Part of the National Park Service since 2000, the former lightkeeper’s house at Bodie now houses a small museum and a park service office for information and education. You can also climb the tower with reservations – which go quickly.

Bodie (take note: pronounced “body”) offers a beautifully dark setting for milky way and star photographs – or just enjoying the view. Be sure to go out the boardwalk to the left through the marsh to the high platform for superior views every which way.

Bodie lighthouse dominates an open grass area at 165 feet from the ground to the lantern top. The flashing light can be seen 19 nautical miles away.

The town of Manteo in North Carolina thought a replica would be a nice addition to its visit-worthy waterfront where the detailed replica was subsequently installed in 2004.

As a replica, it doesn’t really guide ships down the sound, but the light is still turned on at night for a great view. For all I know, ships still use it for navigation.

Wandering the wharves and the boardwalk near the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse is worth the time when you visit the Outer Banks in North Carolina.

On the Cape Hatteras grounds, also part of the National Park Service, the former lightkeepers’ houses are also historically significant and worth a look. One houses a museum. Wandering the grounds at night under this giant of a lighthouse for night photography is awe-inspiring, even when you turn your back to it to see stars over the houses.

But who can’t keep their eyes off the lighthouse itself with its unique black-and-white candy cane stripes. The light can also be seen 19 nautical miles away.

The light at Cape Hatteras revolves, making for radiating light beams if you catch the light just right with your camera and a few other tricks. This lighthouse is 198 feet from the ground to the top of the lantern.

What you will learn on site is that the lighthouse was moved 2,900 feet inland in 1999 since the beach’s erosion was threatening its destruction. The move took 23 days, and its former site is marked so you can gape at the idea of moving this gigantic structure.

Quite accessible in Corolla off the main road, this lighthouse that opened in 1875 is easy to get to and popular with families.

You can also climb to the top of the Currituck lighthouse tower, spiraling up most its 165 feet from the ground to its tippy-top.

At the top, you get a close-up view of the Fresnel lens – and can see some of the 19 nautical miles out over the sound where the light can be seen.

The grounds at Currituck Beach Lighthouse in the Outer Banks of North Carolina are not open at night, but you can get some nice views from neighboring Corolla Park.

The Ocracoke Lighthouse is a cute littl’ thing at just 65 feet from ground to top – pretty short in relationship to other Outer Banks lighthouses! But its light can still be seen 14 nautical miles away. It is however perhaps the most historically significant in the Outer Banks since it is the oldest continuously operating lighthouse in North Carolina, opening in 1823.

Climbing the tower is not allowed but you can peek inside at the stairs winding their way up to the top.

The historic lightkeepers house was to be renovated and lifted I was told when I visited in 2022 (the entire island has flooded in hurricanes). At this time, the grounds are closed as is the yard between the boardwalk and the structure. Without much room except on the boardwalk, photographers line up to take their turns as the sun sets.

The lighthouse sits in a tidy neighborhood, walkable from the small town on the opposite side of the water called Silver Lake, and its stark white stucco exterior gleams in the sunshine.