Corolla Recreation

Back Country 4x4 & Kayak Safari

• 107 Austin Street, Corolla Light Town Center
• Corolla

• (252) 453-0877
• map

Some of the best wildlife viewing and paddling on the Outer Banks is in the remote northern waterways of the Currituck Sound near the Virginia border. Back Country’s unique 4x4 & Kayak Safari carries small groups and families by custom open-air Safari Cruisers through 30 miles of off-road beach, dune and sand trail to paddle from the private Spanish Mustang Reserve where they have exclusive access. The waters here are protected from wind and current and the tandem kayaks are super stable. Naturalist guides, who are also your kayak instructors, will explain Outer Banks ecology and point out local wildlife. Back Country limits space to just 10 people on each tour, which minimizes overuse. More often than not you will even see the wild horses from the kayaks if not from the safari cruiser. Each tour is three-plus hours and is the best of both worlds, an off-road 4x4 Safari excursion and a pristine kayak tour. Tours are available for beginner or intermediate paddlers. Reservations are required.

Back Country’s Wild Horse Safari

• 107 Austin Street, Corolla Light Town Center
• Corolla

• (252) 453-0877
• map

Scott Trabue’s Wild Horse Safari is an off-road eco-adventure that will deliver you and your family directly to the wild Spanish Mustangs that have thrived on the northern Outer Banks for nearly 500 years. Your naturalist guide will carry you through 30 miles of beaches, dune and back country sand lanes to discover the Outer Banks unique wildlife. Shore life including pelicans, dolphins and osprey are almost always present. You will hear stories about the Ghost Fleet and Outer Banks maritime history and learn about the mysterious petrified forest. Back Country Outfitters has exclusive access to the Spanish Mustang Reserve, where sightings of these regal wild horses is guaranteed, while your tour guide explains their Spanish Colonial heritage and the local preservation efforts. Travel in custom open-air Safari Cruisers, semi open-air vehicles or private 4x4 Suburbans with AC. Reservations are required.

Beach Jeeps of Corolla

• 1159 H Austin Street, Corolla Light Town Center
• Corolla

• (252) 453-6141
• map
• coupon

Beach Jeeps of Corolla is a great way to see the northern beaches of Corolla and the area’s famous wild horses. The Jeep Safari is a self-guided tour that follows a pre-planned route. They also now offer guided tours, and whether guided or self-guided, you’ll see wild Spanish horses, Penny’s Hill, Swan Beach and the canals of Carova Beach. In addition to the wild horses, you may see deer, red fox and dolphins. Tours traverse 26-miles of beach and last about two hours. They are a great way to explore the secluded northern beaches and see local wildlife in their natural habitat.

Bob’s Wild Horse Tours

• 1066 Ocean Trail, Inn at Corolla Light
• Corolla

• (252) 453-0939
• map

Bob White and his trained staff have been offering tours for a long time in this area and have a great reputation for being entertaining and informative. Bob’s tours last two hours and incorporate quite a bit of local history to complement the sightseeing. At the beginning, your guide will take you past the Whalehead Club and lighthouse and through Corolla Village, showering you with some interesting lore. Then it’s up to the four-wheel-drive area, where you’ll see the horses grazing in their natural habitat. Bob’s tours are mostly given in their new open-top vehicle s — one of a kind experience! — and they can accommodate large groups. Call for details and reservations. All tours have a money back guarantee if you don’t see the horses.

Corolla Light Watersports

• 1066 Ocean Trail, Inn at Corolla Light
• Corolla

• (252) 453-4222, (252) 202-1954
• map

This watersports business based at the Inn at Corolla Light offers Waverunner rentals and a square-mile riding area in the Currituck Sound. All of the Waverunners can seat up to three people.

Corolla Outback Adventures

• 1150 Ocean Trail
• Corolla

• (252) 453-4484
• map
• coupon

Before there was a paved road from Duck to Corolla, the Bender family was offering guided tours to the beaches north of Corolla Village in 1962. Today’s guided tour with Corolla Outback Adventures is a 2.5-hour, 20-mile round trip on the beach toward False Cape State Park at the NC/VA border. The Wild Horse Conservation Area is on land donated by the Bender family for the protection of the herds and is well off the beaten path. Along the tour, experienced guides provide a wealth of information that includes history and colorful folklore. Different types of vehicles, some self-driven, and special customized group tours are available to serve every need. Reservations are necessary.

Corolla Wild Horse Tours

• 1210 Ocean Trail
• Corolla

• (252) 207-0511
• coupon

Corolla Wild Horse Tours has been guiding tours to Corolla’s horse country — the four-wheel-drive-only beaches north of Corolla — since 1996. With these experienced and knowledgeable guides, you can sit back and enjoy a comfortable, family-oriented tour. This company uses 15-passenger open-air safari-style trucks that are safe for any age, including kids in car seats. Along the trip, your guide will tell you about the history of Corolla and the horses as well as point out all the wonders of nature. The guides have been certified by the Corolla Wild Horse Fund. The two-hour tours, which cover about 25 miles of off-road area, start at 7:30 a.m. and run all day long until sunset. They’re so sure about where to find the horses that all tours come with a money back guarantee. They also offer guided Jeep wild horse sightseeing tours at Beach Jeeps of Corolla.

Just for the Beach Rentals

• 501 Old Stoney Road
• Corolla

• (252) 453-9388, (252) 453-6106, (866) OBX-RENT
• map

Want to plan your own kayak tour? Just for the Beach Rentals has kayaks available for rent, the sit-on-top style, for single, double or triple paddlers. Or, if you want to leave your car behind, you can make like a local and pedal around Corolla on one of their comfortable beach cruisers.

Didn’t realize there would be so many great tennis courts in Corolla? If you didn’t pack your racket, you can rent one at Just for the Beach. And, if getting in the water is more your thing, they also rent surfboards known as soft-tops, which are ideal for beginning surfers. Surfboard rentals are $20 a day or $50 a week. They also have body and skimboards for rent for $8 a day or $20 a week. Just for the Beach will happily deliver everything to you.

Kitty Hawk Kites—Monteray Plaza

• 817 Monteray Drive, Monteray Plaza
• Corolla

• (252) 453-3685, (877) FLY THIS
• map

This Kitty Hawk Kites location offers guided kayak eco-tours beginning at Corolla Light. You can book tours by calling the toll free number. Be sure to make advance reservations because they are usually booked solid in season. You can also rent kayaks from Kitty Hawk Kites at the Monteray Plaza store. Additional recreation including Segway tours, Jet ski rentals, parasailing, hang gliding and kiteboarding can be found at the numerous Kitty Hawk Kites locations found throughout the Outer Banks.

Kitty Hawk Kites—TimBuck II Shopping Village

• 100 Sunset Boulevard, TimBuck II Shopping Village
• Corolla

• (252) 453-8845, (877) FLY THIS
• map

Kitty Hawk Kites in TimBuck II offers guided kayak eco-tours beginning at Corolla Light. You can book tours by calling the toll-free number; be sure to make reservations because they’re usually booked solid in season. You can also rent kayaks from Kitty Hawk Kites at the Monteray Plaza store. Additional recreation including Segway tours, Jet ski rentals, parasailing, hang gliding and kiteboarding can be found at the numerous Kitty Hawk Kites locations found throughout the Outer Banks.

Ocean Atlantic Rentals

• 103 A Corolla Light Town Center
• Corolla

• (252) 453-2440
• map
• video

If you want to rent kayaks to do some exploring on your own, Ocean Atlantic Rentals will bring them to you. You can rent kayaks for exploring the sound or riding the ocean waves. They also offer surf lessons, for groups or individuals, with CPR-certified instructors. Fun!

And, when visiting Corolla, you’ll need your car from time to time to get to the grocery store or between shopping centers. Otherwise, ditch the car and pedal everywhere you go. They rent single-speed beach cruisers, kids’ and BMX bikes, Kiddie Kart trailers and trikes for the little ones, plus you can get helmets and gear for the entire family. Pick up your bikes here or have them delivered to your door.

And if that’s not enough, Ocean Atlantic Rentals also has all the equipment you need for surfing, bodyboarding or skimboarding. They even have swim fins, which are great for bodyboarding. If the water is chilly when you’re here, they rent wetsuits to keep you warm while you tackle the waves. Ocean Atlantic Rentals delivers this type of gear too!

Outer Banks Marathon, Gateway Bank Half Marathon, Outer Banks 8K, Buccaneer 5K & Fun Run

• Outer Banks

• map

2011 marks the 6th Annual Outer Banks Marathon, and if you’re a runner or walker, you don’t want to miss this event on a flat course with awesome scenery and the spirited residents of the Outer Banks cheering for you all along the way. The two-day Race EXPO starts the weekend off on Friday, November 11 and is the first stop for participants to pick up their race number and shirt as well as to shop and visit with more than 25 vendors offering race gear and other local treasures. The 6th annual races start Saturday, November 12. The Outer Banks 8K, Buccaneer 5K and the 1-mile Fun Run begin at the First Flight High School track. The ever-popular Buccaneer 5K offers a more challenging distance for graduating one-mile Fun Runners. Then Sunday, November 13th is the Outer Banks Marathon and Half Marathon. Both are along a scenic point-to-point course. The full marathon begins in Kitty Hawk, leading runners along the sound on Bay Drive, around the Wright Brothers National Memorial, through Nags Head Woods Maritime Forest, past Jockey’s Ridge State Park, over the Washington-Baum Bridge and to the Finish in downtown Manteo on Roanoke Island. The Half Marathon is the latter half of the marathon course and begins in Nags Head, just north of Jockey’s Ridge at 7 a.m. Walkers are welcome to enjoy the course to the finale and the post-race Pirate Jamboree. Beginning at 8 a.m., participants and their family and friends can celebrate in the streets of downtown Manteo with beer, food and live music, compliments of Outer Banks Sporting Events and its gracious sponsors. 100% of the proceeds from this event are shared by two local non-profits: the Dare Education Foundation, working to maximize student potential by providing resources to benefit students and teachers in all Dare County Schools, and the Outer Banks Relief Foundation, providing financial assistance for families in crises. For information, training plans and to register, please go to www.obxmarathon.org.

Outer Banks Restaurant Tours

• Various Meeting Places in Kitty Hawk, Duck, Corolla & Roanoke Island
• Corolla

• (252) 722-2229
• coupon

Outer Banks Restaurant Tours offers walking and driving tours to some of the finest restaurants in the Outer Banks. These tours offer participants a one-of-a-kind opportunity to meet restauranteurs and chefs, to learn about what makes each restaurant unique and to taste signature dishes paired with a sampling of wine or beer. Each tour is comprised of three or more restaurants that are in close geographic proximity to each other. Most of their tours are walking tours, but for others the participants will be transported from restaurant to restaurant. Tours run from Memorial Day through Labor Day on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and prices range from $45 to $60 per person. So, for the price of a dinner at one restaurant you have the opportunity to sample the offerings at three or four! Their website has more information about the specific restaurants and times. Whichever you choose, you will be delighted—just be sure to bring your appetite!

Rick’s Jeep Adventures

• 610 Clubhouse Drive, Shoppes at Currituck Club
• Corolla

• (252) 489-4878
• map
• coupon

Lots of folks love to rent a Jeep and take off on their own tour. But if you’re more into having a guide, this business lets you combine the best of both worlds. Here, you rent either a two-door or four-door beach optimized Jeep then follow along behind one of the guided tours led by Wild Horse Adventure Tours. You’ll see wild horses (money back guarantee!), frolicking dolphins, deer and occasionally a wild fox or pig. In addition, you’ll be exploring some of the most beautiful, wild beach environments on the East Coast. An added benefit of following an experienced guide is that their knowledge of where to drive—and, more importantly, where not to—helps preserve this fragile coastal area. 

Segway of the Outer Banks at Back Country Outfitters and Guides

• 107 Austin Street, Corolla Light Town Center
• Corolla

• (252) 453-0877
• map

The Segway looks like so much fun that when you see people gliding around Corolla on them, you’ll want to try one too! The Segway is a self-balancing, two-wheeled electric vehicle built for one. You stand on a small platform to ride, and the Segway responds to your movements. Simply shifting your weight forward makes it go, standing straight up puts the brakes on, and leaning back makes you go backward. Turning the handle left or right controls your turns. It’s so easy it seems the Segway was made just for you.
At Segway of the Outer Banks located in Back Country Outfitters, they’ll take you through a short certification course, and it only takes a few minutes to get comfortable on the Seg. After you’re acclimated, they offer a gliding tour of Historic Corolla Village. The tour lasts about two to two-and-a-half hours, and you’ll view landmarks listed on the National Historic Register, including the 1875 Lighthouse, the Whalehead Club and the old Corolla Schoolhouse. Glide through the past on the future of short transportation, and learn about life on the Outer Banks at the turn of the century.
If you’re looking for real thrills and adventure, you’ll want to try the Mustang Trail Segway Safari. This off-road Segway tour begins with a short Seg certification course. Then you head out off-roading on a custom Safari Cruiser journey up 12 miles of beach to the private Spanish Mustang Reserve where you’ll ride the fat tire Segway XT, an all-terrain version of the city Seg. As you ride through miles of sand trails and switchbacks within the maritime forest, you’ll feel like you’re on a 2-wheeled ATV. Not for the faint of heart, this combination off-road 4x4 and Segway tour runs about three hours-plus and reservations are necessary.

Wild Horse Adventure Tours

• 610 Currituck Clubhouse Road
• Corolla

• (252) 489-2020
• map
• coupon

There was a time when you could look out your rental cottage window and see wild horses traveling in herds and maybe eating your grass, but, for the good of the horses, that is no longer so. The wild horses were relocated to the four-wheel-drive area north of Corolla, so you must have an off-road vehicle if you want to see them. Wild Horse Adventure Tours can be your guide! They were voted as the number one attraction in Corolla and have three ways to get you into horse country. First is in a Suburban (a closed vehicle) driven by one of their seasoned guides, the second is in an open-top vehicle also driven by one of their guides, the third is to rent one of their Jeeps and drive yourself following one of their guides. The guides at Wild Horse Adventure Tours know exactly where to look for the horses, they know how to drive in the sand and they know a lot about the history of the area, making for a much more enlightening trip on your part. They’ll also point out snakes, shore birds, plants and interesting natural aspects of this ocean-side environment. They run many scheduled trips per day — if you want to see real beauty, check out their sunrise excursion — so call to get all the details and make a reservation. Horse sightings are guaranteed.