Corolla, North Carolina

Corolla, North Carolina is the northern most town of the Outer Banks. It is an an unincorporated community situated just south of the Virginia/North Carolina line in Currituck County. Rich in history and full of tradition, Corolla is home to more than 100 wild Spanish Mustangs. The horses can be found on 12,000 acres in Corolla, north of populated areas. Approximately 500 permanent residents call the community home.

Corolla is a popular vacation destination. Primarily a summer resort area, Corolla offers vacationers upscale rental homes, watersports outfitters, a variety of restaurants and shops and several popular attractions. However, the main attraction in Corolla is the beach. The clean, wide beaches are spacious and uncrowded, especially in the off season.  Although Corolla is often seen as a relatively newly developed area (most of the houses and shopping centers were built in the 1990's), if you head to the far north end of the town, beyond the paved roads, you'll find Swan Beach and Carova - wild and rugged areas accessible only by four-wheel drive vehicles (and home to the famous wild horses).

History
Native Americans lived on the mainland and survived by hunting and fishing on what is now known as Corolla. European settlers resided in the area by the late 1600s and early 1700s. Prior to early 1800, the area was separated from Virginia and the neighboring town of Duck by inlets, making it accessible only by boat. Several communities appeared on the northern Outer Banks by the mid 1800’s. Early inhabitants hunted, fished, raised livestock, served as guides for visiting sportsmen, tended gardens and salvaged shipwrecks to make a living. The U.S. Lifesaving Service established what would later become the Currituck Beach Life Saving Station in 1874. The Currituck Beach Lighthouse, one of the seven North Carolina coastal lighthouses, was completed in 1875. According to legend, Corolla was named in 1895 when the community’s newly established post office was seeking a name. One of the submissions was “corolla,” the inner part of a flower. During WWII, residents were forced to darken windows and prohibited from using headlights to avoid detection by German u-boats that came close to shore.

Attractions

Currituck Beach Lighthouse
Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education

The Whalehead Club at Currituck Heritage Park

Corolla Chapel
Corolla Wild Horse Museum
Corolla Wild Horses
Currituck Banks National Estuarine Preserve
Currituck Outer Banks Visitors Center

Dining
Bacchus Wine & Cheese
Corolla Pizza and Deli
Fin & Claw Sea Grill
First Light Breakfast and Burgers
Giant Slice Pizza
Mike Dianna’s Grill Room
Ned’s Ice Cream
North Banks Restaurant and Raw Bar
Northern Lights Bakery
Outer Banks Coffee Company
Pasquale’s Pizza and Pub
Sooey’s BBQ
Steamers Shellfish To Go
Sun Fish Grill
Sundogs Raw Bar and Grill
Tomato Patch Pizzaeria
Bad Bean Taqueria
Bambino’s Little Italy
Cosmo’s Pizza
Lighthouse Bagels, Deli and More
Metropolis
Pizza Guy
Pizzazz Pizza Company
 

Golf Courses
The Currituck Club

Currituck Main Land
The Carolina Club
The Pointe Golf Club
Kilmarlic


Mini-Golf
Corolla Mini Golf
The Grass Course


Shopping
Monteray Plaza
Corolla Light Town Center
TimBuck II Shopping Village
The Shoppes at the Currituck Club


Theaters
Corolla Movies 4


Watersports
Corolla Watersports
Corolla Surf Shop
Kitty Hawk Watersports


Neighborhoods
4x4 Beaches
Villages at Ocean Hill
Estates at Ocean Hill
Corolla Village
Corolla Light Resort
Whalehead Beach
Monteray Shores
Buck Island
Crown Point
Ocean Sands & Ocean Lake
The Currituck Club
Spindrift
Pine Island