The lighthouses of the Outer Banks of North Carolina protect one of the most hazardous sections of the Atlantic Coastline. Here the Gulf Stream collides with the Labrador Current from Canada. The current forces southbound ships into a dangerous twelve-mile long sandbar called Diamond Shoals earning the area the reputation as the “Graveyard of the Atlantic” … from the 1500’s until now.
The Bodie Island Lighthouse frenzel lens we never would have seen without the ranger at the information center.
These lighthouses are some of the most iconic in the world and stand today, flashing out their warnings to mariners transiting the still treacherous waters. We visited each of the lighthouses, climbed to the top when we could and learned as much as possible. Click on the headlines below to find out more about the Currituck Light Station, the Bodie Island Light Station, the Cape Hatteras Light Station and the Ocracoke Island Light Station. Fascinating (and good exercise too!)
The classic photo of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
Cape Hatteras Light Station How many steps 248 or 268 to the top of the iconic black and white barber pole lighthouse?
No black and white graphics on this early lighthouse.
Ocracoke Island Light Station Converted to electricity in 1929 … guess what day?
Bodie Island Lighthouse – local lore says the island is pronounced “body” because of the bodies washing up on the beaches.
Bodie Island Light Station The lighthouse that was damaged by a flock of geese just a couple of weeks before it was originally lit in 1872!
