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The Outer Banks.
Many of my neighbors and friends vacation here every summer.
Strangely enough, having lived in nearby Virginia for the last twenty years, I had never been down to the Outer Banks of North Carolina!
Friends of ours were vacationing in Corolla, North Carolina and discovered that there was plenty of room in their beach house. Since we were heading down to the southern border of North Carolina for a convention that my husband was attending, we decided to make a detour to the Outer Banks to stay with them for a few days.
After working on my tan for a day and a half, I decided that I needed to venture out and see what this area was comprised of. Driving around a bit, I discovered that there are…beach houses…beach houses…and then…more beach houses perched upon pristine white sand and gazing upon emerald waters. All amazing, but towards the end of the island, in Corolla Village, there is a sight to behold! A lighthouse!
Towering above the flat landscape and keeping watch over the ocean is the Currituck Beach Lighthouse, completed in 1875. Having the largest of seven Fresnel lens sizes, it is characterized as a first order lighthouse and can be seen for 18 nautical miles. The light, illuminated every evening at dusk, has a twenty second flash cycle…on for three seconds, off for seventeen seconds…and is extinguished at dawn. An aid to navigation, it not only warns mariners but also enables them to determine their locations.
To reach the lighthouse, we drove along Ocean Trail, following the signs along the way. There was ample parking near the lighthouse and we were greeted by a volunteer who immediately showed us the best places to capture an amazing photograph of the unusually unpainted lighthouse.
The impeccably manicured lighthouse grounds are also comprised of a couple of other historic structures including a Victorian “stick style” Lighthouse Keeper’s House, a smaller residence (once used for a third keeper and his family, now operating as a Museum Shop), an outhouse and a storage building. The Lighthouse Keeper’s House is currently being restored and not open to the public, however, the Museum Shop is open from Easter through Thanksgiving.
The lighthouse, which had fallen into disrepair, when automation deemed lighthouse keepers unnecessary, has undergone a huge preservation by the Outer Banks Conservationists since 1980. Visitor have been allowed to enter and climb the structure since 1991.
Taking our place in line to await our turn to climb to the top of this towering structure, some members of our group used the time wisely to walk around the grounds and investigate what the gift shop had to offer. In order to keep congestion in the lighthouse to a minimum, only a small number of visitors are allowed inside at one time. So, as visitors leave, others are allowed in.
Finally, our turn had arrived and we began the long, hot, climb to the top…220 twenty steps, stopping only to catch our breath and read the museum-quality displays on each level detailing the lighthouse’s history.
After one last exhausting push, we exited to the top platform into the cool breeze, admiring the expansive views of the Atlantic, the barrier island and the sound. Worth the climb? You bet!
Though access to the lens room is not permitted since the lens (the original) is still a functioning one, it was thrilling to look out over one of the top vacation spots in on the East Coast.
After making our way, slowly down the winding stairs, sadly, it was time to end our visit. Getting our sticker, we were ready to return to the beach…and work on our tans!
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Currituck Beach Lighthouse
- http://www.currituckbeachlight.com/
- Address: 1101 Corolla Village Road, Corolla, NC 27927
- Hours: March 20-December 1, 0900-1700, daily (weather permitting). Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, the lighthouse will remain open on Wednesdays and Thursdays until 2000. Closed Thanksgiving Day
- Admission: $10.00 to climb the lighthouse tower, cash or checks only. Children under 8 years climb free with an adult. Admission to the grounds and parking are free. On opening day, March 20, the lighthouse is open for free climbs.
- Getting There: At the junction of Highway 158 and Route 12, take Route 12 heading north towards Duck and Corolla. The lighthouse entrance is 20 miles from the junction, on the left, just beyond the Currituck Heritage Park sign. You may also enter at Currituck Heritage Park and ask the guide at the entrance for directions from there.
- After your visit to the Currituck Lighthouse, you can check out The Whalehead Club, The Wildlife Center and Historic Village.
