Is Outer Banks based on a true story? (Is Outer Banks a real place?)

Outer Banks is a Netflix original series that has taken the streamer by storm. The story is full of mystery and adventure that fans cannot get enough of. The third season premieres on Netflix on Feb. 23, and superfans are anxious to see what happens next for the Pogues.

The series is the ultimate show to help capture the summer vibe, even in the midst of winter and into early spring. You can’t help but catch the Pogue feeling as John B and his friends run around (a lot!) in search of treasure and gold.

When the series was first announced, it was compared to a Goonies-type adventure. Teens searching for gold while the bad guys chase them in a coastal town setting sounds about right.

But since Outer Banks is a series, there is more character development, and the adventure might remind you of the ’80s film, but this series is more of a young adult drama.

Is Outer Banks a real place?

For those watching the series and are understandably wondering if this larger-than-life universe is actually a real place, you’re in luck. You can actually visit the Outer Banks! The titular place is a string of barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina in the United States.

Obviously, the Netflix series takes certain creative liberties in its depiction of the islands, such as creating the fictional town of Kildare and other aspects of the Outer Banks that have been fabricated. In fact, the series isn’t even actually filmed there. Rather, the series mostly films in Charleston, South Carolina.

Is Outer Banks based on a true story?

The question that often comes up is whether Outer Banks is based on a true story or not.

Again, the Outer Banks is a series of islands off the coast of North Carolina that is famous for stories of shipwrecks containing treasures worthy of searching for. The book Shipwrecks and Lost Treasures: Outer Banks tells of 25 shipwreck stories that happened along the coast.

As for the Royal Merchant mentioned in the series? There was a ship by that name, but that ship sunk off the coast of Cornwall, England in 1641. That shipwreck is famous for over $1.5 billion in gold and $1 million in silver that the ship was carrying in today’s money. In 2019, the anchor to this vessel was discovered 20 miles south of where the shipwreck occurred.

The story in the series isn’t based on facts, but the creators, twin brothers Josh and Jonas Pate, used their experiences visiting the Outer Banks when they were children to build the story. True or not, it makes for a great storyline for this series, and the mystery surrounding the treasure seems real to viewers.

Watch Outer Banks season 3 on Netflix beginning Feb. 23.

FanSided Entertainment staff contributed to this report.