The focal point of the state park is historic Fort Macon, a brick five-sided fortress built between 1826 and 1834 and named for Nathaniel Macon, the state senator who procured the building funds. The vulnerable colonial port of entry at Beaufort Inlet had attracted a number of threats from piracy to Spanish raiders, but at the time of the fort's construction, it was the Civil War that loomed ahead in its future. Garrisoned in 1834, Fort Macon was seized from the Union forces by NC troops at the start of the Civil War, or the War of Northern Aggression, as some still refer to it. In 1862, Union forces recaptured and used the fort as a coaling station for Union navy ships and later as a federal prison. Fort Macon State Park is the most visited park in NC with around 1.4 million annual visitors.
Admission is free.
Fish from rock jetties, or park at the bathhouse area for the public swimming beach, boardwalk, picnic area, and summer-only concessions. The museum and bookstore are open 9am-5pm daily. Beach, bathhouse and picnic area are fully accessible to handicapped persons. Fort Macon's calendar features many special events and programs.