This Northeastern North Carolina county - surrounded by the Pamlico Sound, the Alligator and Pungo Rivers, home to North Carolina's largest natural lake --Lake Mattamuskeet--, and bisected by the Intracoastal Waterway - is known as "the land of many waters". Ocracoke Island, once home to the pirate Blackbeard and now a tourist Mecca, is accessible only by air or water.
With four national wildlife refuges covering over 115,000 acres (including 50, 181 acres of Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge) within its bounds, the county is a haven for nature study, bird-watching, hunting, fishing and pursuing a quieter way of life.
Hyde County is one of North Carolina's largest by acreage but has under 5500 residents. Mainland residents make their living farming or commercial fishing while Ocracokians depend heavily on the tourist industry. The county seat of Swan Quarter, and other communities such as Engelhard, Fairfield, Ponzer, Sladesville and Scranton and the quaint village of Ocracoke lay claim to the fact that there is not one stoplight in the entire county! Take "the road less traveled" and visit this unspoiled country.
Sound Feet Shoes is family owned and operated. Sound Feet has been in the retail shoe business for over 72 years, opening their first store in 1953. They provide the best customer service and are the only Outer Banks’ area full service shoe...
The small town of Columbia, located approximately 45 miles west of the Outer Banks, is a rising star along the central North Carolina coastline. An anchor of the informally named "Inner Banks" region, this small community of less than 1,000...
The Pocosin Arts Center is a relatively new project managed by the North Carolina Arts Council, and is sponsored by a number of charitable organizations and local businesses that generously have dedicated a completely scenic space where local and...
Two stories prevail as to how Hyde Countys seat got its name. One legend has it named for the thousands of swan that came to "quarter" in the this little village at the head of Swan Quarter Bay. The second, less romantic story, says it was named...