish tales into reality on the Outer Banks. Did you know that fishing for fun, not food, got one of its earliest starts as a national sport and hobby on the Outer Banks in 1937 with the Albatross Fleet of Hatteras, NC?
