- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- home style today articles
- home style today q&a
- traveling today articles
- traveling today q&a
- message boards
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
 |
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Watching Over the Waters
Lighthouses of the Outer Banks of North Carolina
By Mary Snyder
The lighthouse is currently undergoing repairs and climbing isn't allowed. On the grounds you will find a principal keeper's quarters, which houses a bookstore, and a duplex keeper's quarters, which is a museum.
Traveling south on Highway 12 until the road ends will take you to the southern end of Hatteras. You will find yourself at the dock where you can take the free ferry across the inlet to Ocracoke Island. The 45-minute crossing will give you time to relax and enjoy the sights. (Be sure to watch for the occasional school of dolphins.)
Once you arrive on Ocracoke Island, you will travel 14 miles to Ocracoke Village. Once you enter the village, turn left at the main intersection on Lighthouse Road and you will find the lighthouse on the right. The lighthouse is set in the middle of a private neighborhood, so be considerate of the residents.
This small stout lighthouse is the oldest of the North Carolina lighthouses, still in use. Built in 1823, it stands only 75 feet tall over the harbor. Ocracoke is a picturesque town with a shady reputation. This area, a labyrinth of channels and harbors, was once the hideout for the infamous pirate Blackbeard. Ocracoke is a town built for walking and biking; the narrow, rough roads aren't the best for car travel, so park your car at the southern end of the village and take a walk and enjoy a slower pace of life.
These four lighthouses are a sampling of the many such structures that dot the coastline of America, from Maine to California. Every lighthouse is different and every lighthouse has a story to tell us, if only we take the time to listen.
Want to see more?
- The Outer Banks: Explore the Outer Banks of North Carolina
- Hilton Head Island: 3 Reasons You'll Love This Island off the Coast of South Carolina
- The Lighthouses of Traverse City: Sentinels of the Golden Coast of Michigan
- South Carolina's Seabrook Island: Magic Happens Near and in Charleston
- Check out our Article Library.
- Talk about it!
