Articles

When Richard Etheridge was appointed keeper of the Pea Island Life-Saving Station on January 24, 1880, he was the first black man to lead a crew of surfmen in the U.S. Lifesaving Service.

Right now on the Outer Banks, there is a newly-emerged sandbar dubbed Shelly Island that is growing impressively off Cape Point, the jutting corner of the Outer Banks known for its vast wild [...]

Surfing is once again a trendy thing that even the city kids want to learn. But it’s been a way of life on the Outer Banks for many decades, and the Eastern Surfing Association (ESA) has been a [...]

Just minutes from the busy beach towns of the Outer Banks lies a wilderness that is cherished among locals and revered by visitors. This is Nags Head Woods Ecological Preserve, where the only [...]

The barely discernible path veers off the dirt road in Nags Head Woods, up along a high ridge. Felled trees and heavy underbrush often block the trail, forcing hikers to search for signs of foot [...]

It was 1950, post-war and pre-tourism on the Outer Banks. That was the year Dale Wescott was born. It was also the year her father built the Cavalier by the Sea Motel. And 65 years later, both [...]

Darrell Collins is a star. He doesn’t dress like a star. He’s wearing his tan and olive park ranger clothes for his presentation. He’s not star-rich. After all, he works for the National Park [...]

A beach vacation can be almost as much fun for dogs as it is for their human companions. Many dogs love the beach. Different smells and different activities are exciting and stimulating, and all [...]

The best way to stay safe and happy while visiting the Outer Banks is to remember three things: do not underestimate the power of the ocean, do not overestimate your swimming abilities, and no [...]

The mystique that is Nags Head is in so many ways embodied in the old weathered cottages that line the oceanfront across from Jockey’s Ridge. There’s an appealing simplicity in the wooden frame [...]

Imagine you are heading home in your car to Hatteras Island after a long day in Virginia. You have spent all morning taking your elderly mother to various doctors, and both of you are anxious and [...]

Before Nags Head widened its shoreline in 2011, large stretches of the beach were a sad sight. Years of battering from tropical storms, hurricanes and nor’easters had taken a heavy toll, [...]

For decades, Jim and Ann Poulos have spent months of their lives providing a Christmas spectacle of lights. The homemade spectacle now has its own Facebook page thanks to the younger generation [...]

In the days of yore, Old Christmas on the Outer Banks was an imaginative, playful custom observed enthusiastically by the entire community on northern Hatteras island. More accurately, the annual [...]

When Don Bowers’ 82-year-old mother fell and broke her leg for the second time in two years, Bowers realized that it was time to retrofit her Buxton house so she could stay at her home and still [...]