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!

 

Adventures in Ocracoke

By Hannah Lee Leidy
As you expect of a travel destination that can only be reached via ferry or private plane or boat, everything about Ocracoke Island comes with a touch of adventure. This is a place where “typical” isn’t really in the vocabulary. If you want what’s expected, you might be in for a (worthwhile!) surprise. A big part of... Read More

A Different Rush with Shopping in Duck

By Hannah Lee Leidy
Ah, Duck. When you enter the town, following that corridor of N.C. 12 under the canopy of live oak trees both calms the senses and stirs the spirit. For one, the scene is an image of soundside tranquility. An inviting pedestrian path hugs the town’s length, and bits of the Currituck Sound peek out between the shops... Read More

Bookselling in a Time of Crisis and Beyond

By Molly Harrison
It takes a special kind of person to be an independent bookseller. The job requires large amounts of passion, creativity, hard work, people skills, tenacity and resiliency, and at no time has that been more apparent than during the pandemic. During the COVID-19 quarantines, many people were saved from the madness of... Read More

A Day on the Docks

By Lexi Holian
Tucked into the salt marshes of Wanchese, Outer Banks Marina is a hub of boating activity. On any given day in the summertime, first-time and professional fishermen head out in search of the freshest catch, families board tour boats seeking bottlenose dolphins and working trawling boats dock next to multi-million-... Read More

Looking Forward with a Decades-Old Outer Banks Establishment

By Hannah Lee Leidy
For more than 60 years, the Cotton Gin has been an Outer Banks icon. Shoppers of every generation love it for the general store eclecticism and the treasure trove of goodies brimming in every room. For the locals and vacationers journeying from the west, the bright red, farmstead shop in Jarvisburg offers a majestic... Read More