The gated community also has beach oceanfront access. Most visitors to Currituck's beaches tend to rent the huge homes that straddle the undulating sand dunes. The average Corolla house sleeps 10 to 15 people, includes more than 3,000 square feet of living space, has a pool and hot tub, and is available for weekly rentals. Many of the contained communities also offer exercise facilities, racket or golf clubs, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, boardwalk beach accesses and trolley services. Retail stores scattered throughout this upscale area sell items ranging from handmade hammocks to custom-designed jewelry.
Restaurants appeal to all tastes from raw or steamed seafood to elegant European dining.
Although tourists flock to the northern beaches during the summer tourism season, the permanent population of Currituck County's Outer Banks is still small, estimated at about 500 people. Here, wildlife sanctuaries provide a safe haven for endangered piping plover, wild boar, and other wildlife. People can walk through the fence, however, and four-wheel drive vehicles can cross over a cattle grate. Once Corolla's most popular tourist attraction, the wild horses no longer roam freely in the populated village, but the Corolla Wild Horse Fund is headquartered at the lighthouse, where gift items and membership information are available. There is no paved route from Corolla to the Virginia border.