What Exactly is Carova?

Carova is an unincorporated community in Curritck County. It is a unique place in that the beaches and neighborhoods are in the northern most section of North Carolina's Outer Banks and are only accessible by boat, helicopter or 4-wheel drive vehicle due to the face that there are no paved roads north of Corolla.

To access the area by land people must air down their tires to as much as half and drive on the loose sandy beaches for miles before getting to any of the houses.

It got its name as a combination of Carolina (caro) & Virginia (va) since it is situated just south of the NC/VA state line.

Carova has many areas set aside for the wildlife and is home to the Corolla Wild Horses.. In addition to the Corolla Wild Horses, Carova also has a wide variety of other wildlife to including foxes, deer, dolphins, pelicans, seals, and sea turtles.

I could possibly be the longest stretch of beach to be zoned entirely residential along the United States East Coast. There are no gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, or gift shops. There are hundreds of homes spread out over the 11 miles, most of which are used for vacation rentals and range from 2 bedroom cottages to 23 bedroom wedding event houses.

Activities here include relaxing on the beach, playing in the ocean, exploring the area and all its wildlife, or go down to Corolla on the “Hard Surface” to do some dining & shopping.

Sunrise is as beautiful as anywhere else on the OBX, but the sunsets here offer a special treat. In Carova there are many spots along the beach where you can watch the colors in the sky change behind the sandy dunes and sea oats without a house in sight.

North of Carova is False Cape State Park & Back Bay Nation Wildlife Refuge. People are welcome to explore the parkland on foot, but motor vehicles are forbidden without special permit.