Join us in celebrating National Public Lands Day 2021 in your OBX national parks on Saturday, September 25! All three of your parks are fee-free for the day!
Cape Hatteras National Seashore at sunset.
Photo: NPS/K. Moses
“Established in 1994 and held annually on the fourth Saturday in September, National Public Lands Day is traditionally the nation’s largest single-day volunteer effort. It celebrates the connection between people and green space in their community, inspires environmental stewardship and encourages use of open space for education, recreation and health benefits.”
-National Park Service
The following activities will take place at Cape Hatteras National Seashore on September 25:
Bodie Island:
The Bodie Island Lighthouse — Lighting the way for almost 150 years: 11 a.m.-11:20 a.m.
Join a ranger to learn the history of this beautiful sentinel! Meet on the back porch of the Keeper’s Quarters.
Shaping these Barrier Islands: 2 p.m.-2:20 p.m.
Wars, hurricanes, winds and ocean currents have all had impacts on the shores of Cape Hatteras. Join a ranger to learn about some of these events and the changes they have made to these islands. Meet on back porch of the Keeper’s Quarters.
Hatteras Island:
The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse — Lighting the way for over 150 years: 11 a.m.-11:20 p.m.
Join a ranger to learn the history of this beautiful sentinel and about current restoration efforts. Meet at the Hatteras Island Visitor Center Pavilion.
Shaping these Barrier Islands: 2:30 p.m.-2:50 p.m.
Wars, hurricanes, winds and ocean currents have all had impacts on the shores of Cape Hatteras. Join a ranger to learn about some of these events and the changes they have made to these islands. Meet at the Hatteras Island Visitor Center Pavilion.
The following activities will take place at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site on September 25:
Lost Colony Walking Tour: 11 a.m.-11:25 a.m., 1 p.m.-1:25 p.m., 3 p.m.-3:25 p.m.
Join a ranger for this 25-minute guided tour and delve into history and the mystery surrounding England’s first attempt to establish a colony in the new world. Meet in the plaza outside of the Visitor Center.
The following activities will take place at Wright Brothers National Memorial on September 25:
Wind and Sand: 11 a.m.-11:30 a.m., 1 p.m.-1:30 p.m., 3 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
Join a ranger to step back into history during this short walk to the actual site of the Wrights’ first powered flights. Discover why the Wrights chose Kitty Hawk for their flight experiments and what life was like in the Outer Banks and learn about the events that led to the first powered flight on that cold December day and the lasting impact their first flight continues to have on the world today. Meet on the back patio of the Visitor Center.
The Wright Legacy: 12 p.m.-12:30 p.m.
Twelve seconds was all the Wright brothers needed on December 17, 1903, to show the world humans can fly. Those twelve seconds were just the start of aviation history and the Wright legacy. Join a ranger to explore the rest of the Wright story as you discover the impact that Wilbur and Orville had on history, the legacy they left behind and how they are remembered in the world today. Meet at the white tent south of the Pavilion restrooms.