Just south of Nags Head's southern most border and barely north of Oregon Inlet sits Coquina Beach. The short drive south of "town" can offer a great deal of tranquility and relaxation. Coquina Beach's beauty and tranquility is derived from the fact that it often remains uncrowded on even the most crowded Outer Banks summer days. When relaxing on Coquina Beach, if one were to look north toward Nags Head, they would see only cottages off in the distance. Similarly, if one were to look south while on Coquina Beach, the only things in sight would be the rare Oregon Inlet 4X4 driver (with $50, 7 day permits or $120, annual permits now required to drive on Oregon Inlet's Beaches) and fishing boats coming out of the inlet itself. It is the lack of establishments and seemingly endless sand dunes in this area that give Coquina Beach the vintage Outer Banks feel of decades past.
Coquina Beach gets its name from the thousands of coquina shells that can be seen along the waters edge. Birds often feed on coquina at the waters edge as the shells find a home in the sand with every rise and fall of the tide. According to merriam-webster.com a coquina shell is defined as a "small wedge-shaped clam (Donax variabilis) used for broth or chowder and occurring in the intertidal zone of sandy Atlantic beaches from Delaware to the Gulf of Mexico."
Coquina Beach was recently named one of America's 10 Best Family Beaches by ABC News.
