Latest News & Events
New Opportunities at Oregon Inlet
Formed by a hurricane in 1846, Oregon Inlet connects the Atlantic Ocean with Pamlico Sound and a maze of inland waterways. Forming a 3,000-square-mile estuary, these waters offer crucial habitat for commercially important fish, shrimp, and shellfish species. Over 95%...
Nesting Season on the Outer Banks
Humans aren’t the only creatures that flock to the beaches of the Outer Banks. The sandy dunes and ever-changing shorelines play host to more than 300 bird species and dozens of reptiles. In the spring and summer, seven species of shorebirds make their nests in Cape...
The Bodie Island Lighthouse: 150 Years of Light
The Graveyard of the Atlantic has claimed countless ships and lives off the coast of North Carolina. Since 1872, the Bodie Island Lighthouse has warned mariners of the hidden dangers which lie 40 miles to the south, the Diamond Shoals. Ships taking advantage of the...
Roanoke: New Clues Uncovered In Enduring Mystery
Roanoke Island’s sandy soil has many stories a story to tell. One of those stories is the mystery of the “Lost Colony.” Archaeologists with the First Colony Foundation – which is dedicated to conducting archaeological and historical research, combined with public...
“Big Kill Devil Hill’s” New Look
When Wilbur and Orville Wright made the trek from Dayton to Kitty Hawk each year from 1900 to 1903 to test their gliders and their flyer, they relied on the sand dunes known as “Kill Devil Hills” to provide the ideal testing ground. But sand dunes are constantly...
Why Kitty Hawk?
Have you ever wondered why two brothers from Dayton, Ohio, would travel all the way to the Outer Banks to try and fly? Travel wasn’t easy in the early 1900s (this is pre-airplane after all, and pre-highway as well) so there must have been a good reason why Wilbur...
Leatherback Sea Turtles: Titans of the Deep
By Benjamin Ranelli, Seasonal Biological Science Technician at Cape Hatteras National Seashore (Ocracoke District) Three quarters of a mile below the surface of the ocean where sunlight cannot reach, true titans still roam the world’s oceans. By far, leatherback sea...
A New Way to Get on the Wright Route!
Orville and Wilbur Wright changed the course of human history in twelve seconds when they completed the first successful heavier-than-air powered flight on the sands of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903. But their journey to the skies began long before...
Meet Your Ranger: Adonis Osekre
Our Meet Your Ranger series introduces you to the many amazing people who support our Outer Banks national parks every day! Please tell us a little bit about yourself. Hometown: Washington, D.C. Program of study and relevant work experience: I studied...
Celebrate National Aviation Day 2022 in the Outer Banks
We invite you to celebrate National Aviation Day (Orville and Katharine Wright’s birthdays!) on Friday, August 19, at two locations in the Outer Banks: Wright Brothers National Memorial and Dare County Regional Airport! If you can't join in person this year, check...
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