This Road Trip in North Carolina Will Lead You to 7 Dreamy Lighthouses

Roanoke River Lighthouse was first commissioned in 1866. More than a century later, in 1955, the structure was relocated to Edenton to serve as a private residence. Ultimately, however, the lighthouse was sold to the city of Edenton, which undertook extensive interior and exterior renovations of the structure. It's now unique as a lighthouse that's situated well within the Intracoastal Waterway, along Albemarle Sound, rather than on the Atlantic coast.

Currituck Beach Lighthouse in Corolla is unique among other brick lighthouses along the Outer Banks in that it was never painted, and still stands wearing the natural color of the more than one million bricks used to build the 162-foot structure. It was the last major lighthouse on the Outer Banks constructed with bricks. It came online in 1875 and is still used for navigation to this day.

The construction of Bodie Island Light Station, near Nags Head, was fraught with difficulty. In its first iteration, the foundation was improperly laid, and the tower began to lean after 58 feet of it had been built. It was abandoned. A second lighthouse was built, but in 1861, retreating Confederate troops blew it up. The 156-foot lighthouse you see today lighted its Fresnel lens for the first time in 1872, and given that it remains standing, it must have been constructed properly.

At 198.5 feet from base to tip, historic Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse structure in the United States—and the second tallest in the world—so it was a no-brainer as a stop on this road trip. Its beacon first shone in 1870, but the lighthouse is no longer in its original location. Beach erosion threatened the light for more than a century, and in 1999, the lighthouse was moved farther inland to protect it from encroaching seas.

Ocracoke Light Station, located in scenic Ocracoke Village, is the oldest lighthouse in North Carolina still in operation. It first opened in 1823, and thus, it's been aiding seafarers with navigation for more than two centuries. Because of its location on higher ground, the keeper's quarters historically served as a place of refuge where residents sheltered during hurricanes, but it was eventually transferred to the National Park Service. Today, it serves as an NPS base of operations for Cape Hatteras National Seashore on Okracoke Island.

Cape Lookout Lighthouse is the Outer Banks' southernmost lighthouse. Home to wild horses, sea turtle habitat, and historic villages, Cape Lookout National Seashore also boasts a striking 163-foot lighthouse that pre-dates the Civil War. The black and white designs are painted on the brick structure to signify directions, with black diamonds indicating east or west, and the white diamonds indicating north or south.

This stop is a potential twofer. The modern, 153-foot concrete Oak Island Lighthouse came online in 1958 to replace the Cape Fear Light, which was demolished during the construction of its replacement. The latter was built in 1903 as a replacement for North Carolina's oldest lighthouse, nicknamed "Old Baldy," which still stands, inoperable, on the opposite bank of the Cape Fear River. After stopping in at Oak Island Lighthouse, make your way over to Old Baldy to explore the oldest lighthouse in the state.

This road trip is a wonderful way to delve into the history of the Outer Banks and to enjoy much of North Carolina's gorgeous coastal scenery. What are some other landmarks or lighthouses you would add to the itinerary? We'd love to hear your ideas!