National Park Service summer programs include something for everyone

The National Park Service Outer Banks Group is ready with a summer schedule full of a variety of programs for park visitors, including history talks, nature walks, recreational programs, and a multitude of children’s programs.  The summer schedule runs from June 1 – Sept. 2.

Program schedules and descriptions are available on-line at each park’s website: Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, www.nps.gov/fora; Wright Brothers National Memorial, www.nps.gov/wrbr; and Cape Hatteras National Seashore, www.nps.gov/caha. 

Program schedules are also listed in In the Park, the National Park Service Outer Banks summer newspaper, available at any park visitor center and Outer Banks Visitors Bureau Welcome Center.

From May 24 through Labor Day, the visitor center and museum at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse are open on extended hours of 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.  The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse will be open on extended hours of 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. during those same dates.  The Bodie Island Visitor Center is open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.  Bodie Island Lighthouse tours run from 9 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.  The visitor centers at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, Wright Brothers National Memorial, and Ocracoke Island on Cape Hatteras National Seashore are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Wright Brothers National Memorial and Fort Raleigh National Historic Site are offering many programs throughout the summer including two special kids programs—“Faster Than a Flyer?” at Wright Brothers National Memorial and “Playing the Part” at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site.

Recreation programs on such subjects as surf fishing, seining, crabbing, cast netting, and snorkeling are only part of the offerings at Cape Hatteras National Seashore.  Beach walks and special kids’ programs are complemented by special programs. A  Coast Guard Station tour will provide an up-close look at Coast Guard operations and vessels at the Hatteras Station. “Old Days at the Hatteras Weather Station” relays the history of this recently restored building and U.S. Weather Bureau operations on Hatteras Island. There is a night climb – a guided night tour of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, which is offered twice every Thursday evening. This program requires pre-registration program – see the park website for details. There is also a “Village Walking Tour” on Ocracoke, which is a discovery of the island’s historic sites.

The Full Moon Tour of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse will also return this year on June 23, July 22, Aug 20, and Sept 19. Watch for details to be announced!