Historic Corolla Village

    Visit Historic Corolla Village, a popular attraction for visitors to Currituck’s Outer Banks. Stroll down sandy streets lined with wooden signs for restored shops hosted by friendly merchants and visit a simpler time. Tour the historic Whalehead mansion while you’re in town, and snap a photo of the view from the top of the Currituck Beach Lighthouse.

    The village is home to many unique businesses, including the Wild Horse Museum. Although most of the isolated villages that existed on this stretch of coast in the past have disappeared, the Historic Corolla Village remains intact, providing insight into times long past.

    The focus of the Village has been on the restoration and re-purposing of the existing historic homes into retail shops and office spaces. Visitors can walk the paths and visit the carefully restored homes: The Parker House, Parker Outbuilding, Gray-Lewark House, Gray-Lewark Outbuilding, The Gard House, and A Village Garden.

    Twiddy & Company has been instrumental in efforts to restore the many buildings in the Village and is housed in the historic Kill Devil Hills Lifesaving Station, which they have relocated to the Village. They have also restored the Wash Woods US Coast Guard Station #166, which is situated on the four-wheel-drive beaches of Corolla.

    With it’s unpaved roads and historic setting, staying in Corolla Village in Corolla, NC provides a unique way to experience the beauty, history, and scenery that the secluded northern Outer Banks beaches have to offer. Located near the Currituck Beach Lighthouse, the Whalehead mansion, Currituck Maritime Museum and Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education, Corolla Village is home to restored residences that are now home to numerous quaint shops, stores, and museums.

    Visitors enjoy strolling through Corolla Village because it’s like taking a trip back in times to when life was much simpler…with it’s unpaved sand roads, live oaks, scrub pines, and relaxing pace. From Corolla Village, it’s only a short walk or bike ride to the ocean and several of the most popular things to do in Corolla, NC. It’s difficult to image that this area was home to only two-hundred people at the turn of the century, and most of the residents were families of those working at the Currituck Beach Lifesaving Station.

    Take a step back in time, visit Historic Corolla Village.

     

     

    Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education

    ‘Life by Water’s Rhythm’s’ is the theme of this educational facility dedicated to exploring coastal North Carolina’s wildlife, natural history and heritage. Part of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, the Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education is located in Corolla, at Currituck Heritage Park. The Center offers both indoor and outdoor attractions for visitors to enjoy.

    Weekly programs and activities schedule can be found here. Please call to register for programs.

    ** The Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education will be closed on Good Friday, March 29 and Memorial Day, Monday, May 27, 2024, in keeping with Currituck County’s Holiday Schedule. 

    Whalehead in Historic Corolla

    Step off the beach and step back in time

    Set on 39 pristine acres along the Currituck Sound in Historic Corolla Park, Whalehead is a beautifully restored 1920s-era Art Nouveau-style mansion-turned-museum listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

    With its bold yellow paint, copper roof, and mahogany doors, Whalehead invites you to explore a fascinating period in Outer Banks history. In 1992 nearly every inch of the home has been carefully restored to its original glorythe way it looked when Edward Collings Knight Jr. and his wife, Marie Louise, first opened the doors as a lavish hunting retreat in 1925. The wealthy Knights spent their winters here hunting, relaxing and entertaining. Today, stepping inside is to step back into another time and place. 

    Click here to read more about Whalehead’s history and mysteries.

    The Knights come to Corolla

    The Knights shared a passion for hunting waterfowl. But in those days, Mrs. Knight wasn’t welcomed in the all-male hunt clubs. Mr. Knight’s answer was to build a 21,000-square-foot “mansion by the sea” just for his bride.

    Click to read more about the Knights and their mansion retreat.

    Is Whalehead haunted?

    These walls can talk … or at least some who have visited say they do. Over the years, some say they smelled cigar smoke in a smoke-free room, heard the wails of a little girl who wasn’t there and watched the elevator head to the basement all by itself. Is Whalehead haunted? You’ll have to decide for yourself. There are even special ghost tours. Click the link below to learn more.

    Click here to read more about the paranormal mysteries of Whalehead.

    Special events for the ages

    Whalehead in Historic Corolla is an ideal location for wedding ceremonies, receptions, rehearsal dinners, family reunions, anniversaries, corporate gatherings, birthday and other celebrations! Getting married or have another celebration planned?  Whalehead is the perfect venue.

     Click here to plan your event.

    Seasonal Events at Whalehead // Schedule

    Tours and Pricing

    Whalehead in Historic Corolla is open for tours from 9am to 4pm Monday through Friday. Prices and tour options vary. Come uncover the mystery of a by-gone era on the Outer Banks, when waterfowl outnumbered the people, and a once flourishing family built a mansion retreat for the ages.  Please note, there are no refunds on specialty guided tours.

    Click here for tours and pricing information.

    Operating Hours 

    For questions about hours or tour information, please call 252-453-9040.

    Sundayclosed
    Monday9:00 am – 4:00 pm
    Tuesday9:00 am – 4:00 pm
    Wednesday9:00 am – 4:00 pm
    Thursday9:00 am – 4:00 pm
    Friday9:00 am – 4:00 pm
    Saturdayclosed

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