2014 Labor Day Weekend Events in the Outer Banks
Labor Day is the last hurrah of summer for many families. One long last weekend together before all the kids are back in school and the household settles into a workaday routine. While the water is still warm and the beaches are more spacious... Why not make that last sweet weekend of summer an occasion to remember?
The Outer Banks of North Carolina may only be a small island of land. Just a string of small barrier islands at the edge of the Atlantic, these tiny islands are full of things to do on a long Labor Day Weekend.
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
Cape Hatteras National Seashore boasts not one, but two lighthouses that are open to climb. "Sea" the view from the top of one of our historic lighthouses, Cape Hatteras Lighthouse or Bodie Island Lighthouse. The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the tallest brick lighthouse in North America, has 257 wrought iron steps, or the equivalent of climbing a 12 story building. Think you're tough enough? Climbs start every 35 minutes throughout Labor Day weekend.*
Want more things to do at Cape Hatteras? Many of the talks and tours the park rangers give are free. Here's a selection of tours that weekend:
- Banker Ponies of Ocracoke Island
- Storms of the Outer Banks
- Light Station Discovery Walk at Hatteras Island
- Crabbing with the Rangers
- Fishing with the Rangers
- Pirates! On Ocracoke Island, former home of Blackbeard
- Moving History: How the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was moved
Alligator Rivers and Pea Island National Wildlife Refuges:
Home of the only wild range of red wolves in the world. Declared extinct in the wild in 1980, they were reintroduced to North Carolina in 1987. There are an estimated 90-110 red wolves living there now. Approximately 70 of them wear radio tracking collars. If you come early, there are free "Howl Safaris" on Wednesday nights, where visitors get to listen to the mournful call of red wolves. But if you have no such luck, you can explore the state-of-the-art Visitor's Center and hike the ample trails. Who knows? You might catch a glimpse of these shy and reclusive animals. There a variety of birds, fishes and other marine and coastal creatures to learn about. If hiking's not your thing, there are also driving and paddling trails. That's right -- over fifteen miles of color-coded water trails to canoe down, including guided tours.
As you can see, there's a lot to do this Labor Day weekend in the Outer Banks. Hope to see you here!
* Learn more or plan your next visit to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouses here: www.nps.gov/caha
** Learn more or plan your next visit to the Alligator River National Refuge here: www.fws.gov/alligatorriver
*** Learn more or plan your next visit to the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge here: www.fws.gov/peaisland