Especially useful is the schedule of special programs, which range from stand-up lectures to guided tours and demonstrations. Try and be there when a park staffer offers a verbal once-over of the topics and fields any questions. In her talk, the staffer said that each lighthouse used different flash sequences to identify its signal to mariners. Bodie, for instance, could be recognized because its 1,000-watt bulb was on for 2.5 seconds, off for 2.5 seconds, on for 2.5 seconds and finally off for 22.5 seconds. The other public room at the keeper's house is given over to a gift shop, where maps, books and souvenirs are available.
Nice weather brings more visitors, though.
In previous years, it was sometimes about a tenth of that. The raised platform at the end of the walk is a great place for taking photos of the lighthouse in a largely natural setting. On to Hatteras Get back onto N.C. 12, but before heading south 45 miles to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, backtrack a few miles. On the east side of the highway, look for signs to Coquina Beach, the northernmost beach in the national seashore. While it can get crowded during hot weather, it still offers more elbow room than those at developed Nags Head and Kitty Hawk.