Corolla, North Carolina is a must see nautical village scented with the spray of the salty sea. It's located on NC Highway 12 along a thin strip of land bordered on the east by the tempestuous Atlantic Ocean, and on the west by the inland waterway of Currituck Sound. Corolla is home to the Currituck Beach Lighthouse, whose beacon first beckoned to sailors at sea in 1875, and to art noveau Whalehead Club, a turn of the century hunt club for sportsmen. The quaint village is also home to one of North Carolina's natural history gems called the Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education. The center, which opened in 2006, is an impressive and marvelous 22, 000 square foot interpretive center for young and old alike to explore the history and vast diversity of North Carolina's wildlife.
The center is located on the grounds of Currituck Heritage Park. Sharon Meade, the centers curator and public relations liaison said the setting is perfect. "It's a beautiful setting of 29 acres of oak trees, and families can stroll the grounds and even bring a picnic while they enjoy the view and the setting before or after visiting the center."
One of the key displays is a massive living aquatic ephemera of fish, native to the region, housed in an 8, 000 gallon aquarium where families can get up close and personal with a rich variety of finned swimmers. "You have to remember we have a variety of marine eco-systems here. The ocean, the sound and an estuary so it is pretty diverse."
Part of the diversity includes the Nest Turtle Program run by educator Karen Clark who gives talks at the center and runs the program which is a network for endangered sea turtles.
"We were known as the sportsman's paradise, especially in regards to duck hunting, and it is historically ingrained in the lifeblood of the region. We have a large collection of collectible and artistic antique waterfowl decoys to prove it. I think there are over 200 on display. Also, Ducks Unlimited got it's start in the area way back when, " she explained. If you want to step back in time, they have a duck blind display set up in a simulated salt marsh to revisit the old days when hunting was the sport of kings and province of exclusive hunt clubs, such as the Whalehead Club located next door to the center.
