The Outer Banks of North Carolina provide an environment difficult to find anywhere else. Maybe that is the exact reason why so many travelers are drawn there each year. If you are headed to the Outer Banks and are in search of the best they have to offer, may I suggest one (or many) of the following.
Best Place to See One Million Bricks: Currituck Beach Lighthouse, Corolla, 252-453-8152
Lighthouses are synonymous with the Outer Banks, and many people search them out for good reason. The furthest north of the Outer Banks lighthouses stands on Currituck Beach. Completed in 1875, the lighthouse at Currituck Beach filled in the last section of the North Carolina coast from which a lighthouse was not visible. Unlike most lighthouses that have a very distinct and decoratively painted daymark, the Currituck Beach Lighthouse has been left unpainted to expose the brick out of which the structure is made. This has the dual effect of giving the structure a very unique look and showing just how many bricks went into the construction, which is about a million.
Best Place to Mispronounce a Name: Bodie Island Lighthouse, Manteo, 252-441-5711
Despite how the name looks, "Bodie" is actually pronounced like "body." The name comes from the Body family, early inhabitants of the island. In those days, it was called Bodies Island, named after the family in a mix up of the plural and possessive forms of the name. Through the years, the final "s" was dropped, and we are left with the somewhat confusing name today. The lighthouse, painted with three white and two black horizontal stripes, takes its name from the island. Anyone who is not familiar with sailing might wonder why the Outer Banks has so many lighthouses, but the question can be answered with a simple trip to a Bodie Island gift shop, which sells maps to many of the shipwrecks in the area. There are so many, in fact, that the Outer Banks area has been given the nickname “The Graveyard of the Atlantic.”
Best Place to See a Baby Lighthouse: Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse, Manteo, 252-475-1500
Not all lighthouses are old. Not all lighthouses are of the traditional tower structure, either. Dedicated in 2004, the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse in Manteo is the youngest of the group, and also the most structurally unique. Unlike the other tall brick tower lighthouses that dot the coastline, this lighthouse is a recreation of a 1857 screwpile lighthouse that was decommissioned by the Coast Guard in 1955. The name screwpile comes from how the lighthouse is constructed. The supports, or piles, are equipped with a screw on the end of them, and when placed are screwed into the ocean floor or river bottom for extra support. Currently, the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse is home to the North Carolina Maritime Museum on Roanoke Island.
Best Place to Walk with Pirates: Ocracoke Lighthouse, Ocracoke
So, maybe "with" is not quite the correct word, but you can certainly walk on the same land that the famous Blackbeard once lived. The Ocracoke Lighthouse was built on the Ocracoke Inlet entrance where Blackbeard, also known as Edward Teach, once called home. It was built in 1823 by Noah Porter, making it the second oldest operating lighthouse in the United States, and the oldest operating lighthouse in North Carolina. As the light is located on the remote island of Ocracoke, you will have to ride the ferry over from Hatteras to see it, which is an experience in itself.
Best View from a Lighthouse: Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Buxton, 252-995-4474
The most famous of the Outer Banks lighthouses, and possibly the most easily recognized lighthouse in the United States, is the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. It is painted with the familiar black and white spiral daymark. Besides being so well known, it is also the tallest lighthouse in the United States, stretching 208 feet into the air. While visiting, be sure to take the time to make the climb, which requires pulling yourself up the 268 steps to the top. The inside of the tower is not air conditioned, and has very few windows, so it is dim, humid, and hot, but steeping out onto the observation deck, breathing in the fresh air, and seeing the Outer Banks from 200 feet make it worth the effort.
Best History Lessons: Roanoke Adventure Museum, Manteo, 252-475-1500 and Frisco Native American Museum & Natural History Center, Frisco, 252-995-4440
The race between these two museums is really to close to call. The Roanoke Adventure Museum covers over 400 years of Outer Banks history. Exhibits begin with English settlers coming to the islands and work their way gradually up through the ages. Learn about Civil War history, including the Freedman's Colony, or, if you like, become a surfman for a Lifesaving Station, or shop at a store straight out of the beginning of the 20th Century.
