Hatteras Township

The Cape Hatteras National Seashore was the country's first coastal protection area, and it encompasses the Outer Banks region of North Carolina's coast. The beaches draw most visitors, but the area is also known for its breathtaking natural wildlife and rich history.

Birdwatchers can see endangered piping plovers and the American Oystercatcher, gull-billed tern, and black skimmer, which nest on the beach.

The beaches here are also a nesting ground for several types of sea turtles, including the one facing extinction, the loggerhead sea turtle. You may see seals resting on the beach during the winter months. An additional popular pastime is climbing historic lighthouses, such as the 1872 Bodie Island Light Station, which has undergone three incarnations. The first was declared unsafe, and the second was obliterated during the Civil War.

The Cape Hatteras Light Station was built in 1803 and rebuilt in 1870, and it served as a vital beacon on one of the most destructive stretches of the Atlantic coast, where the Gulf Stream meets the Virginia Drift, and hundreds of ships have sunk.

The Ocracoke Light, which is not open to the public, has been operating since 1823 on an island famous for its distinctive breed of Ocracoke Ponies.