North Carolina’s Outer Banks has long been a secret getaway for nearby residents from Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Washington D.C. and Connecticut. With only about 50,000 permanent residents, ranks here can swell to more than a million during peak months of June, July and August.

Considered a string of barrier islands and small towns, the Outer Banks stretches more than 90 miles along Virginia's southern border, through Ocracoke and Portsmouth Islands in North Carolina. The islands are sandwiched between the Atlantic Ocean on the east and Roanoke, Pamlico and Albemarle sounds along the west.

The Outer Banks is most commonly accessed by car via a series of bridges connected to the mainland. Recently, after flying into the Norfolk, Virginia Airport, a van took visitors to a rented house ideally situated on the Atlantic. Renting a small cottage or vacation residence is quite common in this area and provides all the comforts of home.

The Outer Banks region is becoming home to more and more guests because of its mild temperatures; wide sandy beaches; diverse natural terrain; an abundance of wildlife including birds and fish; outdoor adventure sports; towering lighthouses; and a number of other attractions.

The area is also steeped in history and lore. One notable spot is the Wright Brothers Museum at Kitty Hawk, the birthplace of flight. The area is also known as Kill Devil Hills where a sand dune provided a platform for glider experiments. The preferred local legend for “Kill Devil” was caused, not by flying fatalities, by instead from the awful tasting Kill Devil Rum that would wash up in barrels from ships that passed during Colonial times.

The museum has fascinating artifacts with two reconstructed small wooden sheds on the fields outside marking the location of the historic workshop. Stone markers identify the first, second and subsequent flights taken on what could only be described as a wing and a prayer. There are two large-scale replicas of their aircraft located in the visitor’s center.

Finding a location with suitable wind currents was paramount to the Wright Brothers and today, following in their footsteps, almost anyone can learn to fly at Jockey’s Ridge State Park in Nags Head. This is also home to the East Coast’s tallest sand dune and stands at 110 feet, making it an ideal location for hang gliding. After taking lessons, beginners can soar through the warm North Carolina air and see how those early pioneers felt floating a few feet off the ground.

Nags Head is situated just south of Kill Devil Hills and most likely owes its unusual name to the wild horses that freely roamed the islands years ago. However, a more interesting, piece of folklore says that local residents would put a lantern around the horse’s neck (Nag) and walk the animals back and forth along the shore. Thinking the light was just another boat, unsuspecting ships would be lured to the shallows and an ultimate demise. Locals would plunder the ship's booty.

Looking out at the Atlantic it is hard to imagine the amount of history already swallowed up by the ocean. Beneath its waters lie more than 500 hundred ships, sunk either by storms, or in World War II action. It is known as the “Graveyard of the Atlantic." One victim was the Civil War warship, Monitor, which went down in stormy seas off the Cape Hatteras coast. The first Nazi submarine, the U-85, was also sunk by United States forces, somewhere off Bodie Island.

Blackbeard the Pirate was also an active participant in Outer Banks history. He made his living raiding other ships until he met his match in 1718 and died in hand-to-hand combat with the Royal Navy. A colorful character, Blackbeard, wore ribbons and canon fuses in his braided hair.

Lighthouses were an integral part of naval navigation during the 19th century and the Outer Banks is fortunate to still have four suitable sites for viewers to explore. Standing at 208 feet, the Cape Hatteras lighthouse is the tallest brick structure of its kind in the world. Its distinctive spiral stripe is a favorite among visitors who can climb its interior steps for a commanding view of the area. Other lighthouses are located at Currituck Beach, Bodie and Ocracoke Islands.

Driving south from Nag’s Head and then west from Whalebone Junction across a causeway will bring visitors to Roanoke Island and the Manteo community. Unknown to many, Roanoke Island was England’s earliest attempt to plant a permanent colony in the New World. In 1587 Sir Walter Raleigh sent three ships carrying 117 men, women and children to Roanoke. After landing, the group mysteriously disappeared from the area. What happened to this so-called “Lost Colony” still fascinates the public and a masterful play of the same name is performed each year at the Waterside Theater in Manteo.

Next door to the theater is the Elizabethan Gardens, designed in 1951 by landscape architects and maintained by Garden Club of North Carolina, to pay tribute to those first 117 English colonists. In bloom year-round, these beautiful grounds are laden with azaleas, camellias, roses, dogwoods, as well as ornamental fountains, statues and gazebos. Unlike most gardens that are strictly for looking, guests may purchase many of the plants and flowers here.

Maybe, it’s time to discover what East Coasters have known for some time; that the Outer Banks is more than just a weekend getaway spot. It is a vacation destination all its own. There is so much to do and see that tourists will be hard-pressed to do it all in just a few days.