The horizontally striped lighthouse rises 159 feet above sea level just south of Nags Head. The base of the tower is open seasonally, along with restored Double Keeper's Quarters, which contains lighthouse exhibits and a book shop. Bodie Island Lighthouse
Cape Lookout Lighthouse
Cape Lookout, Harkers Island
In 1804, Congress authorized construction of a lighthouse on Cape Lookout, the southernmost tip of the Outer Banks barrier islands. Completed in 1812, the Cape Lookout light was reconstructed in 1859 to its height of 163 feet and, today, is still an acting aid to navigation. It was painted with its distinctive black and white diamond pattern in 1873. A new keeper's quarters was constructed at the same time. The keeper's quarters is accessible to visitors on a seasonal basis. There is no access by road to the undeveloped islands of the cape lookout national seashore. Ferry services are available from Davis, Atlantic, Harkers Island, Beaufort
, and Morehead City. cape lookout national seashore
cape lookout national seashore
Cape Lookout, Harkers Island
cape lookout national seashore consists of three undeveloped barrier islands covering 55 miles. Activities include: fishing, swimming, birding, boating, Windsurfing, kayaking and shelling. Cape Lookout Lighthouse is located on south Core Banks and is accessible by public ferry or private boat. Primitive camping allowed. Visitors should bring drinking water, sunscreen and bug spray. Pets are allowed on leash, but they are not allowed on public ferries or in concession lodgings. cape lookout national seashore, which includes the Cape Lookout Historic District, conserves and preserves for the future the outstanding natural resources of a dynamic coastal barrier island system; protects and interprets the significant cultural resources of the past and contemporary maritime history; provides for public education and enrichment through proactive interpretation and scientific study; and provides for sustainable use of recreation resources and opportunities. cape lookout national seashore"> nature.org recreation.gov
Currituck Beach Lighthouse, operated by Outer Banks Conservationists, Inc. (OBC), under a lease agreement with the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources Division of Archives and History, preserves, maintains, and exhibits the 1875 Currituck Beach Lighthouse, its restored Keepers Quarters, and several dependencies for the enjoyment and education of the public. Exhibits interpret the construction, significance, and social history of this lighthouse. Collections including oral histories, institutional archives, photographs, and a variety of miscellaneous published and unpublished manuscripts are housed in the corporate offices of the OBC and at the Outer Banks History Center, both at Festival Park in Manteo. First illuminated on Dec. 1, 1875. Over 1,000,000 red bricks were used to build this lighthouse. Visitors can climb the 214 steps to get a breathtaking view of the ocean and sound. Open 10 to 6 daily, April thru October. Admission is $5.00 for all people 8 years and older. currituckbeachlight.com
Cape Hatteras National Seashore: Ocracoke Visitor Center
Ocracoke Island
The Ocracoke Visitor Center seeks to educate visitors about the cultural heritage and natural history of the island. Exhibits focus on the Life Saving Station, the Ocracoke Lighthouse, pirate activity there, Ocracoke's role in the Civil War and in World War II, its British Cemetery, the native horses and other wildlife, and early tourism. Ocracoke Visitor Center
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
The tallest brick lighthouse in North America. Open for climbing Good Friday - Columbus Day. Cape Hatteras National Seashore
Cape Hatteras National Seashore: Wright Brothers National Memorial, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, Bodie Island Lighthouse, Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Ocracoke Island Lighthouse
Outer Banks
Stretched over 70 miles of barrier islands, Cape Hatteras National Seashore is a fascinating combination of natural and cultural resources and provides a wide variety of recreational and research opportunities relating to the cultural history and natural heritage of the Outer Banks, Shipwrecks, lighthouses, and the U.S. Lifesaving Service. Main offices and research facilities for Fort Raleigh, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the Bodie Island Lighthouse, the Wright Brothers Memorial, and the Ocracoke Lighthouse are located at the Fort Raleigh facility. Preserves and protects 75 miles along North Carolina's Outer Banks. National park includes Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and visitors centers at Buxton (year-round), Bodie Island and Ocracoke (seasonal). Free. Fee for camping. Cape Hatteras National Seashore recreation.gov
Cape Hatteras National Seashore & Ocracoke Campground
Ocracoke Island
Cape Hatteras was the first National Seashore in the country. It extends from Nags Head to Ocracoke Inlet and includes 13 miles of pristine beach on Ocracoke Island. Local folks call this area "the park" and it offers a wide variety of activities such as birding, boating, camping, cycling, fishing, surfing, swimming, seashelling and wind-boarding! For a wonderful look at nature, visit the Hammock Hills Nature Trail on the island. Local shops on the island offer a variety of rentals such as bikes, kayaks, wind boards, etc.to help you explore this area. Ocracoke Island has the uniqueness of having the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Pamlico Sound on the other. These factors give the visitor a choice of water activities, depending on their abilities. There is also a National Park Campground on the island, situated between the two bodies of water with easy highway access nearby. Cape Hatteras National Seashore
East Coast Helicopter Rides
See the Crystal Coast and Cape Lookout Lighthouse from the air! Tour often involves sea life sightings (whales, dolphins)in the ocean water. eastcoasthelicopters.com
Harkers Island Fishing Center
Harkers Island
Within sight of the Cape Lookout Lighthouse, the Harkers Island Fishing Center offers accommodations as well as guided inshore and offshore fishing. harkersmarina.com
NCDOT Ferry System: Cedar Island / Ocracoke
Cedar Island - Ocracoke Island
NC Department Of Transportation Ferry System Cedar Island is a small fishing village on NC Hwy 12 in eastern North Carolina. It is known for its seafood, wild horses and unique way of life. This beautiful little village is also the home of the Cedar Island to Ocracoke Ferry; this route is a 22-mile run and takes approximately two hours and fifteen minutes. Ocracoke is a tiny island community with huge things to offer its visitors: outstanding surfing and fishing, including several charter fishing services, beautiful beaches, one of the state's oldest lighthouses, and unique shopping opportunities. There are over a dozen motels, numerous rental properties, and many outstanding restaurants for travelers to vist during their stay. Whether you travel by bicycle, car or even walk on your visit to this picturesque section of our coast, you will not soon forget Cedar Island and Ocracoke.Reservations for this route are strongly recommended. ## Ocracoke is a tiny island community with huge things to offer its visitors: outstanding surfing and fishing, including several charter fishing services, beautiful beaches, one of the state's oldest lighthouses, and unique shopping opportunities. This beautiful little village is also the home of the Ocracoke to Cedar Island; this route is a 22-mile run and takes approximately two hours and fifteen minutes. Cedar Island is a small fishing village on NC Hwy 12 in eastern North Carolina. It is known for its seafood, wild horses and unique way of life and is a quaint, memborable part of North Carolina's Crystal Coast. Whether you travel by bicycle, car or even walk on your visit to this picturesque section of our coast, you will not soon forget Ocracoke or Cedar Island. Reservations for this route are strongly recommended. North Carolina Ferry System
Old Baldy Lighthouse & Smith Island Museum
North Carolina's oldest standing lighthouse, built in 1817. Open to public. Historic tour packages available. Next to the lighthouse is the Smith Island Museum which houses historic artifacts found on Bald Head Island. These are managed by the Old Baldy Foundation in order to preserve the history of Smith Island, Old Baldy Lighthouse, and the maritime history of the Carolina coast. oldbaldy.org
Oak Island Lighthouse
Lighthouse is located on the U.S. Coast Guard Station Oak Island, on the southern coast of North Carolina. It was built in 1958, is seventeen stories tall; can be seen from 24 miles offshore and is the brightest light in Western Hemisphere. The lighthouse light flashes four times every 10 seconds and is designed to sway up to three feet at the top in 100 M.P.H. plus wind speed. The lighthouse is not open to the public but a viewing area is set aside on Caswell Beach Drive Southport - Oak Island Tourism
Ocracoke Lighthouse
Ocracoke Island
The Ocracoke Lighthouse is a 75-foot sturdy, whitewashed tower built of brick with a concrete veneer exterior. The walls of the lighthouse are five feet thick at the base. Work on the lighthouse was actually completed in 1823. The total cost for the lighthouse and other buildings around its base was less than $12,000.00. For more than 175 years, its beacon has shown out across this remote island and across the treacherous waters of the Atlantic Ocean. It has braved countless storms and weathered many hardships. Its bright light is visible 14 miles at sea. It has led generations of sailors home and has become a symbol of the independent islanders who have made Ocracoke their home for more than 200 years. The interior of the lighthouse is not open to the public but wonderful photo opportunities are available on the grounds. Historic Ocracoke is on the Historic Albemarle Tour. The lighthouse is also one of 10 historic sites on the Hyde County Talking Houses and Historic Places driving tour. These sites are equipped with am radio transmitters which you can tune to from the convenience of your car to learn the history of the area. Ocracoke Light
Outer Banks Scenic Byway
Ocracoke Island
The Outer Banks Scenic Byway is one of 44 Scenic Byways that the North Carolina Department of Transportation has designated to give visitors and residents a chance to experience a bit of North Carolina history, geography and culture while raising awareness for the protection and preservation of these treasures. From Whalebone Junction on the Outer Banks of NC, this 111 miles byway travels south along North Carolina Highway 12, on bridges and ferries across several inlets, and ending in Beaufort, N.C.
. The Hyde County portion of this byway begins as you board the free ferry on Hatteras Island and ends on Ocracoke Island as you board a toll ferry to Cedar Island. The crossing time for the Hatteras Inlet to Ocracoke Island is about 35 minutes. The present Hatteras Inlet opened in 1846. Notice the wild horses while following North Carolina Highway 12 for 13 miles along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore across Ocracoke Island to the village of Ocracoke. The animals are Banker Ponies, descendants of horses brought by early explorers on ships wrecked in the Atlantic. A herd also is maintained on the islands south of Beaufort
. Ocracoke was first called Wococon in the 1500s (when it was an Indian village) and has since gone through a series of names derived from the Algonquian for "enclosed place." One of the oldest operating lighthouses on the Atlantic is located on Silver Lake, a tidal basin and harbor in the village of Ocracoke. The 75-foot tall Ocracoke Island Lighthouse was built in 1823 and is the only operational lighthouse within a town. The Ocracoke Inlet, once North Carolina's primary trade inlet, was the site of the death of the notorious pirate, Blackbeard, who was killed on November 22, 1718. From Ocracoke Inlet, the Cedar Island ferry to Carteret County is a 2.5 hour ride to continue the Outer Banks Scenic Byway, or travel the Alligator River or Pamlico Scenic Byways by taking the toll ferry to Swan Quarter. Hyde County
Price's Creek Lighthouse
Now abandoned, this lighthouse lies 2 miles north of Southport, on the west bank of the Cape Fear River. For a vacation and resident's guide on the area including information on all the lighthouses in our area please contact the Southport-Oak Island Area Chamber of Commerce Southport - Oak Island Tourism
Roanoke Island Festival Park
Homeport of Elizabeth II, a 16th century representative sailing vessel. Experience a working Settlement Site, Adventure Museum with 400 years of Outer Banks history, Art Gallery, Museum Store, performing arts, summer children's series and boardwalks through natural marshes. ??? Roanoke Island Fesitival Park, a 27-acre North Carolina State Site and cultural center, is a celebration of history, education and the arts. Step aboard the Elizabeth II, a representative 16th century sailing vessel with garbed interpreters. Visit with soldiers in the Settlement Site. The Roanoke Adventure Museum explores 400 years of Outer Bank history. Learn how the arrival of the English Colonists changed the lives of the Native American inhabitants forever by watching the 50 minute docudrama, The Legend of Two-Path. View a new artist each month in The Art Gallery. Visit the Museum Store, which is overflowing with unique gifts inspired by the English whose first attempts at colonization in the New World were on Roanoke Island. Stroll our boardwalks, through natural marshes, and get up close to nature and observe its hidden pristine beauty and quiet surroundings. The North Carolina Maritime Museum on Roanoke Island, just a block away, features a working boathouse and the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse. The screw-pile light is a reproduction of one that stood near the site. A permanent display is provided on the history of the light. ??? Civil War: museum includes a very good Civil War display with maps, artifacts and some interesting stories about the February 1862 battle for the island and other war-time events in the area. Roanoke Island Festival Park
The Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse
Roanoke Marshes LighthouseThe lighthouse contains exhibits highlighting Roanoke Island's maritime heritage, including a history of the Marshes Lighthouse and its keepers. The original screw-pile lighthouse was located in Croatan Sound on the west side of Roanoke Island. Built in 1877, it was decommissioned by the US Coast Guard in 1955. Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse
Roanoke River Lighthouse and Maritime Museum
Plymouth
Replicated on the waterfront in Historic Plymouth, the lighthouse allows one to experience life as a lighthouse keeper. It has been built to look as it did from 1866-1885. Climb to the top and experience a most beautiful view of the Roanoke River. Roanoke River Lighthouse
