I was invited to drive the Outer Banks With The Corolla, but as usual, all opinions are my own.
We had the most amazing time this week in North Carolina, here are our favorite moments and what we think after driving the Outer Banks With The Corolla.
Outer Banks With The Corolla
We drove the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid from Norfolk, VA to the OuterBanks to enjoy beach life and so much more with this fun, sporty, fuel efficient ride!
We boarded and connected Apple Car Play setting our destination to hit the Outer Banks in no time, enjoying my favorite playlist from Spotify.
All the awesome tech available made this tech lover happy!
Our Hotel
We stayed at The Sanderling Resort Hotel nestled in Duck, NC. The hotel is a large property, with private access to a beach, gorgeous view from our balcony and a wide variety of activities to enjoy!
The chic resort room, gives you that beachy feeling with all the comfort you need while enjoying your vacation!
Step outside to enjoy the pool.
The beach.
We loved the two restaurants on property:
The sunset view from……was breathtaking!
What a view!
Food
The lifesaving Station offers fresh breakfast, lunch and dinner as well!
Loved the simple but healthy Keto Breakfast I had there!
The property has an indoor and outdoor pool with hot tubs
We also loved the Fire Pits on every night, inviting us to enjoy them in a cold spring night! Did anyone say S’mores?
We drove the Corolla Cross to explore so many amazing sites, here are our Favorite Things To Do In Corolla, North Carolina:
Driving A Corolla Cross In Corolla, North Carolina
Seafood Destination
While at the beach, of course you get a chance to enjoy the best seafood, right? We enjoyed lunch at Fat Crab Ribs Co.
Even though is was low season, a lot of the restaurants we passed were open.
I had Fresh oysters, hubby tried the ribs and we walked through local shops.
Historic Corolla Park
Nestled in downtown Corolla, the Corolla Historic Park caught our attention immediately!
We parked the Corolla Cross Hybrid and explored the park which offers gorgeous water views, turtles, birds, wild life and a tour of the rich history including the restored Whalehead House and the Knight Family!
We took a self-walking tour to learn more about the Knight Family and how their history was preserved in the house and artifacts, as well as in the property surrounding the Corolla Park.
The Corolla Park in the Outer Banks with the Corolla
Walking around the sound was such a peaceful experience!
The Currituck Light House
We also took a tour of the lighthouse and learned about its rich history, preservation and braved the 220 steps to the top to enjoy a breathtaking view of the sound and the city nearby!
Chasing Wild Horses
We took the Outback Adventures and our great driver Carla, walked through the different breeds and how horses live free in the area.
While we did not have a chance to see the horses on the beach, we had a very beautiful experience to watch them in a nearby area.
The best moment was seeing a foal run to the mom and nurse, such a priceless experience!
You can take a 4×4 and experience the wild horses on your own, but I highly recommend taking a tour, supporting a local company like Corolla Outback Adventures and learning all about the wild horses in North Carolina!
Wright Brothers National Memorial
A great ride takes you to explore beyond the nearby attractions!
This National Park offers some premier parking spots for hybrid/electric, environmental friendly rides. Our visit started well with a great spot by the front of the main building!
It pays to live the Hybrid Life!
We took our love for hiking , flying and couldn’t miss the opportunity to explore the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kitty Hawk!
Admission fee to the national park will grant you access to the park and exhibits.
At the Main Building, you will learn about the history of overcoming obstacles and believing that anything is possible!
You will also see a replica of the glider which made the first successful flight.
Outside, a path will guide you through marks of all the flight attempts and to the mountain which used to be a sand mound, now covered in grass, where the monument lays to remind us of human ingenuity and the power of persistence!
Loved walking around, not a long distance but enough to walk around the site of such a marvelous feat!
The walk to the top is a must of the Wright Brothers monument, the once pile of sand, which is now covered in grass, place where they started their flight experiments!
We drove the Corolla Cross around to check out the last part of the exhibit, a statue in the back.
I even cheered the first successful flight with fellow observers! 🙂
Here are some of our favorite Corolla Cross Hybrid Features:
Corolla Cross Exterior
Beautiful sporty look, love the grille and how it the look was updated from previous models!
Interior
The intuitive design and touch screen makes the driving easy and and the dashboard offers a fresh sporty look.
Leg room in the front seat gives the driver and passenger one more reason to take the Corolla Cross on a road trip!
Hubby is 6’2″, the only thing he noticed was that his leg hit the dash while getting inside, but once he was fully seated, he enjoyed the leg room which gave him a comfortable drive experience!
The details on the seat, blue color details make it a step up from regular cross over details!
EV Mode allowed us to hit 52 miles/gallon, can you believe it? We drove from Virginia and back, drove for 3 days and still had a half a tank when we dropped the vehicle off!
I personally wish my vehicle had a USB-A port instead of just 2 USB-C ports to charge my iPhone, but the vehicle we had was a prototype, so some of the functionalities and features were not fully updated, but we will see, when the model hits the market!
The Corolla Cross Hybrid starts at $27,970. You can’t go wrong with a great price with all the features it offers!
It is the perfect vehicle for a city drive or weekend road trips. Great for young families ready for adventures!
Also great for empty nesters ready to retire or retired living their best life and enjoying a brand new vehicle on a price point that fits their budget!
Not ready to take the Corolla roadtripping yet?
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Can’t wait to hear what you think of our adventures in the Outer Banks With The Corolla !
More Toyota Rides HERE.
As usual, give us a Trendy Shout!
Paula Richie
Good that you had an amazing time this week in North Carolina.
Tammy
Looks like you had a fabulous trip and a nice ride to get there! ;D Glad you had such a nice relaxing adventure…thanks for sharing!
Lisa
The Corolla looks like a great car to travel the Outer Banks. It’s a good size and is perfect for travelling families too. The resort looks fantastic.
karen
omg the scenery, the food, the places to explore and the corolla, this is awesome!!! Best weekend ever if you ask me.
Jenny
I haven’t heard of the Outer Banks before, it sounds like you had a fun time exploring!
Lavanda Michelle
Thank you for sharing your experience of visiting the Outer Banks with the Corolla. It sounds like a wonderful trip filled with adventure and relaxation. I enjoyed reading about your journey and the beautiful scenery you encountered along the way. Your tips and recommendations are also very helpful for anyone planning a similar trip
Indu
That resort offers wonderful views. Love the photographs. You surely had memorable stay and drive.
Kathy
Wow, that looks like an amazing trip. So many great places and food too. The vehicle looks great as well. I need something nice like that one.
Kelly
I can only imagine seeing a place like this. But it looks like you travelled in style.
Beth
That was such an amazing trip! I would love to see the Whalehead house one day. It’s beautiful. I love the new Corolla, too. They’ve really gone all out with that one.