The Outer Banks is a hot spot for unique experiences, from watching horses run wild on the beach to seeing the tallest natural sand dunes on the Atlantic Coast.
“You get the feeling of being someplace exotic with the three different islands to tour, but you’re connected by bridges to the rest of the world,” says Lorrie Love, tourism sales and events manager with Outer Banks Visitors Bureau.
Groups can take a two-hour tour to see the protected Corolla Wild Horses. The tours, offered by Kitty Hawk Kites, can accommodate 10 to 14 passengers in safari trucks, outfitted with outdoor seating under a canopy. Marketing Director Luke Baer says the company can operate six to eight of the vehicles at a time.
“The horses are direct descendants of the mustangs that were shipwrecked from Spanish galleons. They swam ashore about 400 years ago,” he says.
May through October, groups can take a two-hour tour—led by a marine biologist—on a 30-passenger boat to view and learn about the dolphins.
“Our tours work with the Outer Banks Center for Dolphin Research. Every trip that we take, we are keeping track of the dolphins that we see. And we see the same dolphins year after year,” Baer says. “And it’s in the sound side, so we don’t have to go into the ocean to see the dolphins. It’s a very calm, leisurely experience, and very educational.”
Back on land, there have been recent renovations to the Wright Brothers National Memorial visitors center that Love says will be a big hit for groups coming to her area this year.
“During its two-year renovation closure, the entire visitors center was reimagined from top to bottom on the inside, with all new exhibits and many items that have never been on public display from Orville and Wilbur’s time in Kitty Hawk,” she says.
For more information, contact Lorrie Love or go to outerbanks.org.
Top photo: Wild Horse Tour
Photo by Kitty Hawk Kites
Support for Courier articles provided by:
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Coral Castle
Luray Caverns
Savannah Riverboat Cruises
Virginia Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau
Visit Savannah
