THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 22, 1996 TAG: 9609200172
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RONALD L. SPEER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 71 lines
FALL IS the favorite season on the Outer Banks for anyone who has spent a night or two on the barrier islands after the summer season ends.
And this year northeast North Carolina has a special attraction to outsiders: the bountiful beauties are unblemished.
Unlike much of the state, the Outer Banks and the cities and towns on the Albemarle Sound were spared the ravages of the summer's devastating storms.
Hurricanes Bertha and Fran never reached the Outer Banks, slamming ashore on the state's southern beaches and carving a strip of destruction to the middle of the state. Hurricane Edouardo stayed far out to sea on its run to the north.
The Outer Banks was not affected by any of the storms, although the threats scared away thousands of summer visitors.
So merchants, shopkeepers, restaurateurs, innkeepers, cottage owners and gallery operators are making special efforts to attract tourists for the fall season.
The beauties of autumn on the Outer Banks are the weather, the feeling of openness, the beaches where footprints are rarely seen, the fishing which in recent years has been marvelous, the availability of a table in the most popular restaurants without a wait, and the tournament condition of the fairways and greens at the growing number of golf courses.
The newest course is the Currituck Club in Corolla, which opened early in the summer and is quickly winning plaudits as a state-of-the-art golf links.
Golf packages are available for play at many of the courses around the area.
And deep-sea fishermen can find experienced captains at Oregon Inlet and Pirates Cove to take them to the Gulf Stream in search of billfish or tuna or dolphin, with king mackerel roaming along the coast, trout and croaker and flounder in the surf, and the many fishing piers open through the season that lasts into cold weather.
People interested in gourmet dining have bigger choices than ever, with more restaurants staying open through the fall.
Most innkeepers and house rental operators are offering fall discount rates.
Some of the most popular attractions, such as the Christmas Shop and the Manteo Booksellers and the Roanoke Island aquarium and the Wright Brothers Memorial, operate year-round. Bookstores, art galleries, craft shops and general stores are perfect places to wander on crisp afternoons, with plenty of elbow room.
And for people who haven't visited recently, there are new offerings at the extremities of the Outer Banks. Corolla continues to enjoy a building boom, with shops and eateries popping up like wildflowers at the once isolated community.
And Hatteras Village now has a year-round hotel and another marina. Soon there'll be a museum for southbound visitors. ILLUSTRATION: Color photos
DREW WILSON/The Virginian-Pilot
From the top of Currituck Beach Lighthouse at Corolla you can see
the Atlantic Ocean, Currituck Sound - and lots of expensive houses.
WINDSURFER: Rob Nelson of Nags Head leans into a southwesterly
breeze over Roanoke Sound.
NAUTICAL MUSEUM: The shipwreck collection lures visitors to
Chicamacomico Banks Lifesaving Station.
OCRACOKE ISLAND FERRY: Crewman Ellis Ranson directs motorists at the
Hatteras Island docks. by CNB