Island Express Ferry to Start and Harkers Island Visitor Center to Re-Open on Weekends

Date: February 6, 2014
Contact: Wouter Ketel, 252-728-2250 ext. 3014

HARKERS ISLAND, NC – The National Park Service is pleased to announce that passenger ferry service through Island Express Ferry Service will begin on February 15, 2014, departing from the Beaufort and from Harkers Island. The Harkers Island Visitor Center will also re-open to visitors on Saturdays and Sundays beginning Saturday, February 15, 2014.

“We are very pleased to be moving forward to implement the concession ferry service from Harkers Island and Beaufort “ stated Cape Lookout National Seashore Superintendent Pat Kenney. “We have been planning this for a few years and it will be a real positive to the community and the visitors of the Seashore.”

Ferry service will be available 7 days per week from both Beaufort and Harkers Island. On Harkers Island, the ferry departs from the Harkers Island Visitor Center. In Beaufort, the ferry will depart from the Town docks on Front Street. The ferry service will transport visitors to Shackleford Banks and the Cape Lookout Lighthouse.

The Harkers Island Visitor Center will be open 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. daily. Tour the exhibits and watch the award winning film “Ribbon of Sand.” Nature trails connect the visitor center to the nearby Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center. The museum provides visitors the opportunity to experience “Down East” and learn about the many cultural traditions and gain an understanding of the heritage of the region. “We look forward to welcoming ferry passengers to the Museum on their way to and from the Cape,” stated the Museum’s Executive Director Karen Willis Amspacher. The National Park Service will be opening the Beaufort Information Center in April. The information center will be located in Town Hall on Front Street. “We have a strong partnership with the Town of Beaufort and it is great that we will be able to provide information about the Seashore to the numerous visitors to the town”, stated Superintendent Kenney.

For more information contact Cape Lookout National Seashore at 252-728-2250.

For more information on ferry schedules or to make advanced reservations, call 252-728-7433 or go online to www.islandexpressferryservices.com