Flying kites is fun for the whole family.
Paddle boarding is just one option at play in the Outer Banks.
Take your first flight off the dunes.
Playing in the sand is one of the favorite activities for young visitors.
where the Wright brothers successfully flew the first airplane? MORE TO DO Horses have been documented on Ocracoke since the first European settlers came to stay in the 1730s. There have been as many as 300 horses on Ocracoke. While small and powerful, they are full-grown horses that are often called or referred to as Banker ponies as their range included most of the Outer Banks. Legend has it that the “Banker” horses of Ocracoke were left here by shipwrecked explorers in the 16th or 17th century. European ships commonly carried livestock to the New World. If a ship ran aground near the coast, animals were thrown overboard to lighten the load so that the ship could be re-floated. The livestock was often left behind when the ship again set sail. In the late 1950s, Ocracoke Boy Scouts cared for the horses and had the only mounted troop in the nation. By law, the free-roaming animals were permanently penned in 1959 to prevent over-grazing and to safeguard them from traffic after the highway was built in 1957. The remaining herd has been cared for by the National Park Service since the early 1960s.
If you're interested in helping to care for the remaining herd, Outer Banks Forever, Cape Hatteras National Seashore's official philanthropic partner, manages an adopt-a-pony program at https://obxforever.org/ adoptapony. The Outer Banks National Scenic Byway traverses one of the nation’s great wild and scenic coastal landscapes encompassing the unique maritime culture of 21 coastal villages. The U. S. Department of Transportation found the traditional maritime culture along the Byway worthy of the National Byway designation in October 2009. The byway stretches over 138 driving miles and 25 ferry- riding miles along barrier islands, Pamlico Sound and two inlets and through coastal villages. Two national wildlife refuges, Pea Island and Cedar Island, highlight this coastal region’s world-famous stopover for migrating songbirds and waterfowl. Each summer, scores of coastal birds find the beaches of Cape Hatteras National Seashore the ideal place to find mates, nest, and raise their young. As you spend your day at the beach, keep an eye and ear open for these beach-nesting birds. ANIMAL LIFE Every year a cycle of life occurs on the Cape Hatteras
MYSTERIES OF THE OUTER BANKS
COAST TO COAST SPRING MAGAZINE 2022
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