classic motels of the outer banks

With its bold declaration of its name, the Sea Foam Motel in Nags Head has earned a place on the National Register of Historic Places.
With its bold declaration of its name, the Sea Foam Motel in Nags Head has earned a place on the National Register of Historic Places.

Among the 12 bedroom homes and luxury hotels, the first of the Outer Banks motels are still there.

Some are classics of architecture, others are simple and straightforward in their design and look. But all of them offer a glimpse into the history of the Outer Banks. Kip Tabb, writing for Richmond Boomer Magazine takes a look at some of the classic Outer Banks hotels and motels.

With its bold declaration of its name, the Sea Foam Motel in Nags Head has earned a place on the National Register of Historic Places.

“Nags Head was one of the first true tourist destinations in the United States. Beginning around 1830, wealthy plantation owners from surrounding counties began sending their families to the village to escape the malaria and oppressive heat of the interior. By 1840, there was a hotel on the sound side, with a grand ballroom, boardwalk to the beach and a dock for the steamships that plied the sounds.

The hotel didn’t survive the Civil War. Confederate troops burned the building to keep it from falling into Yankee hands, but a travel tradition had been established that continues today.”

To read this and other stories in Richmond Boomer Magazine, click here.