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!

 

Getting Wild in Currituck

By Hannah Lee Leidy
The sense of adventure you get when exploring Knotts Island’s wilderness feels almost magical. The minimally developed island, surrounded by the Currituck Sound, Back Bay, North Landing River and Knotts Island Bay, is home to a few houses, a grocery/gas station, a post office and the 8,500-acre refuge, known as Mackay... Read More

Timeless Traditions are "First Class in Every Particular"

By Hannah Lee Leidy
Ever since its story began in 1885, exceptional hospitality has been a core feature of The Tranquil House Inn. Through the decades, fires and changes in ownership, location, name and the surrounding environment, the inn seen today at the corner of Queen Elizabeth and Ananias Dare streets in Manteo has undergone vast... Read More

This Gym's For You

By Beth P. Storie
How many of you hear about CrossFit classes and can’t wait to be challenged? “Bring it on,” you might say. “There’s not a WOD (that’s Workout of the Day in CrossFit speak)  I can’t beat!” Believe me, CrossFit OBX gym is for you too. “Fitness level is not the determining factor in who comes to this gym and stays,”... Read More

Dolphin Dreams Come True on Outer Banks Cruises

By Hannah Lee Leidy
Climb aboard the 55-foot Captain Johnny for the longest-running dolphin watch experience on the Outer Banks. As they enter their 25th season, Captain Johnny’s Dolphin Tours has the business of spotting bottlenose dolphins down to a science. Their 99% success rate for sightings has earned them a reputation for... Read More

All in the Name of Style

By Molly Harrison
In 1986 Billie and Jim Steese took a bet on Duck’s fledgling retail scene and opened a women’s fashion boutique on the northern Outer Banks. It was Billie’s mother who suggested the name Lady Victorian because it fits so well with her daughter’s design aesthetic, rich as it is with antiques and vintage goodness. “I... Read More