LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

North Carolina's most famous lighthouse is open for tours. Learn about this history of this guardian of the “graveyard of the Atlantic”.

Preview your trip on the web: Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

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  • Cape Hatteras Lighthouse No structure better symbolizes the human struggle to cope with natural processes of the Outer Banks than the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.
  • Groins at Cape Hatteras Describes the efforts to stem the shoreline's retreat at Cape Hatteras.
  • Moving the lighthouse In June 1999, the National Park Service began the process of relocating the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.
  • Lighting the maritime path: The geography of North Carolina's lighthouses In this lesson students will examine images of North Carolina lighthouses from the Built Heritage Collection at North Carolina State University and explore various websites to determine the relative location of eight North Carolina lighthouses and develop an understanding of maritime activities and coastal living.

Related pages

  • Jockey's Ridge State Park: Experience a world of the shifting sands and a barren, desert environment as well as an estuarine environment of the tidal waters of the Roanoke Sound at Jockey's Ridge State Park in Nags Head, North Carolina.
  • Cape Hatteras National Seashore: Provides information about the conservation of coastal birds in this area as well as background information about the Cape Hatteras, Bodie Island, and Ocracoke Island lighthouses.
  • North Carolina Maritime Museum: Students will learn about the rich maritime history of the North Carolina coast as well as the coastal environment and barrier island ecology.

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Visit this famous lighthouse in Buxton, North Carolina. Exhibits cover the history of the area. The lighthouse and visitor’s center is open all year. The hours are:

  • 9am - 6pm in summer, 9am - 5pm rest of year
  • Memorial Day through Labor Day 9:00 am - 6:00 pm
  • Labor Day through Memorial Day 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

For more information about visiting the lighthouse or ranger led tours, call 252-995-4474

In 1989, after many debates, studies and proposals, the National Park Service (NPS), who is also the provider for this website, made the decision to move the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse approximately one-half mile from its current location to an area less susceptible to the ocean’s influence.

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