Currituck County

Currituck County is where the land runs out of ideas and the water takes over, and the result is one of the most quietly stunning landscapes in North Carolina. Bordered by the Currituck Sound to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, this narrow strip of coastal geography has been drawing waterfowl and the people who follow them for centuries. The county's name comes from a Native American word believed to mean wild geese, which tells you everything you need to know about what defines this place. The Currituck National Wildlife Refuge protects thousands of acres of marsh and maritime habitat along the Outer Banks. Corolla sits at its northern end, home to the famous wild horses that have roamed the dunes since the 16th century. At dusk, when the geese come in low over the sound and the sky goes pink behind the cypress trees, Currituck County looks exactly like what it is: one of the last places on the East Coast that still feels genuinely wild.