This 14-mile island has a picturesque fishing village surrounding Silver Lake Harbor on the southern tip and was once the home to Blackbeard the Pirate, who was slain here in 1718. The island is also the site of a British Cemetery with graves of four Royal Navy sailors who died offshore in 1942. The Ocracoke Lighthouse, built in 1823, it is the oldest operating lighthouse on the North Carolina Coast. The whitewashed light stands at 65 feet and had the first Fresnel lenses. More than 265 species are known to visit the area.
Wildlife includes snow geese, egrets, herons and a large variety of wading, shore and song birds.
Northernmost section of Hatteras Island, between Oregon Inlet and Rodanthe. Visitor center and wildlife trail located 5 miles south of Oregon Inlet. 19 Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge Alligator River has over 150,000 acres of wetland habitats and a wide variety of wildlife species, from wood ducks and alligators to black bears and red wolves. Plant species include Atlantic white cedar, bald cypress, and many types of wildflowers and shrubs. Your reliance on any information found therein is at your own risk.