In the village of Wanchese, two families have helped shape the local seafood industry for the past century. Today, their descendants are learning to overcome the modern-day challenges of commercial fishing and carrying on a Roanoke Island tradition that runs as deep as the ocean.
Vacation State of Mind
The North Carolina coast is dotted with towns and cities, resorts and beach houses, where families return for annual getaways. These places are backdrops for memories, sometimes forged over generations. Yet vacationing — especially at the beach — is about more than just where you go.
Tales From the Ghost Coast
When the sun sets on long days at the beach, families still reach for Charles Harry Whedbee’s beloved Outer Banks legends and spooky stories, years after the raconteur of Nags Head put them to paper.
A Topsail Island Homecoming
For one special week every summer, relatives from across the state and around the country make their way to Topsail Island for food, fun, and a family reunion of epic proportions.
Design in the Dunes: A Photo Essay
Not your average beach house: From the clean lines of a flat-top cottage in Southern Shores to the extravagant opulence of an Art Nouveau icon in Corolla, landmark architecture defines our coastal villages — and chapters of our history.
Dining on (Oak) Island Time
No rush: The clocks on the walls of Oak Island Restaurant are just for decoration. All you really need to know is whether it’s Chicken & Dumplings Thursday or Fried Fish Friday.
The Cream of Calabash
In a town known for its seafood, a family ice cream business serves up nostalgic standards and creative concoctions that change with the seasons.
The Crab Shack is Here to Stay
More than 45 years ago, a fishing family started a seafood market to sell their catch. The market expanded into a mainstay restaurant in Salter Path whose varied menu includes a seasonal special that celebrates coastal resilience.
Oak Island, Over Easy at the Old Bridge Diner
On the way to work or headed home from the beach, post up in a booth at the Old Bridge Diner for breakfast and lunch classics — pancakes to patty melts to popcorn shrimp — all day long.