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    Rebecca M.

    The Old Baldy Lighthouse is the oldest lighthouse (that still exists) in NC. It was built in 1817, and is located on Bald Head Island so a ferry is needed to get across as cars are not allowed. The lighthouse has 108 stairs to the top and is 110 feet tall. Old Baldy is octagonal and made from bricks from the original lighthouse and new bricks too. Old Baldy's lantern was from the old lighthouse as well and used whale oil lamps and reflectors. But that didn't work well so a Fresnel lens is used now. The lantern room is off centered as it sits on a tower support beam and also because the Fresnel lens is used now rather than the 15 lamps that were previously used. Stucco was put over the bricks and it was white washed every two years. When the lighthouse was abandoned and the white washing stopped; parts of stucco came off and when repaired by patching, the same colors weren't used for the patching so the lighthouse is many colors. Besides the lighthouse you can visit a small museum and gift shop.

    Old Baldy Lighthouse
    Jake M.

    10/10 must see lighthouse in NC! I live in Wilmington and sometimes drive to Southport and take the ferry over just to walk around and see Old Baldy. Brings back the best memories.

    At the top
    Aimee N.

    This is a midsize lighthouse to climb up. The $8.00 admission price is fair and the place is beautiful. There are different levels that you can take a break on. The toughest part of the top where there is a ladder and a small opening. When you get to the top it's breathtaking! The Gift shop is small but cute and there are restrooms and a picnic table, too.

    Old Baldy Lighthouse
    Julia M.

    Old Baldy is the oldest standing lighthouse in North Carolina. It was built in 1817 of brick covered with stucco. It was built to mark the Cape Fear River entrance for the sailors. This is a great place to visit for local flavor and to appreciate it's historical significance. There is a museum on the grounds as well. In addition to individual and group tours, the lighthouse can also be rented for private events such as weddings.

    Jennifer G.

    A visit to Old Baldy is a great way to spend an hour or so and get a great view of the island. You purchase your $6 ticket ($3 for kids) in the gift shop and then enter a side door into the little museum. Your sticker is good for admission for the entire day, so if you wanted to make the climb again, you could. The museum is one small room with an assortment of prints and items that show a little bit of what a keeper's life would be like. You leave the nicely air conditioned museum to make the climb to the top of the light house. There is a guided cell phone tour with various places to learn information, but unfortunately, my cell phone did not have enough signal to do the cell phone tour. I like that the steps are broken up into five landings. It gives you plenty of space if you need to take a rest during the climb up. To get into the lantern room, you have to go up a ship's ladder through a narrow opening. It can feel quite confining, but it is worth the trek if you can make it. Make sure you take a look around the little souvenier shop. For a small shop, there is a nice selection of souvenier items and even a side room that had a lot of children's items. This is a must see if you are visiting the island.

    View of lighthouse driving on wood bridge
    Courtney G.

    I really was looking forward to climbing the lighthouse but we got carried away driving our rented go cart around the island. Keep an eye on a clock because the lighthouse closes at 4pm. My advice is check it out before doing other things. It's close to ferry terminal and really beautiful spot.

    Old Baldy Lighthouse, oldest in NC.
    Fred B.

    You can actually climb to the top of this relatively small (108 steps to the top) lighthouse, the oldest in North Carolina, built in 1817. The cost is $6 to visit the museum, and climb to the top of the lighthouse if you chose. It is not the toughest climb in the world, and the view is nice, especially of the Fishing Creek area.

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    Review Highlights - Old Baldy Lighthouse

    Your sticker is good for admission for the entire day, so if you wanted to make the climb again, you could.

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    G V Barbee Sr Bridge - the intracoastal...

    G V Barbee Sr Bridge

    4.0(2 reviews)
    5.3 mi

    as much as I enjoy an interesting bridge there's plenty of things worse than a boring bridge…read more.. like collapsed bridges. collapsed bridges are way worse than boring bridges when said bridge is part of your daily commute... gotta hate detours on the way to work because part of the road is on the bottom of the intracoastal waterway... not a whole lot of anything here for the wind to grab hold of and nothing much to obstruct the flow of waters so this one should hold up well. yeah for low maintenance bridges for putting lots of time and miles between now and the here-after. also yeah for emergency response during and after crises. double yeah for boring!!

    The G. V. Barbee Senior Bridge carries North Carolina route 133 across the Intracoastal Waterway…read moreand connects Oak Island with the mainland. The bridge is 4250 feet long and is 65 feet high. 37 separate concrete girder main spans on top of 28 hollow core concrete slab approach spans. The bridge has two lanes with a double-yellow in between. There is a decently wide pedestrian/breakdown lane on each side. A number of repairs were recently completed including replacement of the concrete slabs and barrier rails, the roadway was resurfaced and some on the pier caps and columns. Originally a swing bridge back in the 1930s that was destroyed by a barge strike in 1971, the current replacement bridge was opened for traffic in 1975 and is named for a distinguished Oak Island resident. The Barbee bridge is one of two that goes to Oak Island. The Swain's Cut Bridge is about 6 miles west and brings SR 906 over the Intracoastal. [Review 13977 overall, 1299 of 2020, number 2617 in North Carolina.]

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    G V Barbee Sr Bridge - Yepper...

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    G V Barbee Sr Bridge - G. V. Barbee Sr Bridge, Northbound

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    G. V. Barbee Sr Bridge, Northbound

    Hurricane Hazel - Hurricane Hazel Historical Marker

    Hurricane Hazel

    4.0(1 review)
    4.9 mi

    Across the street from a diner, so there's a spot to stop, this marker is in good shape and…read moreremembers a recent meteorological event. Before my time, but I'm sure the locals have never forgotten. The marker reads, "Hurricane Hazel. Category 4 storm made landfall at Long Beach, October 15, 1954, with winds over 140 mph & 17-foot surge. Nineteen people killed in North Carolina." Online, "On October 15, 1954, Hurricane Hazel made landfall in southern Brunswick County and became the benchmark hurricane for an entire generation. Its devastation began long before it reached Tar Heel shores as, just days before, it struck Haiti where it left hundreds dead. Its landfall in North Carolina occurred on a full moon high tide, exacerbating the storm surge impact on the barrier beaches of Sunset Beach, Ocean Isle, Holden Beach, Long Beach, Carolina Beach, Wrightsville Beach, and Topsail Island. The devastation was widespread across North Carolina but nowhere was the impact more severe than on Long Beach (present-day Oak Island), where a 17-foot storm surge swept away 352 of the 357 structures on the island. The dramatic surge was unprecedented, and to this day represents the greatest coastal inundation in North Carolina's recorded history." "Hazel was responsible for ninety-five deaths in the U.S., including nineteen in North Carolina. Its total damage impact in the Tar Heel State was $136 million, a considerable amount for 1954. Hazel remains the standard by which other North Carolina hurricanes are measured." Since Hazel struck, Hurricane Hugo landed in 1989 near Sullivan's Island, South Carolina as a Category 4. Storm surge along the coast of North Carolina west of Cape Fear reached 9 ft (2.7 m) above mean sea level. [Review 13979 overall, 1301 of 2020, number 2619 in North Carolina.]

    Old Baldy Lighthouse - landmarks - Updated May 2026

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