National Park Service Announces Fall Visitor Center/Lighthouse Hours and Program Schedule

Date: September 7, 2010
Contact: Outer Banks Group, 252-473-2111

Today, the parks of the National Park Service Outer Banks Group (Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, Wright Brothers National Memorial and Cape Hatteras National Seashore) will begin a fall schedule of interpretive programs and hours of operation for the parks’ visitor centers and the Cape Hatteras National Lighthouse.

Visitor centers at all park sites will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse will be open for climbing from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily; tickets are sold from 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Children must be at least 42 inches tall to climb the lighthouse. The last day to climb the lighthouse is October 11.

During the fall season, the Outer Banks Group parks will offer a variety of ranger-led programs. All programs are free.

Fort Raleigh National Historic Site will be offering the following programs daily at the temporary visitor center: 1585-1586: The Exploration Expedition (30 min.) at 11 a.m.; Family Activity (45 min.), a hands-on program for families, at 1 p.m.; and 1587: The Colony (30 min.) at 3 p.m. The programs will be offered as staff is available and weather permitting. By completing a booklet and attending a program, kids ages 5-13 can become a Junior Roanoke Ranger. Call the park at [phone] for more information or check the park website at https://www.nps.gov/fora.

At Wright Brothers National Memorial, learn about the Wright brothers, their flight experimentation and their success during a Flight Room Talk (30 min.) daily at 10 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. in the Flight Room Auditorium. Fun In Flight (45 min), a kids' flight exploration program, will be offered in the First Flight Pavilion Auditorium at 11 a.m. daily. First Flight Tour (30 min.), detailing the historic December 17, 1903 flights, will be given at 1 p.m. on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. Kite Flight (45 min), a kids' kite building program will take place at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Tuesday, and Saturday. Video presentations are shown hourly from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily at the First Flight Pavilion Auditorium and are subject to the availability of the auditorium. All the ranger-led programs and the videos will run through October 11. By completing a booklet and attending two programs, kids ages 5-13 can become a Junior Flight Ranger. Call the park at [phone] for more information or check the park website at https://www.nps.gov/wrbr.

Programs are offered on all three island areas of Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

The Bodie Island Visitor Center will offer programs intermittently through October 11. Check at the visitor center for more details.

There are several 30-minute programs taking place daily through October 11 at the Hatteras Island Visitor Center next to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse: Outer Banks History at 9:30 a.m., Sentinel of the Shore at 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., and Barrier Island Nature at 2:30 p.m. Explore the Shore – Beach Walk is a 45-minute program that will start at the Buxton Swim Beach Parking Area at 11:30 a.m.

While in Ocracoke village, stop by the Ocracoke Island Visitor Center at 11 a.m. to hear the daily 30-minute program: Barrier Island Nature each Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday or Outer Banks History each Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. On Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 2 p.m., attend a talk on the Banker Ponies (30 min.) at the Ocracoke Pony Pasture. Go for a Village Walking Tour (1 - 1 ½ hrs) on Wednesday at 2 p.m. Meet at the parking lot across from the Hatteras ferry dock on Thursday at 8 a.m. for the Morning Bird Walk (1 ½ - 2 hrs). The Explore the Shore 30-minute program will start at 2 p.m. on Monday and Friday at the Ocracoke Lifeguard Beach. All ranger-led programs in Ocracoke will be offered through September 30th.

By attending programs and completing a workbook, kids ages 2-14 can become a Seashore Ranger. For further information on Seashore programs, contact the Bodie Island Visitor Center [phone], Hatteras Island Visitor Center [phone] or Ocracoke Visitor Center [phone]; or check the park website at https://www.nps.gov/caha.