NPS summer hours and programs run from May 22-Sept. 7

Summer is almost upon us and 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 May 22 – Sept. 7.

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 can also be found in the summer newspaper, In The Park, which will be available at all National Park Service visitor centers and Outer Banks Visitors Bureau welcome centers starting May 22.

From May 22 through Labor Day, the visitor center and museum at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse will be open on the 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 8:45 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the Bodie Island Lighthouse will be open for climbing from 9 a.m. to 4:25 p.m.  The visitor centers at Fort Raleigh NHS, Wright Brothers NMEM, and on Ocracoke Island in Cape Hatteras National Seashore are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Fort Raleigh NHS is offering many programs that provide an in-depth look into the park’s multiple themes, including the Roanoke Island Freemen’s Colony, the Civil War Battle Of Roanoke Island, Reginald Fessenden’s wireless experiments, as well as the Roanoke Voyages story.  For Wright Brothers, check the daily program schedule at the information desk when you arrive.

Recreation programs such as surf fishing, seining, crabbing, and cast-netting are just some of the programs offered at Cape Hatteras National Seashore.  Other activities include beach walks, night sky, and special kids programs, as well as tours, such as Coast Guard Station tours, Cape Hatteras night climb tours, and a walking tour of Ocracoke village historic sites.  The Full Moon Tour of the Cape Hatteras and Bodie Island lighthouses will also return this year on June 2, July 1, July 31, Aug 29, and Sept 27–watch for details to be announced.