Things to Do on Ocracoke: Lighthouses

North Carolina’s second-oldest operating lighthouse is found on Ocracoke. At just 70-feet tall, the Ocracoke lighthouse is visible throughout the Silver Lake harbor and all around the village. For those out at sea, the Ocracoke light is visible up to 14 miles offshore. The Ocracoke lighthouse serves as an icon to the island’s culture today just as significantly as it served as a beacon to sailors in the 19th and 20th centuries. While you can’t climb the Ocracoke lighthouse, unlike the Outer Banks’ other lighthouses, it’s definitely one of the most popular things to do on Ocracoke and is worth seeing from the exterior. The stately, white structure attracts visitors eager to get an up-close look of the attraction as well as its neighboring keeper’s quarters – an adorable, island-style bungalow – and the white picket fence bordering the perimeter.