Outer Banks Lighthouse Journeys

Across the Outer Banks, working lights and historic towers stand along the coast, offering a quiet way to feel the solitude of the Carolina ocean.

Few icons express endurance and determination as clearly as a lighthouse. Over time, these towers have been relocated, torn down, rebuilt, replaced by newer structures that did not endure, fueled with whale fat and kerosene, and later updated for electric power. They have also been damaged, stripped, and restored until they looked new again.

It is easy to understand why lighthouses draw such affection, and the Outer Banks beacons are among the hardest-working. Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is the tallest in America and arguably the most recognized lighthouse in the world. Normally, Cape Hatteras Lighthouse welcomes visitors from the third Friday in April through Columbus Day in October. Climbing hours are 9 am to 4:30 pm daily. Tickets are required.

Ocracoke lighthouse is the nation’s second oldest and still in operation, completed in 1823. Bodie Island Lighthouse and Currituck Beach Lighthouse are like twins: they were built from essentially the same design plans, though each wears a different paint scheme. Thinking of them as family feels right. They have stood on the Outer Banks longer than anyone alive today, and they continue to keep watch. Bodie Island Lighthouse opens from the third Friday in April through Columbus Day (in early October). Climbing hours are every 30 minutes, and start at 9:15 am daily. Tickets are required.

The newest lighthouse in the OBX stands along the Manteo downtown waterfront: Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse. This structure is a replica of a historic screw-pile lighthouse that once identified a safe passage for sailing and steaming through the shallow wetlands of the same name between Roanoke Island and the mainland.

After dark, the collective beams are meant to create a protective chain of light down the Outer Banks, cautioning ships offshore to remain safely away from the beach or helping identify an inlet or harbor. In daylight, the varied paint patterns, stripes, and unpainted brick help mariners understand where they are in relation to nearby beach towns, much as the familiar green milepost signs on NC12 guide travelers on land.

Together, these lighthouses begin to share the story of the Graveyard of the Atlantic and the many shipwrecks found off the coast of the Outer Banks.