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Outer Banks Parks & Lighthouses
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A 400-acre park complex
encompasses the tallest living sand dune
on the East Coast. Features
include a self-guided nature trail, "Tracks
in the Sand," plus scheduled year round
programs such as "Nighthike" and "Sunset
on the Ridge." Located on US 158 at milepost
12 1/2 in Nags Head. Open 8 am - 9 pm June
through August, 8 am - 8 pm April, May and
September, 8 am - 6 pm November through February
and 8 am - 7 pm March and October. Admission
is free. Interpretive tours are available with
advanced notice. Facilities include visitor's
center, restrooms, picnic area, free parking
and handicappoed accessible boardwalk with
overlook plus a soundside access with parking.
Call 252-441-7132 for more information or visit www.jockeysridgestatepark.com. |
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| This 27-acre North Carolina
State Site and cultural center is a celebration
of history, education and
the arts. The island was a starting point for English
Colonization in The New World whose settlers arrived
under Sir Walter Raleigh's sponsorship from 1584
- 1587. Learn of America's first attempts at colonization
by boarding Elizabeth II, a representative 16th century
sailing vessel, and then visiting with soldiers in
the newly expanded Settlement Site. Also, the Legend
of Two Path film recounts the Roanoke story from
a different perspective - that of the Algonquians
living here when the English first arrived in 1584.
In the Roanoke Island Adventure Museum, interactive
exhibits travel beyond America's beginnings to explore
the next 400 years of Outer Banks history - from
boat building to shipwrecks, from pirates to lighthouse
keepers, from The Lost Colony to the Freedmen's Colony,
from the Civil War to a 1950's General Store. The
on-site Art Gallery hosts monthly changing exhibits
to a myriad of renowned artists. Admission is free.
During the summer months, the North Carolina School
of the Arts presents the illuminations Summer Performing
Arts Series on the Pavilion lawn Tuesday - Saturday
at 8 pm. Top quality children's performances are
held Tuesday - Friday at 10:30 am in the indoor Film
Theater. Add picnic areas, marsh side boardwalks,
a fossil pit, museum store, and a host of friendly
interpreters - and you'll have a day to remember.
After your visit, feel free to leave your car at
Festival Park and walk downtown to the NC Maritime
Museum, shops and eateries. Roanoke Island Festival
Park is located just 5 mi. from the beaches and offers
fun and adventure for the entire family. Admission
is $8 for adults and $5 for students. Children 5
and younger are admitted at no charge when accompanied
by parents. Tickets are good for two consecutive
days. The Park is open daily. For more information,
call 252-475-1506 or visit us at www.roanokeisland.com. |
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Easily distinguished
by it's bold black and white painted spirals,
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
was built in 1870 and at 208 ft., it remains
the tallest in the United States. Visitors
are welcome to climb all 268 steps to the observation
deck, weather permitting. Recently relocated
from it's hurricane-eroded spot overlooking
the Atlantic, the lighthouse reopened May 5,
2001. The adjoining "Double Keepers Quarters" is
used to house the "Museum of the Sea" and
Buxton Visitor's Center. Located on NC 12 in
the village of Buxton, hours are 10 am - 2
pm daily. Admission is $4 for adults, $2 children
for under 12, seniors 62+ and disabled. Call
252-995-4474 for more information. |
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| Originally built in 1847,
Confederate troops destroyed the tower so that
it would not be used by the Union
forces occupying the Outer Banks in 1862. The existing
156 ft. structure was rebuilt in 1872 and currently
projects a beam which is visible 19 mi. out to sea.
The lighthouse isn't for climbing, but the keeper's
quarters have been restored as a visitor's center.
The complex includes a nature walk through the surrounding
marshlands. Located on NC 12 just north of Oregon
Inlet. Open 9 am - 5 pm, days vary (call ahead at
252-441-5711). Admission is free. |
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Completed in 1875, this
was the last lighthouse to be built on the
North Carolina Coast. The 162 ft. unpainted
red brick tower originally required oil for
the light to be carried up a 150 ft. staircase.
In 1939, the Coast Guard automated the beacon
that still flashes every 20 sec. to warn ships
up to 19 miles away at sea. The complex includes
a restored double keepers quarters and small
keepers quarters and is adjacent to the extensive
grounds and picnic area of the Whalehead Club.
Located on NC 12 in Corolla. Open 10 am - 6
pm daily. Admission $6, free for children under
8. Call 252-453-4939 for more information. |
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| Built in 1823, this is the oldest lighthouse still
in operation in North Carolina and one of the oldest
on the East Coast. Having survived many hurricanes,
the unique whitewashed tower is situated on one of
Ocracoke Island's highest spots, but it only stands
at 75 ft. making it the shortest on the Carolina
Coast. It was also damaged by Confederate troops
to make its use impossible by occupying Union forces,
but then rebuilt after the war. Located close to
Silver Lake Harbor in the village of Ocracoke, this
is the only lighthouse to stand within the confines
of a town. The simple, tidy grounds are always open
and admission is free. Call 252-928-4531 for more
information. |
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