The beaches of North Carolina are where England first attempted to colonize the Americas, with disastrous results for the 'Lost Colony'.

Famous Pirates like Blackbeard ruled the jagged coast in daring raids on merchant ships. During the Civil War, confederate blockade runners challenged the Union Blockades to deliver goods from England and France.

The Wright Brothers defied gravity from a sandy dune not far from the windswept beach and brought mankind into the aviation age.

Determined to protect this fragile coastal environment, the U.S. Government set aside much of these islands and beaches as the nations's first National Seashore.

But North Carolina Beaches are much more than a living lesson in history and ecology. These sandy barrier islands are a special place where time seems to slow. Where breathtaking beauty envelops the spirit and sets it soaring, luring visitors back year after year.