The Northern Outer Banks

Discover Historic Corolla Park

With its wide open green spaces and scenic views, Historic Corolla Park is the heart of Corolla in Northeastern North Carolina. It's a great place to take in a seasonal event or simply take a walk, and is home to three unique landmarks—The Currituck Beach Lighthouse, Whalehead in Historic Corolla ,the Currituck Maritime Museum and the Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education. Outdoor activities such as fishing, crabbing and kayaking the Currituck Sound are welcomed, as are bicycles, kites and leashed pets.

Whalehead in Historic Corolla is a 1920s era Art Nouveau architectural masterpiece and the centerpiece of what has now come to be called Historic Corolla Park. Whalehead's intriguing past is steeped in the 1920s lifestyle of its patriarch and matriarch, Edward Collins Knight Jr. and his wife, Marie Louise Lebel Bonat Knight. The Knights shared a passion for waterfowl hunting, so when Mrs. Knight was not allowed membership into the all-male hunt clubs, her husband had the majestic 21,000-square-foot mansion by the sea constructed for his bride. Tours and exhibits are offered daily.

Tranquil beaches, luxurious accommodations and exhilarating recreational activities make The Northern Outer Banks a perfect place to escape. Located at the top of North Carolina's barrier islands, The Northern Outer Banks divides the Atlantic Ocean from the Currituck Sound.

Visitors are welcomed by a friendly southern community where they always feel at home. The Northern Outer Banks is a premiere coastal destination. It's more than the ocean, more than a vacation and more than you imagined! 

Wild Horse Museum and Store

Corolla Village is home to the Corolla Wild Horse Museum and Corolla Wild Horse Fund, a non-profit organization that raises funds to protect Currituck's wild Spanish mustangs. The museum offers fun and educational activities for children during the summer months. There is no admission fee and only nominal fees for children's programs.

Discover a land of wild wonder on the shores of The Northern Outer Banks, NC. With unique attractions like the Currituck Beach Lighthouse and the legendary wild horses of Corolla, unspoiled beaches and mild coastal temperatures, there's never been a better time to plan your escape.

Call 877-287-7488 today to request your free visitor's guide.

The Currituck Beach Lighthouse

This red-brick lighthouse towers above the northern Outer Banks landscape of Historic Corolla Park. Visitors can climb the winding staircase, 220 steps in all, to the top of the lighthouse for a panoramic view of Currituck Sound, the Atlantic Ocean and The Northern Outer Banks. Inside the lighthouse, at the base and on the first two landings, there are museum-quality lighthouse exhibits. On the way up or down, stop to learn about the history of coastal lighthouses, the Fresnel lens, shipwrecks and the lighthouse keepers.

The Currituck Beach Lighthouse is known as a first order lighthouse, which means it has the largest of seven Fresnel lens sizes. With a 20-second flash cycle (on for 3 seconds, off for 17 seconds), the light can be seen for 18 nautical miles. The distinctive sequence enables the lighthouse not only to warn mariners but also to help identify their locations. Like the other lighthouses on North Carolina's Outer Banks, this one still serves as an aid to navigation. The beacon comes on automatically every evening at dusk and ceases at dawn.

To distinguish the Currituck Beach Lighthouse from other regional lighthouses, its exterior was left unpainted and gives today's visitor a sense of the multitude of bricks used to form the structure.