Inside, there's an information desk, helpful staff, a small book shop, and exhibits about Ocracoke. You can arrange to use the Park Service's docks here, and pick up maps of the winding back roads that make great bicycle paths. Hours are extended in the summer. Rangers offer a variety of free summer programs through the center, including beach and sound hikes, pirate plays, bird-watching, night hikes, and history lectures. Check at the front desk for changing weekly schedules.
Restrooms are open to the public in season.
It's east of the Park Service parking lot, on the same side of Silver Lake as the Coast Guard Station. It was recently restored and is now managed by the Ocracoke Preservation Society as a museum and visitor center. A visit to this museum provides a wonderful peek into Ocracoke as it once was, with old furnishings donated by local families and original photographs of natives filling every room. The kitchen even has its table set in authentic old silverware and dishes. Upstairs, the museum has a small research library that the public can use with museum personnel's permission.