Corolla Attractions

The near $5 million restoration began with the replacement of the copper roof. The exterior of the house and boathouse are exactly the same paint colors as the originals, as are the interior walls. The interior has been completely restored, from the coffered ceilings down to the $120,000 cork floors. Many of the original fixtures and details remain: The water lily motif carvings again stand out near the dining room ceiling, the duck head door handles are back in place, the Tiffany glass light fixtures shine again, the mahogany trim and woodwork has been refinished.

A team of researchers has tracked down as much information as possible to make the restoration as accurate as possible. Recently, the research team has been focusing its efforts on finding as much of the original furnishings as possible. Mrs. Knight’s piano and Mr. Knight’s iron safe and portrait were some of the only original furnishings left in the house when the restoration began. China and a few pieces of furniture, including a Louis Majorelle tea table, have been returned. The dining room is completely furnished as it was originally, including Tiffany sconces and water lily shades. An exhibition on display in the basement showcases some of the Knights’ and other owners’ treasured artifacts.

The copious research has also turned up much information about the original owners Edward and Marie Louise LeBel Knight themselves. Local lore had always portrayed Mrs. Knight as a sharp shooting ruffian who was indignant about being ostracized from Outer Banks hunt club society. But as the researchers uncover information about Mrs. Knight, this seems unlikely. We now know that Mrs. Knight was educated, wealthy and socially accepted in Newport society. In her city clothes and ways, she was very different from the women of the Currituck Outer Banks and likely shocked the locals. This led to misperceptions about her, which have been passed down through the years. The staff at the Whalehead Club now has every reason to believe she was a dignified, well-respected woman.

The Whalehead Club staff gives guided tours of the house interior. The tours offer a wealth of information about the architectural style of the house, the first owners, the history of Corolla and the northern Outer Banks, and the transforming restoration of the home.

A self-guided, electronic tour takes you throughout the living areas, the private rooms, the servants’ quarters and the 6,000-square-foot basement. In the basement are finely crafted exhibits that further detail the information learned on the tour. The exhibits focus on the Knights and their lifestyle.

The Museum Shop stocks tasteful Whalehead Club souvenirs such as picture frames, jewelry and ornaments made from the original copper roof plus books, postcards and memorabilia.

The Whalehead Club is open year round. In season, tour the house from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The cost is $7 for adults and free for children ages 8 and younger. Three specialty tours are also offered at $5 a piece: a Children’s Tour (ages 6 to 12) at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.; a Behind the Scenes tour (ages 13 and older) at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.; and Ghost tours (ages 6 to 12) at 2 and 5 p.m. daily. Winter hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and specialty tours are offered by reservation on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Special pricing is available when you combine a house and specialty tour. The grounds of the Whalehead Club are perfect for a relaxing afternoon outdoors away from the beach. The grounds are also available for rent for weddings and receptions.

Other special events scheduled at the Whalehead Club in the summer of 2007 include:

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Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education
Currituck Heritage Park, N.C. Highway 12, Corolla
(252) 453-0221
Wildlife Education programs are held in Currituck Heritage Park Monday through Friday. Enjoy rotating programs such as sound habitat exploration, decoy carving and fishing in the sound. Most programs are free. Call to register in advance. The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission’s exciting new Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education opened in 2006. The 22,000-square-foot building houses an auditorium with a video program, an exhibit hall, classrooms and a gift shop. Exhibits focus on conservation, waterfowl and hunting heritage, natural history, local heritage, ecology and fishing. Highlights of the exhibits are an aquarium and real-life marsh exhibit. The location of the center is on the sound between the Whalehead Club and Currituck Beach Lighthouse. See our Recreation page.

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Currituck Beach Lighthouse
Currituck Heritage Park, N.C. Highway 12, Corolla
(252) 453-4939

The red-brick Currituck Beach Lighthouse towers above the northern Outer Banks landscape at the village of Corolla. Visitors can climb the winding staircase 214 steps in all to the top of the lighthouse for a panoramic view of Currituck Sound, the Atlantic Ocean and the Currituck 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 and the lighthouse keepers. The 162-foot lighthouse was first lit on December 1, 1875. Onsite keepers, who lived in the surrounding buildings, operated the lighthouse until it was automated in 1939. With automation, the lighthouse no longer required a regular keeper. The lighthouse and

its outbuildings fell into disrepair for 40 years until a nonprofit group called Outer Banks Conservationists (OBC) stepped in to save the lighthouse in the 1980s. OBC renovated the keepers’ buildings to re-create their past glories and restored the lighthouse to make it safe to climb. In July 2003, The U.S. Department of the Interior awarded OBC ownership of the lighthouse.

It costs only $7 to climb the lighthouse, and children ages 7 and younger climb for free. The lighthouse is open daily from Easter through Thanksgiving. Climbing hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., except in November, when it closes at 5 p.m. Climbers must go up 15 minutes before closing. During extreme weather, the lighthouse is closed to climbing.

The nearby Double Keepers’ House is not open to the public, but it makes for great photographs. You can go inside the small Keeper’s House, which was transformed into the Museum Shop and stocks everything lighthouse-related you could ever imagine. T-shirts, hats, books, postcards, blankets, taffy, ornaments, jewelry, magnets, figurines and more fill this former keeper’s residence.

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CAMA Sound Boardwalk
Currituck Heritage Park
This boardwalk cuts through a small portion of swamp forest and brackish marsh. The variety of flora and fauna you’ll see here is astounding. Sweet gum, red maples, black willows, live oaks and loblolly pines are intertwined with wild muscadine grapes, Virginia creeper and winged sumac. Shrubs like American holly, wax myrtles, yaupon and bayberry fill in the lowlands, while plants like swamp mallows, morning glory, ferns, honeysuckle, pennywort add texture and color to the landscape.

Toward the sound, tall reeds and cattails swish in the breeze. The boardwalk ends at a nice resting spot on Currituck Sound, an absolutely perfect place to watch the sunset. Animals you might see along the way include nutria, deer, raccoons, muskrats, red or gray fox, river otters, possums, turtles, snakes and a great variety of birds, including songbirds, wading birds, osprey, terns, killdeer, gulls and others, depending on the time of year.

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Wild Horses Exhibit at the Corolla School
Corolla Village Road and Schoolhouse Road
(252) 457-1185

In the summer of 2004, the schoolhouse launched an educational exhibit on the Corolla wild horses. It is fun for the entire family with interactive, hands-on activities, photography and historical information. Call for details about special activities on holidays.

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Village Garden

Corolla Village behind the Lighthouse Garden shop
Be sure to make a stop here when you’re out shopping in Corolla Village. The public is invited to tour the garden anytime.

The 4,000-square-foot garden, funded by Twiddy & Company Realtors, features five raised beds, an herb garden, a butterfly garden, a garlic and basil garden, vegetable garden and a cutting garden. A “found” garden is being developed with all native species. The garden is planted and maintained by Amy Crowe, who puts her efforts into heirloom and older varieties of plants. Many of the seeds grown here are those that would have been available at the turn of the last century, from 1900 to 1920.

When you drop by, you’ll likely find Amy or one of her assistants at work. Ask them questions about the unusual plants you’ll see in the garden. In the summer you may find a painter at work here too. The garden is interesting year round.

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Currituck Banks National Estuarine
Research Reserve Access Trail

Soundside, End of N.C. 12, north of Corolla
This beautiful boardwalk leads two-thirds of a mile from the road to the sound, traversing through maritime evergreen forest, swamp forest and brackish marsh. Along the way, you’ll see live oaks and loblolly pines, yaupon, holly, bayberry and wax myrtle, plus, closer to the water, sedges, cattails, black needle rush and giant cord grass. You may see signs of animals, like scat or tracks, or possibly the animals themselves. Birders love this boardwalk because it gives them the ability to go deep into several habitats without getting so mucky.

Along the boardwalk are a couple of places to rest and an information kiosk. In addition, there are six new interpretive signs along the route that explain barrier island ecology. At the end, the boardwalk has bench seats that look out over a creek and the sound with the final informational panel. It’s serene, quiet and absolutely beautiful on the soundside.

Part of the 960-acre North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve, this area is protected in its natural state for use as a natural laboratory. Much of the land in this area is protected. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages the 4,000-acre Currituck Banks National Wildlife Refuge north of here for waterfowl, wading birds and shorebirds.

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Corolla Surfing Museum
Corolla Surf Shop
TimBuck II Shopping Village
252) 453-9273
Monteray Plaza
(252) 453-WAVE (9283)

Housed in two locations of Corolla Surf Shop, the Corolla Surfing Museum is a collection of classic surfboards that were acquired by Steve Wise and Brant Wise. The boards, hanging from the ceilings of the shops, represent many of the small, experimental designs of the 1960s. There are boards by Dewey Weber, CON, Surfboards Australia, Bing, Gordon and Smith, Bunger, Hobie and others, with a good representation of collectible boards from both the East and West coasts. You’ll also see memorabilia and photography. Many surfers are impressed with the CON Ugly and are awed by the 1930s wooden hollow board and the reproduction of the solid-wood 80-pound surfboard. If you want to learn more about the roots of surfing, don’t miss seeing these collections. For surf culture décor, check the photos, artwork and more at a third store, also located in TimBuck II.

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OTHER OUTER BANKS GUIDES: OBX Guides | Corolla l Duck I Hatteras l Nags Head I Ocracoke l Roanoke Island