Outer Banks vacation rentals offer tourists and North Carolina residents alike the opportunity to experience the natural beauty and rich history of the Carolina coastline. The Outer Banks afford visitors a diverse and beautiful landscape dotted with rugged undeveloped coastal areas, upscale resort communities, and natural heritage sites. All these areas can be explored from the comfort of the many Outer Banks vacation rentals.
For history buffs, few sites in the United States offer such an interesting and varied past. Many Outer Banks vacation rentals allow guests to explore the same land that hosted the very first English-speaking settlers to live in what was to become the United States. Early in the seventeenth century, these settlers first set foot on Roanoke Island, nestled between the Outer Banks and the North Carolina mainland.
Outer Banks Vacation Rentals for History Enthusiasts
Though the settlement of Roanoke is not considered the first "permanent" English settlement in the United States (that designation is assigned to Jamestown, Virginia), it does represent the first attempt at such a settlement. In the late 1500s, Sir Walter Raleigh dispatched a number of voyages to settle the New World. These first ships landed on Roanoke Island and attempted to settle the land.
Unfortunately, these first settlers mysteriously disappeared and no record was left of their fate. To date, archaeologists still search for definitive evidence of what actually happened to the 117 men, women, and children that once lived there. Today, you too can explore this site from the many Outer Banks vacation rentals that dot the coastline. Perhaps you'll be the one to solve the mystery!
Outer Banks Vacation Rentals in North Carolina
The Carolina coastline is widely recognized as among the most beautiful in the world, and the large variety of Outer Banks vacation rentals attest to this fact. However, despite the abundance of Outer Banks vacation rentals, the pace and lifestyle of the area remains slow and casual. Indeed, one will see far more shorts and sandals than slacks and ties even in fine dining establishments.
During the summer months, vacationers will enjoy a wide variety of activities to keep them busy. From fishing, to hiking, surfing, and just relaxing by the beach, there is something for every desire. After a short stay in the Outer Banks, one realizes why the area continues to be among the most popular vacation destinations in the country.
The Wright Brothers and the First Flight
Possibly the single most famous event to occur in the Outer Banks area was the first human flight in Kitty Hawk. In 1900, the Wright brothers Wilbur and Orville first arrived in Kitty Hawk to test their glider on the isolated beaches. The soft, sandy landing areas were likely an important aspect as well!
Over the next several years, the brothers returned to the isolated beaches of Kitty Hawk to test their flying machines and by 1903 were able to keep their flyer aloft for nearly 1000 feet and nearly a full minute. Thus the first airplane was invented and Kitty Hawk was recognized as the birthplace of aviation. Today, visitors to Kitty Hawk can see the very place where these historic happenings occurred over one hundred years ago.
Read Next 5 Articles
Outer Banks Rentals
Outer Banks North Carolina
Outer Banks
Outer Banks Rental Homes
Outer Banks Vacations