Welcome to Corolla, NC
Corolla is a historic village on the Outer Banks in North Carolina, located between Currituck Sound and the Atlantic Ocean. Corolla, NC is a vacationer's favorite for many reasons: beautiful beachfront cottages, charming local shops and restaurants, plenty of area attractions (like Currituck Beach Light), and of course, the wild mustang horses found roaming the beaches near the North Carolina and Virginia border. Touted as one of the most secluded and upscale towns of all on the OBX, many visitors travel to Corolla for a week-long vacation and never end up leaving the town until departure.
If you’re a vacationer looking to get away from it all while still enjoying some of the very best accommodations, water sports, dining and shopping attractions that the Outer Banks has to offer, consider staying in Corolla, North Carolina. Like every other town on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Corolla is a narrow barrier island that's bordered by the Currituck Sound to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. There are only approximately 500 residents that live in the town year-round.
Browse Corolla Vacation Rentals
Corolla, NC Vacation Rental Homes
Seaside Vacations offers travelers a large selection of Corolla rentals to choose from. Our selection of privately-owned vacation rental homes in the popular town of Corolla range in size from immaculate 10 bedroom oceanfront estates to cozy two bedroom condos situated right on the oceanfront.
Some of our homes in Corolla are pet-friendly and allow you to bring along your four-legged friend on vacation. We also offer vacation homes in Corolla, NC with elevators that are handicap friendly. If you’re looking for accommodations with a view, check out our sizable selection of Corolla oceanfront rental homes that range in size from three bedroom cottages to nine bedroom estates with all of the amenities a vacationer could want. Vacationers stay in Corolla rentals year after year because they know the area’s gorgeous, pristine, unspoiled beaches are difficult to match elsewhere on the Outer Banks. There are quite a few subdivision developments – some of which are listed below – that are filled with mostly vacation rental homes ranging in size from cozy three bedroom cottages to large mansions that have more than ten bedrooms and an excess of 10,000 square feet. Many Corolla vacation rental homes have luxurious amenities such as private heated pools, spacious outdoor hot tubs, direct beach access, recreation rooms and even theater rooms.
Corolla rentals typically offer vacationers more seclusion than other spots on the OBX without any additional cost. Travelers who decide to stay in a Corolla vacation rental home should certainly enjoy the town’s beaches but should also explore the nearby Currituck Beach Lighthouse and the historic Whalehead Club – both are situated near the waterfront on the scenic Currituck Sound.
Book your stay online using our easy to navigate website or contact one of our guest services representatives if you have any questions while perusing through our offering of Corolla rentals. We’re more than happy to help you plan your vacation to the unspoiled beaches of the Outer Banks and look forward to welcoming you as well as your family and friends into one of our Corolla vacation rental homes!
Activities and Attractions in Corolla, NC
Shopping and Dining in Corolla
Vacationers will enjoy the town's clusters of shopping complexes such as the TimBuck II, Monterey Plaza, Corolla Light Town Center, and The Shoppes at the Currituck Club to name a few. Shops found in these developments vary from delightful mom and pop shops to chain retail stores you’ll find elsewhere in the country. Vacationers can stock up on grocery necessities at one of the town’s Harris Teeter or Food Lion super markets.
Vacationers who’d prefer to have someone else do the cooking and cleaning will have no trouble finding an appropriate Corolla restaurant. Whether you’re looking for breakfast, lunch or dinner, casual or intimate dining, you’ll be able to easily find the perfect place for a meal in Corolla.
Wild Horses of Corolla, North Carolina
One of the town’s claims to fame (besides the red brick lighthouse) are the roughly 100 feral Banker horses spotted roaming the beaches, roads and backyards in the area. Highly guarded and protected by several local organizations including the Corolla Wild Horse Fund, visitors are often informed by area natives and local law enforcement that being within 50 feet of the horses is illegal. Although a bustling vacation town, Corolla also serves as a permanent sanctuary for the horses that are considered as a “cultural treasure" by the State of North Carolina.
Many Outer Banks visitors consider seeing the wild horses found in Corolla an item on their “bucket list" of things to do while on vacation. There is no shortage of local businesses that specialize in giving “wild horse tours" on a regular basis during the summer months. In fact, we offer all of our guests savings on wild horse tours through our Club Seaside program.
Whalehead Club
The former residence of Edward Collings Kinight Jr. and his wife Marie Louise LeBel in the 1920s, the Whalehead Club is one of the largest homes on the Outer Banks. Boasting over 21,000 square feet of living space for the former residents, the structure cost a staggering $385,000 (a huge sum of money at the time) and took a total of three years to build. Visitors can now tour the residence and take a walk back in time to see how the ultra-rich lived over 100 years ago.
Currituck Beach Lighthouse
Easily the tallest structure on the Outer Banks north of Bodie Island Lighthouse, thousands of Corolla visitors stop by the 162-foot tall, red brick Currituck Beach Lighthouse during their vacation each year. The structure first opened on December of 1875 and its bright lens is responsible for saving countless sailors lives over the years. Vacationers can climb the over 200 stairs to the top during the summertime and enjoy panoramic views of the Currituck Sound and Atlantic Ocean that are unparalleled from any other vantage point on the Outer Banks.
The Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education is located right on the Currituck Sound. This Corolla attraction has an array of interesting wildlife displays and exhibits and is a highly kid-friendly place to check out. Visitors can tour the building, feed the fish, and view the rotating short films free of any charge. A perfect stop after visiting the neighboring red-brick lighthouse or place to go on a rainy day.
Beaches of Corolla
Although the 200 mile stretch of barrier islands known as the Outer Banks has numerous attractions and on-going events, the beach is the biggest reason most people choose the OBX for a family vacation. And like most towns on the coast north of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, many people travel to Corolla to enjoy the area’s pristine, unspoiled beaches.
There are far fewer public beach accesses located in Corolla which makes their wide-open patches of sand typically less crowded than nearby towns of Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills. In fact, vacationers frequently boast about how easy it is to find a spot away from other beachgoers to set up their beach umbrella and relax in the sand a good distance away from the nearest person. This seclusion along with the town’s abnormally wide beaches (compared to other OBX towns) is one of the biggest draws that keep vacationers continuing to choose Corolla time and time again.
Although there are less beach accesses in Corolla than in other OBX towns, entrance to the shoreline and the Atlantic Ocean is highly accessible to visitors staying in Corolla vacation rental homes. Area visitors can rest assured that instructions will be provided on where the nearest beach access is and how to locate the one that’s specifically accessible to their rental – most of the time it’s well within walking distance.
Visitors looking for more excitement beyond relaxing on the beach or swimming in the Atlantic Ocean should look into the town’s various water sport rental options available at locally-owned companies like Kitty Hawk Kites and Ocean Atlantic Rentals. You can rent anything from stand up paddleboards, kayaks, and surfboards to sail boats and jet skis. There are also guided kayak tours offered at a number of local businesses that take participants through the backwaters of the Currituck Sound.
For activities that don’t involve a bathing suit, visitors can check out the 18-hole Currituck Club golf course that is considered one of the best in the area. Outdoor lovers should also consider visiting the Estuarine Nature Walk found near the 4x4 beaches of Carova.
History of Corolla - At a Glance
• Native Americans that lived on the mainland hunted and fished on what is now known as Corolla.
• European settlers resided in the area by the late 1600's and early 1700's.
• Prior to early 1800, the area was separated from Virginia and the neighboring town of Duck by inlets and was accessible only by boat.
• Several communities appeared on the northern Outer Banks by the mid 1800’s with early inhabitants hunting, fishing, raising livestock, serving as guides for visiting sportsmen, tending gardens and salvaging 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.
Town of Corolla Resources
Local Contact Information
Corolla Town Hall Phone: +1-252-453-8555
Currituck County Website: https://currituckcountync.gov/
