Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education

Once you've taken in all the center has to offer, your adventure in the area's cultural history continues when you visit the Currituck Beach Lighthouse next door. The keepers house is Victorian in style, and was home and hearth to keepers throughout the 19th Century and into the 20th when, just as the horse and buggy, hands-on lighthouse maintenance went into the dustbin of history when automation took over of most of the functions. The old light fell into disrepair and was subject to vandalism but by the Eighties a restoration project got underway, and although not quite complete yet, it is open from Easter through Thanksgiving as a Museum Shop with with models of Outer Banks lighthouses, books and other nautical items.

We are talking wildlife here, and the wildest species you may encounter are the banker horses. These wild mustangs are direct decendents of horses brought over by the Spaniards centuries ago that have thrived in the wilds of the Outer Banks. According to Karen McCalpin, Executive Director, Corolla Wild Horse Fund, much still has to be done to protect them. "The wild horses of Corolla have lived on the Outer Banks for nearly 500 years. Development as a resort area began in earnest in the 1800's. Horses were pushed south and north of Nags Head. Up until the mid 80's, anyone who wanted a horse just captured one. As a result, many of the horses with the most colorful markings were sold off," she explained.

"The US Fish & Wildlife Service still considers wild horses as an exotic, invasive species and has been trying to force us to comply with an outdated management plan that calls for a maximum herd size of 60. Sixty will cause a genetic collapse." In order to see the wild horses now, visitors can rent a beach home in the four-wheel drive only area, drive on the beach for a day trip, or take one of the commercial horse tours.

There is plenty to do and to learn at the Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education and Heritage Park. Admission to the Center is free, although donations are accepted, and appreciated. Open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., all exhibits are wheelchair accessible, they even provide hearing assistance devices for the hearing impaired. The center is located at 1160 Village Lane in Corolla. Visit their website at NC Wildlife Commission.

It's a great family odyssey to explore the coastal region and North Carolina's, wild, wildlife! Don't forget to say "hello" to Banks the Bear!