A major bummer that the lighthouse is under repair, completely scaffolded and with none of its…read moreusual charm. It was supposed to be done later this year but with funding cuts, they no longer have an ETA. The gift shop is really nice and the folks working there were extremely apologetic and perhaps a little embarrassed. Still, it's a historic lighthouse and worth stopping by. Just check in first to see if they're finished the refurbishment. [Review 795 of 2025 - 4227 in North Carolina - 24355 overall]

It's still under construction. Bathrooms are about the only thing useful. I went inside the…read morevisitors center and gift shop and the staff seemed a bit mean and didn't want to be there. Plenty of parking.

What a unique experience I had finding this place…read more I had posted on Facebook that I was in town from LA and a friend from 30 years ago, then at first met at my first job in California randomly responded about the Old Burying Ground and said I should visit it. We were downtown and hitting a couple spots, and I was mentioning to my friend that lives locally about her response and it came right at the same exact moment that we were passing the cemetery and she pointed it out, so we quickly stopped and backed up and parked, and took a venture inside, mainly to see the girl that was buried in a barrel of rum, holy cow when you see the age of some of these graves and realize how extremely old they are, and you really quickly getting a sense of the magnitude of the history of the place. It is well worth your time to visit and explore.

Beautiful , historic graveyard . If you love history this burying ground is definitely worth a stop…read more. Plan to spend around 30 minutes here , maybe longer if you take your time to read the tombstones . It's a well kept graveyard but be sure to watch your step as the terrain is uneven in some areas . If you really want to learn more about the town's oldest graveyard , you can take a tour offered by the Beaufort Historical Association . Go to the website or visit the Beaufort Historical Center on Turner Street for more info . It's a peaceful final resting place for hundreds of notable people , soldiers , seaman and most notably , the Rum Girl .

No passport needed for this thrilling trip to a small section of the UK! Recommend the fish and…read morechips.

First some backstory taken from another site:…read more "The stories of how the sailors came to rest on the Outer Banks are intertwined, and begin with the sinking of the San Delfino, which was destroyed by German torpedoes in 1941. After the attack, the body of one of the ship's officers Michael Cairns washed ashore on the beaches of Buxton, and was quietly but respectively buried nearby in Buxton Woods by village locals. A few weeks after the sinking the body of an unknown sailor washed up and was buried next to Cairns. " The below article explains the history of the site in Buxton and the site on Ocracoke better than I can. www.charlotteobserver.com/living/travel/article9080264.html If you go: During the annual ceremony in May the general public is welcome to attend. The rest of the year if you are going to visit (assuming that you're coming from the north) just follow the directions to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse except instead of making the left turn into the parking area continue down Lighthouse Road. Pass Loggerhead Lane and then maybe a fifth of a mile on the right you will see an NPS style brown sign letting you know that you've arrived. There's parking for maybe two or three cars and the graves are set back a few yards on the right under the trees.

I've been obsessed with lighthouses since I was a child (an English thing, I guess?). Bodie…read more(Bow-dee NOT "body", I wish carpetbaggers would stop changing the pronunciations-two generations are now mispronouncing it) is not only beautiful, but has the additional museum and boardwalk to a scenic observation deck overlooking wetlands. I'm deathly afraid of heights so I can never go up, but I can appreciate the beauty and history from the ground.

After visiting the Hatteras Lighthouse and finding it all wrapped up in scaffolding, I was super…read moreexcited to get here to Bodie Island to find this one ready to photograph and visit. The Bodie Island Lighthouse is a striking black-and-white banded tower that has stood sentinel over the Outer Banks since 1872. This lighthouse is the third built in the area--the first, constructed in 1847, was abandoned due to a poor foundation, and the second, built in 1859, was destroyed during the Civil War by retreating Confederate troops. The current structure rises 156 feet and houses an original first-order Fresnel lens, casting light visible for up to 19 nautical miles. It was automated in 1940 and later transferred to the National Park Service in 1953. After extensive restoration, it opened to the public for climbing in 2013. Visitors can ascend its 219 steps for panoramic views of the surrounding marshes and Roanoke Sound. The lighthouse is part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore and remains one of the few tall brick lighthouses in the U.S. still equipped with its original lens. It was way too hot today to try climbing anything let alone that. I took my pictures and was more than satisfied. [Round number review 800 of 2025 - 4232 in North Carolina - 24360 overall]

Had no place to park motor home overnight that would allow me to run generator or plug-in. I have…read moremedical equipment that needs power 24/7 and no power also means no A/C. NO accommodations for RVs passing through without reservations made months in advance. The park ranger lied that I was asked to vacate a parking lot at the airport that was marked 24 hour parking. Was given $155 ticket for parking overnight. A beautiful area, to bad the rangers aren't more accommodating.

Nice national park site. Beach area is clean and easily accessible. Camping is no frills but gets…read morejob done. Entry visitor center closed because of fire. Nice junior ranger program. Not a destination but worth a stop in area.

The horses of Ocracoke Island, known as Banker Ponies, are believed to be descendants of Spanish…read moremustangs brought ashore after shipwrecks in the 16th century. One theory traces their arrival to the 1565 wreck of the Tiger, commanded by Sir Richard Grenville, who may have unloaded livestock onto the island. These ponies roamed freely for centuries, becoming part of the island's culture and even serving in beach races and as work animals. In 1959, they were penned to protect them from increasing car traffic after the highway was built. Today, the remaining herd lives in a protected enclosure managed by the National Park Service, preserving a living link to Ocracoke's maritime past. Sadly, there weren't any ponies this morning when I stopped by. [Review 783 of 2025 - 4215 in North Carolina - 24343 overall]

Our favourite beach access is directly across from the Ocracoke Pony pens, where the horses that…read moreare no longer able to care for themselves due to injury, age, et al, are cared for and guarded. You can still adopt a pony (donate) just like the Corolla Wild Horse Fund, and anything you give goes towards their care, medical, and food. After you arrive from the ferry, it's a very short drive and you'll come up on the pen to the right. Do not interfere with or feed them, but if you're lucky and the staff are feeding them you might have the opportunity to assist. There is a platform for better viewing, as they are gorgeous, sentient creatures, and you can sit peacefully and admire them from a safe distance.

Immensely beautiful park! The dunes are giant! We went a few times at sunset and things were pretty…read morequiet. The park is well maintained and the scenery is just stunning. We plan to return and spend more time there in the future.

Very cool place to see a small fort that contains a lot of history as well as display items to…read morelearn about the life of a solider during the civil war and World War I Make sure to get your Junior ranger badge if you are a fan! It's super cute and different than the NPS version.

A bit confused on the check ins and labels--we wanted to see the spot of "The Lost Colony" of…read moreRoanoke so I checked in at both "The Lost Colony" and "Fort Raleigh" as there is signage at both. It appears most people who review "The Lost Colony" are reviewing the play that is enacted every summer on-site here in the outdoor ampitheatre on site. So I'll keep my review here, as I did not see the play. Nor, unfortunatley, did I get to take the walking tour of Fort Raleigh/the Lost Colony. We arrived after the last one had started. We looked at the website multiple times and could only find "stop by the front desk" when we looked for tour times. Not sure if this is always the case or a delay related to COVID. Anyway, if you want a guided tour--come early, as the last ends at 1 or 2 pm. Fort Raleigh-- you get the historic spot of the Lost Colony, a short video about said lost colony in the viewing room, a few small museums, several walking trails (most shaded and ancient looking in a good way), some ocean front sitting straight out of last century, markers celebrating "First Light of Freedom" and other cool historic occurrences, and much more. And the gift shop. Well worth a stop for history loving travelers in the area.

Fort Raleigh National Historic Site was a great stop for our family. The visitor center has…read morewell-done exhibits about the Lost Colony and the Freedmen's Colony, and the kids especially loved the Junior Ranger program which made the history fun and interactive. The walking trails are peaceful and easy, and the historic earthworks are neat to see. The park rangers were excellent; friendly, knowledgeable, and great with kids. It's a mix of history and nature that's well worth visiting.

We were so happy we stopped here. The walk up to the memorial is steep at times, but there are…read moremultiple paths to take so others may have been more gradual, but it was part of the experience to step up to where these brothers flew their first flight. Do stop in even just to drive around, it was beautiful!

The outdoor memorial is accessible for dog walkers but the museum is not. You can get a beautiful…read moreview of the OBX when walking to the top of the monument. A great learning center for kids.

This is probably best taken in by people with children, especially those who aren't extremely…read moreinterested in museums. Aside from the ship, the outdoor sections are a little sparse but they do have live reenactors who are happy to explain a lot about what they do have, and that's really cool. The ship also has a couple people on board who are happy to explain both the historical and modern questions the kids have (like do you actually sail this boat... etc). The museum isn't extensive but it's enough to cover multiple topics and allows children to touch everything which is nice. It's short enough to not lose the attention of kids but does have some things that engage them. The town nearby is also super cute so all in all it's worth venturing out to Festival Park if you have some time on your hands.

I'm not normally a fan of museums but this was a great experience for us…read more First they offer military discount. Second the kids have a scavenger hunt to win a prize in the end. Every stop along the way you are assigned tasks to get a stamp. Majority of the "actors" were amazing with this! There was one girl next to the black smith that refused to give my daughter the stamp because she didn't want to put the armor on, but the young man who showed us the black smithing called her over and gave her the stamp anyways. I believe that was the only off putting experience from the whole thing. Made my daughter not want to continue. I wish I had gotten her name to put an actual complaint in, not all kids will want to wear the armor for various reasons. We listened and watched each demonstration and I think that's enough. The prizes were actually nice, they weren't just some sticker it was either a bookmark or a magnet. Both good quality. I learned a lot, our favorite part was the blacksmith, he explained so much to us and even gave my daughter the nail he made. Both actors on the ship were nice, the young man under the ship really stayed in character and answered all questions as if he was one of the actual crew. Super cool experience.