Nags-Head Travel Guide
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Nags Head: 234 miles N of Wilmington
The bony finger of land that separates the Atlantic Ocean from the sounds and estuaries of North Carolina's coast actually begins near the Virginia border. But much of the northern Banks is only accessible by four-wheel-drive, and residents need a permit to access the area from Virginia. Highway 12, which runs the length of the Outer Banks to Ocracoke, begins near the town of Corolla, not so long ago a sleepy little coastal village with little more than a lighthouse and wild horses. Today it's the Corolla of super-size beach "cottages," shops, and roads. And the number of wild horses, alas, is so greatly diminished that they have become an endangered species.
To the south of Corolla are the largely residential towns of Sanderling, Duck, and Southern Shores, oceanside communities that, like Corolla, have been utterly transformed by development in the last 20 years. Duck, in particular, has gone from a one-stoplight town to a manicured community with multimillion-dollar homes tucked discreetly into dense thickets of island shrub.
Indeed, development has been brisk in the other barrier-island communities, located south of Duck but north of Oregon Inlet -- Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head, Manteo, and Wanchese. But blessedly, there remain miles and miles of fine, sparkling beaches, good eats, plenty of family entertainment, and wonderful opportunities for water-based recreation.
