The throng in Buxton will be part of an onset of visitors headed to the beach for the Fourth of July weekend, traditionally the busiest of the year on the Outer Banks.
Hotels are nearly booked solid, and tourism officials are receiving hundreds of inquiries.
Carolyn McCormick, managing director of the Dare County Tourist Bureau, said Thursday that her office received 1,123 toll-free calls between Monday and Wednesday and are fielding about 100 local telephone inquiries each day. The normal summer rate based on last year's numbers is about half that, she said. Two out of every three calls are from people in search of a place to stay, she said, adding that by now most of the hotels are full. Sue Hogan, manager of the oceanfront Nags Head Inn, said all 100 rooms are taken. Under a 72-hour cancellation policy, they filled the last of the rooms on Wednesday, she said.