The most popular tourist destinations in North Carolina are the Other Banks, a series of thin islands just off the coast that act as a barrier between the mainland and the Atlantic. Since most of the Outer Banks attractions close for the winter, I decided to make good use of a sunny fall weekend and explore the islands before everything shut down! Fortunately, the summer rush was long over, so I was actually able to enjoy the islands in relative peace (the only drawback was that the ocean was far too cold for any swimming.)
My first stop was the Bodie Island Light House, which was just a few miles south of my hotel. Surprisingly, the light house was practically deserted since it was both early in the morning and late in the fall. I had made an advanced reservation for the 9:30 tour to the top of the light house - which ended up being a private tour since I was the only person interested in climbing that early in the morning. Built in the early 1870s, the brick light house is 165 ft (50 m) tall and provides spectacular views of the island (which is narrow enough to allow great views of both the Atlantic coastline to the east and Roanoke Sound to the west.)
After my tour of the Bodie Island Light House, I continued driving 40 miles (65 km) south along the thin islands to the more famous Cape Hatteras Light House. Very similar to the Bodie Island Light House, Cape Hatteras was also built in the 1870s and shares the same black and white brick design. Slightly taller, the Cape Hatteras Light House is 210 ft (64 m) tall - making it the tallest brick lighthouse in the US. Sadly, after my private tour at the first lighthouse, the trip up Cape Hatteras Light House was a little disappointing. The Cape Hatteras Light House is strictly a self-guided tour, so I merely climbed to the top, took a few pictures, and headed back down.
Fortunately, I did at least enjoy a nice walk along the beach (with the lighthouse towering behind me.) Surprisingly, the beach was still a popular destination even in the cooler fall weather. There were a lot of people kitesurfing - though I'm amazed the didn't just blow away since the winds were so strong!
After my time at the beach, I backtracked north to Bodie Island for a quick lunch and some souvenir shopping. For my afternoon, I started at the Wright Brother National Memorial just south of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The sight of the first manned flight, the Wright Memorial proved to be better than expected (though that might be because it was Volunteer Appreciation Day and the $4 admission was waived.) The memorial site included a small museum on the history of flight, which was a little disappointing. It also included a reconstruction of the original Wright Brothers gliders, as well as their early base camp. However, the real highlight of the sight was the large airfield with stone markers showing the actual distant of the first four flights. Finishing the site was a massive stone monument atop the Kill Devil Hills, the launch point for the Wright Brothers' first experiments with gliders.
To finish my afternoon, I left the Outer Banks and stopped at Roanoke Island - a small island nestled between the Outer Banks and the mainland. Roanoke Island was the site of the first English settlement in America (and the birthplace of Virginia Dare, the first English child born in America.) Sadly, the colonists mysteriously disappeared after one year, and no one knows exactly what became of the settlers. Sadly, because they disappeared, there is nothing left to see on the island. Fort Raleigh, the site where the settlers formed their camp is little more than forest today.
Fortunately, the people of Roanoke Island have commemorated the early settlers with a large Elizabethan Garden. The beautiful garden, which is designed in a style popular in 15th century Europe features statutes of Queen Elizabeth and Virginia Dare among the trees and flowered paths. I was actually very impressed at how colorful the garden was this late in the season; I believe the garden designers successfully planned a garden that would be beautiful in all season!
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