Historic Hotels and Motels of the Outer Banks

Author: Elizabeth Ownley Cooper Series: Images of America

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In the mid-1800s, wealthy farmers and businessmen began bringing their families to North Carolina's Outer Banks to escape the blistering inland summer heat.

Soon after, the region's first hotel was built with accommodations for 200 guests. By the mid-1900s, hotels such as the Carolinian, the Nags Header, and the Arlington as well as smaller motels and cottage courts like Journey's End, the Sea Foam, and the Cavalier dotted the coastline. Most motels were independent, family-run operations. Many guests returned yearly, reuniting with the motel owners and other visitors. However, by the end of the 20th century, many of these mom-and-pop establishments had become a distant memory, lost to wrecking balls and replaced by large beach houses. This book recalls these hotels and motels and their impact on the Outer Banks and its visitors.

Author Elizabeth Ownley Cooper grew up in Nags Head, where her parents owned the Vacationer Motel from 1964 to 2000. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she is a freelance writer and public relations consultant in Suffolk, Virginia. Most of the images in this book are from the Outer Banks History Center as well as private collections.