Top Things to Do in Corolla

The Beach

The Corolla beaches have a justifiable reputation as being some of the best anywhere. The sand is soft, the beach wide and the surf is generally a little more gentle than it is on other parts of the Outer Banks.

The beach is considered public property in North Carolina, however, access to the beach is not a public right. Currituck County provides a number of public access points to the Corolla beaches.

This following is a partial list of beach access. We have included only entries that have a parking area. All listed facilities include a wooden walkway. There are other access points as well, but they do not have parking associated with them. The list is from north to south.

Currituck Beach/Lighthouse - Full Facilities

Shad Street - Parking lot

Sturgeon Street - Parking lot

Sturgeon Street - Parking lot

Bonito Street - Parking lot

Sailfish Street - Parking lot

Albacore Street - Parking lot

Currituck County Southern Access -Full facilities

The Southern Access is our favorite with wonderfully maintained shower and restroom facilities. However, it is also the farthest from the beach. There is a boardwalk, but it’s about 250-300 yards from the beach.

Currituck Sound

Dotted with marsh islands, shallow and protected, Currituck Sound offers a very different side to the Outer Banks.

One of the best ways to explore it is by kayak. Easy to paddle and maneuverable, anyone 12 years of age and up learn how to kayak.

There are a number of outfitters on the Outer Banks offering guided tours. Tours typically begin with some basic paddling instruction, but the real joy of the tour is leaning about the local environment and its history.

There are also two opportunities to explore the shoreline on foot.

The Currituck Estuarine Reserve extends north into Carova and has two trails worth exploring. There is a small parking lot at a sharp right hand bend heading north on NC 12 about one mile north of Corolla.

Both trails begin at the boardwalk. The boardwalk is a very easy .3 mile walk to Currituck Sound. About 50 yards from the trailhead on the right there will be three steps leading to the Maritime Forest Trail. It’s a 1.5 mile loop that winds through spectacular groves of live oak.

The Pine Island Trail is perfect for the whole family. Wide, with hard-packed dirt, it is suitable for bikes as well. The trail goes from the Pine Island Request Club to a parking lot across from the Sanderling Resort in Duck. There are two observation platforms along the way offering spectacular views of Currituck Sound.

Currituck Heritage Park and the Currituck Beach Lighthouse

Two of the most iconic buildings in Corolla are the Currituck Beach Lighthouse and the Whalehead Club. The buildings are close together in a beautiful spit of land bordered by Currituck Sound. The Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education is also immediately adjacent to the buildings.

First illuminated in 1875, the Currituck Beach Lighthouse is a 162’ brick lighthouse towering over Corolla. One of the last lighthouses built along the Eastern Seaboard, it illuminated a dark stretch of the ocean between Virginia and Bodie Island Lighthouse in south Nags Head.

In season, the lighthouse can be climbed.

Originally called Currituck Island, the Whalehead Club was built in 1922 by Edward Collings Knight for his wife Marie Bonat Knight, supposedly because she was denied membership in a hunt club.

Renamed the Whalehead Club by 1930s owner Ray Knight in an unsuccessful bid to attract tourists, the building eventually fell into disrepair but was restored by the county.

The building is considered an outstanding example of art nouveau architecture. In the interior, particular attention was paid to recreating the original Knight home. Many of the Tiffany lamps, art deco furniture and the Steinway piano are original.

Tours are available.

The Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education takes visitors into the history and ecology of Corolla. Its centerpiece is a museum and diorama of life on the Currituck Sound in the early part of the 20th century. There is also an 8000 gallon aquarium stocked with fish native to the Currituck Sound as well as one of the largest hand-carved decoy collections in the world.

Corolla Village

Shaded by massive live oak and still retaining much of its original character, Corolla Village is an easy walk north of Currituck Heritage Park

More than anything else, Corolla Village is a wonderful shopping experience.

It’s a step back in time. The shops that line the street were once the private homes of the residents, and shop owners have retained much of the original feel.

A building of note is the old Corolla Schoolhouse. From approximately 1905 until 1958 it served the children of the Currituck Banks. It is again a school, housing the Water’s Edge Charter School.

A trip to the Corolla Wild Horse Fund Museum and shop should be on the agenda here. It’s a great way to learn about the magnificent Colonial Spanish Mustangs that still roam Carova.

Golf-The Currituck Club

Offering golfers spectacular views of the sound and sea and a challenging course, the Currituck Club is a 6,885-yard, par 72 Rees Jones designed course. The natural beauty has ben retained creating a memorable if sometimes difficult experience.