Ocracoke Lighthouse

Ocracoke Lighthouse has stood at the edge of Silver Lake Harbor since 1823, making it the second-oldest operating lighthouse in the United States and the oldest in North Carolina. Where the Outer Banks' other lights lean on bold graphics to stand out — Cape Hatteras' black-and-white spiral, Bodie Island's horizontal bands, even Currituck Beach's choice to leave its brick unpainted as its own kind of signature — Ocracoke's short, whitewashed tower keeps things plain. That simplicity is the point: this was a working aid to navigation for the village below, not a roadside spectacle.

Visiting

The lighthouse is not open for climbing and never has been, so plan on viewing it from the grounds rather than from the top. The grounds keep limited hours: Monday through Saturday, 10am to noon, closed Sunday.

Getting to Ocracoke

There's no bridge or road to the island. Most visitors take the free NC ferry from Hatteras village, about an hour each way; longer toll ferries run from Cedar Island or Swan Quarter on the mainland, roughly 2.25 hours. A private plane can also land at the small island airstrip.

• Free ferry from Hatteras village: about 1 hour
• Toll ferry from Cedar Island or Swan Quarter: about 2.25 hours

Because Ocracoke has no evacuation route by road, hurricane season (June through November, with the sharpest risk in August through October) can bring mandatory evacuations and ferry suspensions with little warning — check conditions before you travel.