Corolla Recreation

Back Country Kayak Tours

• 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 4WD and Kayak Expedition carries small groups and families by 4WD Suburban through 30 miles of off-road beach 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 eight people on each tour, which minimizes overuse. More often than not you will even see the Mustangs from the kayaks if not from the Suburban. Each tour is three-plus hours and is the best of both worlds, an off-road 4WD excursion and a pristine kayak tour. Reservations are required.

Back Country Wild Horse Safari

• 107 Austin Street, Corolla Light Town Center
• Corolla

• (252) 453-0877
• map

Scott Trabue’s Wild Horse Safari is a unique 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 by 4WD Suburban through 30 miles of beaches, dune and back country sand lanes to discover Outer Banks 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, giving you a chance to see these regal wild horses while your tour guide explains their Spanish Colonial heritage and the local preservation efforts. Reservations are required.

Beach Jeeps of Corolla

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

• (252) 453-6141
• map

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 preplanned route. 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 last two-and-a-half hours and 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
• coupon

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 vehicles—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.

Coastal Explorations

• 1118 Corolla Village Lane, Historic Corolla Village
• Corolla

• (252) 453-9872
• map

Coastal Explorations is a small, adventure-oriented touring company in Corolla. Their guides are friendly and outgoing and have the skill and knowledge to keep you entertained and informed. Whether it’s kayak rentals, kayak tours, boat tours or crabbing trips, they’ll get you out on the water and having fun!

Corolla Mini Golf

• 785 Sunset Boulevard, TimBuck II Shopping Village
• Corolla

• (252) 453-6900
• map

Enjoy famous views of the Currituck Sound as you tee it up on this 18-hole, carpeted miniature golf course. Ten of the holes are played on a separate island! Look for the course at the back of the shopping complex next to Kitty Hawk Watersports.

Currituck Heritage Park & The Whalehead Club

• 1100 Club Road
• Corolla

• (252) 453-9040
• map

Currituck Heritage Park is located on 39 acres of pristine soundfront property. The Park has a public boat ramp, areas for picnics, fishing and crabbing and is the starting destination for a bike path through Corolla. Take a stroll at sunset, or spread a blanket and enjoy the wildlife and natural beauty in the park. Leashed pets are welcome on the grounds. In addition to the Whalehead Club, you will find the Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education and the Currituck Beach Lighthouse at the park. Please see the separate entries in Attractions for more information on each of those places.

Family-friendly fun events are a big part of Currituck Heritage Park: From art to fireworks to music, you’ll find it all. For up to the minute, live information on all the 2010 happenings, go to www.OuterBanksThisWeek.com. For additional information, please call (252) 453-9040 or visit their website.

Island Revolution Surf Co. and Skatepark

• 1159 Austin Street, Corolla Light Town Center
• Corolla

• (252) 453-9484
• map
• coupon

The Island Revolution Skatepark offers more than 5,000 feet of extreme fun for the skateboarder in the family, and everyone else will enjoy observing. The skatepark is concrete and is built with diverse features like two bowls, a quarter pipe, street course, grind bars and vertical drop-ins. Helmets must be worn at all times, and kids younger than 18 must also have full pads at all times and have their parents sign a waiver their first time out. A CPR-certified attendant oversees the park. Bikes and scooters are not allowed. Boards and pads can be rented at the Surf Shop. Skate for free on summer Wednesdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., and consider a skate clinic—$30 for an hour and a half on Monday through Friday mornings at 10:30 a.m. (in season).  Passes can be purchased at Island Revolution Surf Co. and Skatepark. Call for more information.

And, while you’re in town, catch a surf lesson! Experienced surfers teach the lessons, which include a surfboard rental and wetsuit if needed. Choose from a group, couples or private lesson. The group lesson is kept small, at most six people. Lessons last two hours, and the minimum age for lessons is 8. And of course the student must be a good swimmer! Don’t forget to bring along beach essentials, such as sun block, beach towels and a drink. Check out the retail store too for all your surf clothing and gear!

Just for the Beach Rentals

• 501 Hunt Club Drive, Ocean Club Centre
• 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 skim boards for rent for $8 a day or $20 a week. Just for the Beach can deliver the 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.

Kitty Hawk Watersports

• 798 Sunset Boulevard, TimBuck II Shopping Village
• Corolla

• (252) 453-6900
• map

On the sound at the backside of TimBuck II, Kitty Hawk Watersports rents Waverunners, pontoon boats, sit-on-top and sit-in kayaks and two- and four-seat pedal boats. You can rent the pontoons with or without a captain—sunset cruises are perfect in one of these vessels! Guided kayak ecotours are offered in the morning and afternoon and at sunset. Tried parasailing yet? Well, this is Corolla’s only parasailing location, and they have a brand new USCG-certified boat and equipment. Kitty Hawk Watersports has a retail store in TimBuck II, but that is not where you book the tours or rent gear. Go to the sound and look for the water sports building and pier.

Mike Dianna’s Grill Room

• 777 Sunset Boulevard, TimBuck II Shopping Village
• Corolla

• (252) 453-4336
• map

Mike Dianna’s Grill Room has an outdoor deck and bar with nightly live music in season. As an added benefit for all you oenophiles, their distinctive wine selection has won Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence for the past three years.

Ocean Atlantic Rentals

• 103 A Corolla Light Town Center
• Corolla

• (252) 453-2440
• map
• coupon

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, body boarding or skim boarding. They even have swim fins, which are great for body boarding. 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.

Outer Banks Marathon, Gateway Bank Half-Marathon, Outer Banks 8K & Kelly’s Hospitality Group Fun Run

• Outer Banks

• map

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. On Sunday, November 14, 2010, you can participate in the fifth annual Outer Banks Marathon or the Gateway Bank Half-Marathon. If all that distance at once isn’t your thing, on Saturday November 13, 2010, there is also an 8K, a 5K and the Kelly’s Hospitality Group 1-mile Fun Run. Participants can even log 25 miles before race day and finish their “marathon” with 1.2 miles that Saturday. The course for the marathon begins in Kitty Hawk, travels on through Kill Devil Hills and around the Wright Memorial, goes through Nags Head and ends on Roanoke Island. The Gateway Bank Half-Marathon begins by Jockey’s Ridge in Nags Head and ends on Roanoke Island. Walkers are welcome, though you have to be prepared to beat the bridge (they close it to traffic around 1:45 p.m.) so there’s no excuse not to be involved. On Saturday there is a great race expo with good loot, food and entertainment. The Pearl is hosting the annual Saturday Night Pasta Party. For information and to register, go to www.obxmarathon.org, but register early because this event will sell out.

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 Seqway 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 one to one-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 Ride. This off-road Segway tour begins with a short Seg certification course then off-roading on a 4WD Suburban journey up the 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 through the maritime forest you’ll feel like you’re on a 2-wheeled ATV. Not for the faint of heart, this off-road tour runs about three hours plus and reservations are necessary.

Sundogs Sports Bar and Grill

• 807 Ocean Trail, Monterey Plaza
• Corolla

• (252) 453-GAME (4263)
• map

Looking for a little action in quiet Corolla? Sundogs is the place. They are open until 2 a.m. in the summer season and have live entertainment seven nights a week. Thursday and Saturday it’s live music, DJs spin on Monday and Friday, it’s Get in to Family Karaoke on Wednesday and there’s always Gong Show Karaoke on Tuesdays, which is not for the faint of heart! They also have 12 large flat panel TVs and a huge projection TV for sports, a pool table, trivia games and a fully stocked bar where you can hang out and shoot the breeze. No one younger than 21 is allowed after 10 p.m.

TW’s Bait & Tackle

• 815B Ocean Trail, Monteray Plaza
• Corolla

• (252) 453-3339
• map

TW’s is a well-respected Outer Banks tackle shop that’s been in business for 29 years. TW’s sells all the fishing gear, sportswear and bait you’ll need for the whole family to enjoy fishing in the sound or ocean. They have a large selection of lures, jigs, bottom rigs, nets, crabbing supplies and more, and they stock fresh bait like shrimp and mullet and lots of frozen baits. You can rent rods and reels here. Best of all, the folks at TW’s offer lots of free advice for everyone from the novice fisherman to the experienced angler. TW’s is also located in Kitty Hawk and Nags Head. See Shopping for more about the sportswear and home décor items sold here.