Outer Banks Articles & Shorts

If you’re like a lot of people – like hundreds of thousands of people – you love the Outer Banks of North Carolina. You might consider us presumptuous drawing this conclusion so quickly, and we would agree with you . . . except for the fact that we’re right. You love the Outer Banks beaches, the Outer Banks water sports, the Outer Banks towns, Outer Banks shops, the Outer Banks events and Outer Banks activities . . . everything about this place (you wouldn’t be on this site if you didn’t). We do too. And, lucky for you, we also love writing about the Outer Banks. Locals and visitors alike value our Outer Banks information.

Our local writers tell you how to negotiate dining out if you have a big crowd. We show you, step by step, how to pick a crab. We’ve written articles highlighting Corolla and the Currituck Outer Banks or about charming Manteo on Roanoke Island or telling you the mysteries of Ocracoke Island. We cover the events happening on the Outer Banks – and, boy, are there a lot of them to cover! Outer Banks activities, everything from water sports to walking tours to lighthouse tours to birdwatching trips, are focal points. Businesses, rituals and legends local to the Outer Banks are detailed in our articles. You’ll find out how that restaurant got its name or the modest beginning of that now-booming business. We give you insider Outer Banks information about staying safe in the ocean, how to navigate those pesky turn lanes, which restaurants to check out for the best Southern cuisine in the area and resorts’ present and future aspirations. Our Outer Banks articles are good reading. You’ll feel like a local with all the knowledge you’re sure to collect! And we’re adding to them all the time. Click on in to learn about the Outer Banks from the locals' side!

 

Watching the Weather

By Molly Harrison
When my children were young, their favorite babysitter, a generational Wanchese native, always said goodbye the same way: “See you next week, God willin’ and the creek don’t rise.” It’s a common saying among Outer Banks oldtimers because there’s some truth in it. Very often, the creek does rise. The ocean washes... Read More

Beyond the Beach: Discover the Countryside and Culture of The Northern Outer Banks

By Molly Harrison
On The Northern Outer Banks, a change of scenery is just minutes away. Beyond Corolla’s wide-open beaches, country roads lead to farm markets and vineyards, golf courses wind through maritime landscapes and his toric sites tell stories three centuries in the making. In fall and winter, when the crowds thin and the... Read More

From Boo! to Ho Ho Ho!

By Heather Frese
You may not expect a place called The Christmas Shop and General Store to be a go-to for Halloween decor and spooky scares, but you’re going to be pleasantly surprised as you step inside one of Manteo’s longest-running businesses this fall. While Christmas is king at The Christmas Shop and General Store, Halloween... Read More

A Lasting Legacy: Returning Home to Studio 12

By Heather Frese
Avon’s Studio 12, the Outer Banks’ only working art studio, will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2027, and owner Dawn Eskins is on a mission to honor the customers who have been returning yearly since the very beginning. “The culture of this business is so unique,” Dawn says. “I can’t tell you how many times... Read More

A Garden Aglow

By Maggie Miles
WinterLights transforms The Elizabethan Gardens into 10 acres of twinkling holiday magic. A million twinkling lights, lively holiday music, a gingerbread house full of festive confections, a steaming pot of freshly made cocoa and Santa waiting in a greenhouse in the gardens. No, we’re not talking about the North Pole... Read More