Fourth of July Week: Enjoying Your National Parks on the Outer Banks
Designated as the United States’ first National Seashore, Cape Hatteras National Seashore (Seashore) includes 67 miles of ocean-facing beaches, sound-side recreational areas, three lighthouses, and three visitor centers.
Programs with a Park Ranger (Park Calendar)
Ocracoke Island
Hatteras Island
Bodie Island
Ocean Safety
If you are planning on entering the Atlantic Ocean during your visit to the Seashore, we highly recommend learning about ocean safety. Daily rip current forecasts are listed on our Facebook and Twitter accounts.
The safest places to swim are located at lifeguard beaches. There are three beach locations along the Seashore that are staffed with lifeguards from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. The locations are:
Recreational Activities
The Seashore offers a variety of recreational activities, including beach recreation, off-road vehicle use, fishing, lighthouse climbing, camping, hiking, kayaking, watersports, and wildlife viewing.
Fireworks
Celebrate our freedom by viewing firework shows on Ocracoke and Hatteras Islands.
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site preserves and interprets the site of the first English Colony in the New World, is the site of the theatrical production, The Lost Colony, and interprets historical events of the Native Americans, European Americans, and African Americans who lived on Roanoke Island.
Programs with a Park Ranger (Park Calendar)
For full park details, go to www.nps.gov/fora.
Wright Brothers National Memorial commemorates the first successful power driven airplane flight, which was made by Wilbur and Orville Wright on December 17, 1903.
Programs with a Park Ranger (Park Calendar)
For full park details, go to www.nps.gov/wrbr.
Social Media
Consider following and tagging your favorite Outer Banks national park site on social media while visiting this summer.
-Cape Hatteras National Seashore – Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
-Fort Raleigh National Historic Site – Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
