First Colony Inn

North Carolina, United States

Open to visitors

The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.

Strollie cannot guarantee access — always check before you travel.

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Located in Nags Head on North Carolina's Outer Banks, the First Colony Inn is a 2½-story Shingle Style hotel designed by Willis Leigh and built by Frank Benton in 1932. Originally opened as LeRoy's Seaside Inn by Henry LeRoy of Elizabeth City, the timber-framed building exemplifies vernacular coastal architecture with its distinctive H-shaped plan formed by three equal rectangular sections separated by open breezeways, each measuring approximately 25 by 60 feet. A two-story engaged verandah wraps the structure, providing outdoor circulation typical of seaside resort hotels of the era. The building, which has been known by several names throughout its history, was recognized as a historic landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.