Lighthouse Tour and Directions

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Driving Directions
to North Carolina Lighthouses
by Cheryl Shelton-Roberts

Cheryl Roberts is a cofounder and five-year past president of the Outer Banks Lighthouse Society. She is editor of the Lighthouse News and author of Lighthouse Families; Moving Hatteras: Relocating the Cape Hatteras Light Station to Safety; North Carolina Lighthouses; and coauthor of Cape Hatteras: America's Lighthouse. Photography was provided courtesy of Bruce Roberts and the Outer Banks Lighthouse Society.

Most people visiting the Outer Banks of North Carolina want to visit at least one of the lighthouses. And we have lighthouses! The following is a driving tour from north to south along coastal North Carolina. Of the existing towers, you have a choice of seven lighthouses to visit, and you can see the ruins of an eighth light. These light stations are so interesting that days can be spent in the surrounding area of each one, but you can adjust the length of your stay according to the amount of time that you have, whether it is to make a quick stop or to linger. Visit a lighthouse soon! Get involved with the restoration and preservation of these historic maritime icons.

Currituck Beach Light Station
Near the northern point of the Outer Banks, you can reach the Currituck Beach Light Station from NC 158 at Kitty Hawk by taking NC 12 north. You will pass through the charming villages of Duck and Corolla. The Currituck Beach Lighthouse and grounds are open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m Easter through Thanksgiving and Thursday evenings in the summer until 8:00 p.m. A fee is charged for all climbers ages 8 and older (cash and checks only). Children 7 and younger climb free when accompanied by an adult. Allow an hour and a half to visit this beautifully restored light station, sponsored by Outer Banks Conservationists, Inc. You can walk to the adjoining property and see the Whalehead Club that is undergoing restoration. If you are in a large group, call ahead or email the lighthouse for special instructions: 252-453-4939 or email info@currituckbeachlight.com.

Bodie Island Light Station
You have to backtrack a bit to reach the Bodie Island Light Station. From Currituck Beach Light Station, the drive to Bodie Island depends on the time of year, but averages about 75 minutes. Retrace NC 12 south to Kitty Hawk and turn left onto NC 158 south, a.k.a. the "bypass" at Milepost 1 in Kitty Hawk. NC 12, a.k.a. the "beach road," parallels NC 158 to south Nags Head. From the village of Corolla through Nags Head, there are numerous places to shop and eat all along the way. Whether you choose the bypass or the beach road, continue through Kill Devil Hills to south Nags Head, turning left into the Cape Hatteras National Seashore at MP 17. After entering the national park, you will see Bodie Island Lighthouse approximately 10 miles south on NC 12 on the right; a sign marks the entrance to the light station. This June, John Gaskill, son of the last principal keeper, will be on the back porch of the double keepers quarters, John's childhood home that now houses a bookstore and museum. For more information, call the Bodie Island visitors center at 252/441-5711.

Photography © Bruce Roberts
Outer Banks Lighthouse Society
Allow yourself an hour here, or more time if you would like to explore the nearby sound area, or take advantage of the bird observation decks. There is a bookstore with exhibits in the keepers quarters. Occasionally, volunteers from the Outer Banks Lighthouse Society and National Park Service (or staff members) will have the lower portion of the tower open for visitors to step in and look up the 214 spiral iron stairs. Although you can walk within a few feet of the lighthouse, access to the tower is not allowed at this time until the lighthouse has been restored. However, the beautiful light station grounds are open and waiting for your visit. ***Always be prepared for mosquitoes! By staying on the walkways and out of the grass, you will avoid most of these critters. Across from the entrance to the light station on NC 12 is Coquina Beach. This is a great area for a family picnic and a day at the wide, spacious beach, complete with shower facilities. You can view the remains of the Laura Barnes shipwreck here. One of the special things about the Bodie Island Lighthouse is its classic setting that is virtually absent of modern intrusions, making it a photographer's dream.

Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse (reproduction)
Located in Manteo off Hwy 64/264, Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse is an exterior reproduction of an 1877 screwpile light that was originally at the southern entrance of the Croatan Sound into the Pamlico Sound located near Wanchese. The reproduction is located on Manteo’s charming waterfront near the Maritime Museum. Operated by the Roanoke Island Festival Park, it is open daily, free of charge from 9-5, year-round.

Cape Hatteras Light Station
From Bodie Island Light Station, you again travel NC 12 south to reach the Cape Hatteras Light Station about 45 miles to the south. You will travel through the Pea Island Wildlife Refuge. The span of undisturbed beach between Bodie Island and Cape Hatteras is rich with walking, swimming, surfing, windsurfing, kayaking, fishing, and wildlife viewing opportunities. In numerous places you have your choice of these activities on the beach or sound side, and there are several public beach accesses from which to choose. On your way to Hatteras, be sure to visit the Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station in Rodanthe. Watch for the station on your left. It is one of the most complete and beautifully restored lifesaving stations in the country with tours, exhibits, and a book/gift store. During the main tourist season from May to mid-September, allow at least an hour to reach the Cape Hatteras Light Station, located in the village of Buxton, and plan to spend more time if you would like to stop along the way. There are small towns where you can get a full meal, as well as gas stations for quick stops for snacks, drinks, and ice. All parts of the light station, including the lighthouse and keepers quarters, were relocated during the summer of 1999, approximately 2,900 feet to the southwest. To check for details on camping in the park, or to gain information concerning assistance with a large group, call the Cape Hatteras National Seashore headquarters in Manteo, NC, at 252/473-2111, and ask the operator to direct you to someone who can help you. Or you may call the Buxton visitors center at the light station at 252/995-4474. A visitor center greets you as you enter the light station area. It includes a bookstore, information contact area, and handicapped accessible restroom facilities. Exhibits are on display in the double keepers' quarters near the lighthouse.

The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse stairs have been restored and the lighthouse re-opened to the public on Friday, April 18, 2003. Entrance to the lighthouse will be on a scheduled tour basis through the fall. Lighthouse tours will begin at 9 a.m. daily and will run every 20 minutes until 5 p.m. with a limit of 60 visitors per tour. A modest fee is charged to climbing. For group rates/arrangements, call the NPS headquarters 252/ 473- 2111.

Upon purchase, each visitor will receive a ticket indicating the date and time of their tour. Visitors should line up at the lighthouse gate five minutes before their tour time and present their tickets for entry.

The ticket booth at the lighthouse will open at 8 a.m. daily. Tickets will be available on a first come, first served basis and are only available at the ticket booth on site. Tickets are only available for the day of purchase. Advance ticket sales are not available to the public or commercial tours. Tours will likely sell out by noon each day, so visitors should plan to arrive early to purchase their tickets.

The grounds are open year-round. Be sure to walk down to the original site of the lighthouse and see the engraved plinth stones with the keepers' names from both the 1803 and 1870 towers. The project was researched and designed by the Outer Banks Lighthouse Society and sponsored by the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau.

Ocracoke Light Station
Rejoining NC 12 south from Buxton to reach the Ocracoke Light Station, allow 30 minutes driving time in the summer to reach the Ocracoke ferry at the southern tip of Hatteras Island. Check the state-run (no charge) car/passenger ferry schedules on http://www.outer-banks.com/ferry and get an idea when you can cross between Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands. The ferry ride is another 45 minutes across Pamlico Sound to the ferry dock at the north end of Ocracoke Island. Drive 12 miles south on the continuation of NC 12 into the village of Ocracoke.

Photography © Bruce Roberts
Outer Banks Lighthouse Society

The beaches on Ocracoke are some of the most beautiful in the world with several public accesses to both the beach and sound. You will see numerous places to stop and walk/explore, and even to view the wild ponies. The lighthouse is in the village of Ocracoke and sequestered on two picturesque acres. As you enter the village of Ocracoke, turn left onto Lighthouse Road at the main intersection and find the lighthouse down on your right. Please be considerate of the neighboring private residences. There are several places to stay on Ocracoke, but at the height of tourist travel, it is best to make reservations. The village is made for walking and biking. You can check out some places to stay and eat while you gain information on seasonal openings and closings at http://www.outer-banks.com. It is advisable to take insect repellent for all areas of the Outer Banks during warm weather.

Roanoke River Lighthouse (reproduction)
Located on the town of Plymouth’s beautiful waterfront a few blocks off Hwy 64 between Columbia and Williamston, NC. Hours of operation vary, but it can be seen up-close at all times. Call (252) 217-2204 for more information or to arrange a group visit.

Roanoke River Lighthouse (original 1866 lighthouse, rebuilt 1880s)
This lighthouse has received over $1 million for restoration. It has been relocated to the town's park in Edenton, the state’s first permanent settlement incorpated in 1715. Edenton is a lovely coastal town, one of the state’s first major mainland ports of trade. It is located on the town’s waterfront just off Hwy 17 between Elizabeth City and Williamston, NC. Like many of the state’s coastal towns, it made for walking/biking

Cape Lookout Light Station
If you plan to travel on to the Cape Lookout Light Station, drive to the southern end of Ocracoke Island to the Cedar Island ferry dock. The ferry is state-run, but there is a fee to travel on this car/passenger ferry; make sure to get reservations by calling 1-800-BYFERRY. In the same area, you will find the Ocracoke Preservation Society Museum and the National Park Service visitor's center for Ocracoke Island.

Photography © Bruce Roberts
Outer Banks Lighthouse Society
The Cedar Island Ferry leaves from the south end of Ocracoke and takes about 2 hrs 30 minutes to cross this expanse of the Pamlico Sound. After you arrive at the ferry dock at Cedar Island, you must drive about 30 minute to the end of Harker's Island on an extension of NC 12 towards Beaufort, which merges with US 70 west. Along this stretch of US 70, watch for a road sign past Smyrna to turn left onto a paved, unnumbered road towards Harkers Island. The Cape Lookout National Seashore headquarters is located at the end of the island; from this point, you can see Cape Lookout Lighthouse across Core Sound on Core Banks Island. To get close to the lighthouse, which sits nearer the sound than the ocean, you must take a fee-charge passenger ferry (on a reduced schedule during winter months), that you will see along the way to the national park headquarters. The trip is about a 30-minute boat ride to Core Banks Island and the Cape Lookout Lighthouse. You can stay one hour or all day; communicate your desires to the captain of your boat. You must take along food and water (a cooler with ice is nice on hot days) for you and friends according to how long you will stay. A visitor center is located at the soundside dock near the lighthouse where the ferries off load passengers. The bookstore, information area, and restroom facilities are open year-round, weather dependent. Check the Cape Lookout National Seashore website for information about special lighthouse openings for the public. Fishermen, shell seekers, and day hikers find this unpretentious reach of island and its array of wildlife one of the last frontiers on the Outer Banks. Be sure to visit the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum at the end of Harkers Island. After returning to Harkers Island, drive back to 70 west and head towards Beaufort. This idyllic, historic waterfront town is just waiting for you to explore. At the south end of town, be sure to visit the North Carolina Maritime Museum and see a fourth order Fresnel lens on display. Though two of North Carolina's lighthouses still have their large, first-order Fresnel lenses (Currituck Beach and Bodie Island), this is the only place to see a Fresnel up close, though it is a smaller order. Continuing west from Beaufort on US 70, you will pass Morehead City. A turn to the left takes you to this wonderful waterfront town. If you have time, there are various day tours available to Core Banks near Cape Lookout. When the weather is good, this area is just like the emerald Caribbean, ready for snorkeling, shelling, and great walks on the Atlantic Ocean side of the light station near a sandbar. On the mainland at Morehead City, you are in an area called the "Crystal Coast," stretching from Atlantic Beach to Emerald Isle and part of the "southern Outer Banks," so check your map and consider visiting a number of places here.

Bald Head Lighthouse
To reach Bald Head Lighthouse, a.k.a. "Old Baldy," get back on US 70 west to NC 24 in Morehead City and head west towards Jacksonville. You can take a shortcut on NC 172 at Hubert and save time by going through Camp LeJeune, and then pick up US 17 south to Wilmington. Stay on US 17, and after crossing the Cape Fear River, take NC 133 southeast to Southport (NC 133 merges with NC 87 and 211 just before you get to Southport). In town, turn west off NC 211 onto West 9th Street and follow signs to the passenger-only ferry dock on Indigo Plantation grounds. There is a fee for each passenger. To get information call (910) 457-5003. Bald Head Island is a memorable place to explore. You can stay for just hours, or overnight at one of the quaint B&Bs, or rent a house for a longer visit. Old Baldy Foundation, a nonprofit organization that restored and preserves this lighthouse, has built a reproduction of the 1850s keepers cottage that serves as the Smith Island Museum of History. The lighthouse is open for climbing on a self-guided tour. For information on the lighthouse and museum call (910) 457-7481. Visitors can take a different route to Bald Head by taking an extra ferry ride from Ft. Fisher to reach Southport. If you go this way, be sure to see Ft, Fisher, a Civil War fort and state historic site. On the Ft. Fisher-Southport ferry, you will see the truncated Price's Creek on the south bank, the only river light still in its original location. It sits quietly on corporate property and is not accessible to the public, but you can get a good view and take pictures from the ferry (a short telephoto helps). This small lighthouse was part of a series of range lights on the Cape Fear River used by blockade-runners during the Civil War. Because the channel through the river changed significantly, many of these lights, including Price's Creek, were not continued after the war.

Oak Island Lighthouse
While on Bald Head Island, you can see the strong flash of the Oak Island Lighthouse. You can reach Oak Island by returning to the mainland at Southport and driving on NC 211 for approximately two miles. Turn left towards Yaupon Beach on NC 133 south. Where NC 133 ends at the ocean, turn left on a paved road to Caswell Beach, also marked for the Oak Island Coast Guard Station. The lighthouse is on the left side of the road. Oak Island Lighthouse was transferred from the U.S. Coast Guard to the Town of Caswell Beach Monday, October 18, 2004. A Friends of Oak Island Lighthouse has officially been formed and is planning the future of this lighthouse for coming generations. The Oak Island and Sullivan Island Lighthouses (SC) were the last two lighthouses built in the nation. Unlike most lighthouses, these two were constructed by the U.S. Coast Guard, not the old U.S. Lighthouse Service.

The Outer Banks Lighthouse Society hopes you enjoy visiting North Carolina and our lighthouses. For more information on our nonprofit organization, our mission, and membership dues, please see http://www.outer-banks.com/lighthouse-society.

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