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NORTHERN COASTLINE OF NORTH CAROLINA
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Northern Coastline Of North Carolina
Places To Go - Things To See
Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, Dare and Hyde counties
(252) 473-1131
http://alligatorriver.fws.gov
There's something for every outdoor adventurer on Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge.Whether you enjoy birding, watching black bears, fishing, hunting, driving to observe wildlife, paddling, walking on wildlife trails, or howling up red wolves, you'll love this refuge!
Beaufort Historic Site.
(252) 728-5225/(800) 575-SITE
www.historicbeaufort.com
Founded in 1709, Beaufort is the county seat of Carteret County, also known as the Crystal Coast. It has been important as a Seaport since the time of Blackbeard and today is the home of the Beaufort Historic Association and a popular destination on the Atlantic coast.
Bodie Island Lighthouse, south of Nags Head.
(252) 441-5711
www.outerbanks.com/bodielight
Bodie Island Lighthouse doesn't rest on an island at all -- it's located on the soundside of Highway 12, between Nags Head and Oregon Inlet. It was completed in 1872, the third lighthouse built in this area. The first was destroyed by a storm and the second by war.
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and Visitor Center.
(252) 995-4474
www.hatteras-nc.com/light
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is the tallest in the nation and famous symbol of North Carolina.
Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
(252) 473-2111
www.nps.gov/caha
Once dubbed the "Graveyard of the Atlantic" for its treacherous currents, shoals, and storms, Cape Hatteras has a wealth of history relating to shipwrecks, lighthouses, and the U.S. Lifesaving Service.
Cape Lookout National Seashore, Markers Island
(252) 728-2250
www.nps.gov/calo
Fifty-six miles of undeveloped ocean beaches and soundside access, from Ocracoke Inlet south, including Nore Core Banks, South Core Banks and Shackleford Banks. Accessible by boat only.
Cape Lookout Studies Program, Beaufort
(252) 728-7317
http://capelookoutstudies.org/
The Cape Lookout Studies Program is an Environmental Education, Research and Conservation Program of the N.C. Maritime Museum
Carrot Island/Rachel Carson Estuarine Reserve.
(252) 728-2170
http://www.cerf.us/
The North Carolina Coastal Reserve system is comprised of ten sites extending from Currituck Banks in the north to Bird Island in the south. These Reserves protect our State’s precious coastal ecosystems. The ecosystems are teeming with life in the air, on the ground and under the water. Each system requires thoughtful attention and appraisal.
Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge.
(252) 225-2511
http://www.fws.gov/mattamuskeet/cedarisland/
Established in 1964, the refuge consists of approximately 11,000 acres of irregularly-flooded, brackish marsh and 3,480 acres of pocosin and woodland habitat. The marsh and surrounding waters provide wintering habitat for thousands of ducks and nesting habitat for colonial waterbirds.
Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station, Rodanthe.
(252) 987-1552
http://www.hatteras-nc.com/chicamacomico/
In 1873 Congress established the United States Life Saving Service to patrol the beaches looking for ships in distress along the treacherous North Carolina coast. Twelve Life Saving Stations were established - at seven mile intervals in an area known as Chicamacomico.
Corolla Wild Horses.
(252) 453-8152
www.corollawildhorses.com
These wild horses are true descendants of Spanish Mustangs and have also been called Banker Horses. The wild horses have been an integral part of the history and tradition of the Currituck Banks from the time of earliest visits and settlements by Europeans.
Currituck Beach Lighthouse, Corolla.
(252) 453-8152
www.currituckbeachlight.com
Twenty years ago, the Currituck Beach Lighthouse was in need of repair. The nonprofit Outer Banks Conservationists (OBC) was created to preserve the lighthouse when no one else was willing to step in and restore the national landmark. Since then, the OBC has spent more than two decades and nearly 1.5 million from private dollars restoring, maintaining and operating the lighthouse. The OBC opened the lighthouse to the public in 1991.
Currituck National Wildlife Refuge, Outer Banks north of Corolla.
(252) 429-3100
http://mackayisland.fws.gov
Refuge is found in the northern portion of Currituck Sound on an Outerbanks barrier island. Some tracts transition from the Atlantic Ocean to Currituck Sound which include sandy beaches, grassy dunes, maritime forests, shrub thickets, and fresh and brackish marshes. Concentrations of wading birds, shorebirds, waterfowl, and raptors with a variety of mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. Piping plover and loggerhead sea turtles occasionally nest on the refuge.
Elizabethan Gardens, Roanoke Island
(252) 473-3234
www.elizabethangardens.org
The Elizabethan Gardens is a living memorial to America's original English colonists. Historians buffs revel in the historical setting at the site of the New World's first English colony. Nature lovers wonder at the variety of plants, wildflowers, shrubs and trees. Culture seekers appreciate the period funiture, English portraits and ancient statuary throughout the garden.
Fort Branch Historic Site, east of Hamilton.
Banks of the Roanoke River.
(800) 776-8566
www.fortbranchcivilwarsite.com
Rainbow Banks (also called Rainbow Bend and Rainbow Bluff) near Hamilton, N.C. was an ideal location for a Confederate earthen fortification. The bluff— about 70 feet above a bend in the Roanoke River two miles below Hamilton and about 60 miles from the mouth of the Roanoke near Plymouth provided a clear view in both directions. Its height protected Confederates from the fire of passing Union gunboats as well as offering an exceptional position of attack.
Frisco Native American Museum & Natural History Center, Frisco.
(252) 995-4440
http://www.nativeamericanmuseum.org/
Located on Hatteras Island on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the Frisco Native American Museum and Natural History Center is a non-profit educational foundation created for the purpose of preserving Native American artifacts, art, and culture.
Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.
(757) 986-3705,
http://greatdismalswamp.fws.gov
The Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is located in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. The refuge consists of over 111,000 acres of forested wetlands. Lake Drummond, a 3,100 acre natural lake, is located in the heart of the swamp.
Hammocks Beach State Park.
(910) 326-4881
www.ils.unc.edu/parkproject/visit/habe/home.html
Venture to Bear Island and reward yourself with vivid memories of one of the most unspoiled beaches on the Atlantic coast. Accessible only by passenger ferry or private boat, there's just one thing at Hammocks Beach that's crowded is the list of things to do.
\Historic Albemarle Tour
(800) 734-1117
http://www.albemarle-nc.com/hat/
Visitors can learn of Sir Walter Raleigh's Lost Colony, tour splendid antebellum homes, or marvel at the beginning of modern powered flight.
Historic Halifax
(252) 583-7191
http://www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us/Sections/hs/halifax/halifax.htm
Located on the Roanoke River, the town of Halifax developed into a commercial and political center around the time of the American Revolution. A guided walking tour takes you into several authentically restored and furnished buildings.
Jockey's Ridge State Park, Nags Head
(252) 441-7132
http://www.jockeysridgestatepark.com/
Jockey's Ridge is the tallest natural sand dune system in the Eastern United States. Located in Nags Head, it is one of the most significant landmarks on the Outer Banks, North Carolina.
National Cemetery, New Bern
(252) 637-2912
http://www.cem.va.gov/nchp/newbern.htm
New Bern National cemetery is located in New Bern, Craven County, N.C. Founded in 1710, New Bern is the second-oldest city in the state, founded by German and Swiss adventurers whose commander was from city of the same name in Switzerland. Prior to the American Revolution, Royal Gov. William Tryon made this seaport his colonial capitol and commissioned the construction of Tryon Palace in 1770.
North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores.
(252) 247-4003
http://www.ncaquariums.com/newsite/pks/pksindex.htm
The Aquariums were established in 1976 to promote an awareness, understanding, appreciation, and conservation of the diverse natural and cultural resources associated with North Carolina's ocean, estuaries, rivers, streams, and other aquatic environments. The Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores reopened this spring after closing for renovations.
North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island
(252) 473-3494
http://www.ncaquariums.com/newsite/pks/pksindex.htm
The Aquarium includes indoor and outdoor exhibits, auditorium, classrooms, meeting rooms, and a gift shop. In addition, there are daily programs featuring live animals, marine life videos and special activities.
Ocracoke Lighthouse
(252) 928-7375
http://www.itpi.dpi.state.nc.us/Caroclips/ocracoke.html
The oldest lighthouse still in operation in North Carolina, and one of the oldest on the Eastern coast of the United States, it was built by Noah Porter in 1823.
Shackleford Horses
(252) 728-6308
www.shacklefordhorses.org
For generation after generation of the coastal people, there have been stories handed-down about the wild horses that roamed these sand banks we now call the Outer Banks. Hardy and tough, they have survived where man could not. They have endured through hurricanes, droughts, north-easters, so'westers, and centuries.
Shiloh Farm, Ayden
(252) 746-8017
http://www.shilohfarm-nc.com/Home.htm
A farm-oriented entertainment complex centered around a 1827 Plantation House
Somerset Place, Creswell
(252) 797-4560
http://www.albemarle-nc.com/somerset/
Somerset Place is a representative antebellum plantation offering an insightful view of life during the period before the Civil War.
Tryon Palace Historical Sites and Gardens, New Bern
800/767-1560 or 252/514-4900
http://www.tryonpalace.org/
Tryon Palace was originally built between 1767 and 1770, as the first permanent capitol of the Colony of North Carolina and a home for the Royal Governor and his family. It was soon regarded to be the finest public building in the American colonies.
Wright Brothers National Memorial, Kill Devil Hills
(252) 441-7430.
www.nps.gov/wrbr
A 60-foot granite monument dedicated in 1932, is perched atop 90-foot tall Kill Devil Hill commemorating the achievement of Wilbur and Orville Wright -- two visionaries from Dayton, Ohio, who successful sustained powered flights.
