Here’s your daily dose of some amazing Outer Banks art from one of my favorite blog subjects, Jordan.
In addition to hunting “Toys from God,” Jordan is into all sorts of art these days, and here is one of his recent snapshots – the famed “Lighthouse.”
Awesome.
Jordan's Lens: The Lighthouse
Outer Banks Link Love
Here’s this weeks love for all of the links I couldn’t get to. A bunch of local OBX news to pass on.
Enjoy the link love…
Looks like the Outer Banks has done it again! Dr. Beach, the beach expert names the OBX as one of the best beaches in America noting its great board surfing, lighthouses, and historic fishing villages.
Here is the list of the top 10 beaches across the U.S:
1. Siesta Beach in Sarasota, Florida
2. Coronado Beach in San Diego, California
3. Kahanamoku Beach in Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii
4. Main Beach in East Hampton, New York
5. Cape Hatteras in the Outer Banks of North Carolina
6. St. George Island State Park, Florida panhandle
7. Beachwalker Park Kiawah Island, South Carolina
8. Coast Guard Beach in Cape Cod, Massachusetts
9. Waimanalo Bay Beach Park on Oahu, Hawaii
10. Cape Florida State Park in Key Biscayne, Florida
We feel so fortunate to be in the top 5 and hope that everyone has a chance to experience the beauty that the Outer Banks has to offer.
Outer Banks - 2.16.11 - Sun Up on the Sound
The U.S. News Travel Section recently highlighted the Outer Banks. The article gives a quick overview of some great OBX attractions, and then goes on to list their Top 11 “Best Things to Do in the Outer Banks.”
Here’s what U.S. News had to say:
“The Outer Banks have activities for relaxation and for adventure. The quiet beaches are the main draw to the area, but others visit OBX for the horseback riding, hang gliding and water sports. Touring the shipwrecks off the coast, sightseeing at Corolla’s Currituck Beach Lighthouse, Kill Devil Hill’s Wright Brothers National Memorial or Nag’s Head’s Jockey’s Ridge State Park make a happy medium for recent vacationers who desire a more balanced getaway.”
U.S. News Top 11 “Best Things to Do in the Outer Banks”:
1. Outer Banks Beaches
2. Jockey’s Ridge State Park
3. Cape Hatteras National Seashore
4. Pirate Adventures of the Outer Banks
5. Stop-N-Shop Beach Shop
6. Wright Brothers National Memorial
7. Roanoke Island Festival Park
8. Currituck Beach Lighthouse
9. Bodie Island Lighthouse
10. North Carolina Aquarium at Roanoke Island
11. Tanger Outlets Nags Head
I was doing a little spring cleaning in the office today – I know, it’s not spring, but it’s almost 70′s degrees today, and I’m a believer in positive thinking. Anyway, I came across an old CD buried in the back of a file cabinet, and it turns out it is a CD chock full of some amazing Outer Banks aerial photos.
Classic OBX photos from the air! Sweet find!
Here are few of the best…
Bodie Island Lighthouse Restoration
The Bodie Island Lighthouse had been going through major repairs in a restoration effort, and unfortunately, the restoration process has uncovered further issues.
The repairs uncovered significant safety issues as layer upon layer of paint and corrosion were removed. The process revealed troublesome cracks and breaks in the structural supports that hold the balcony and affect the stability of the top of lighthouse.
The cracks and breaks need to be repaired asap so the progress that has been made isn’t lost.
The structural issues will delay progress on the project and require additional funding. The National Park Service is currently seeking additional funding at the Federal and regional levels, and the project will be paused until the additional funding is secured.
Once the project is completed, the Bodie Island Lighthouse will be opened to the public for climbing.
Currituck Beach Lighthouse - Corolla
The Currituck Beach Lighthouse turns 135 years old this year!
Come to the Currituck Beach Lighthouse in Corolla from 3 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 1, to celebrate 135 years of light! Join the modern-day lighthouse keepers to celebrate the history of this beacon. Enjoy a rare opportunity to enter the lens room to see the magnificent lens – one of very few First Order Fresnel lenses still in operation.
Feel the incredible heat emanating from the prisms once the sky is dark and the light is on (automatically now, as it has been since 1939). Enjoy the evening sky from the outdoor gallery. Meet two uniformed lighthouse keepers as they explain the workings of the original lighting mechanism and tell tales of life on Currituck’s Outer Banks. View letters written by the keepers, archives about the tower’s construction, and reports on ships that were lost before the tower was built.
No charge for this event!
2010 Outer Banks Winter Educational Series
Currituck Heritage Park Winter Educational Series
COROLLA IN RETROSPECT ~ The Shipwreck Series ~
CURRITUCK HERITAGE PARK IS LOCATED PAST MILEPOST 11 ON RT. 12 N. IN COROLLA, NC.
JANUARY & FEBRUARY SEMINARS WILL BE HELD IN THE OUTER BANKS CENTER FOR WILDLIFE EDUCATION.
3:00 pm Wednesday December 1, 2010 – ILLUMINATING THE DARK SPACE
Celebrate the 135th birthdayof the Currituck Beach Lighthouse
9:30 am Wednesday January 12, 2011 – IN THE DARK – BEFORE THELIGHTHOUSE
Shifting Sands
Shipwrecks
9:30 am Wednesday February 9, 2011 – BLACKOUT!
World War II days
Coast Guard in Corolla
Co-Sponsored by the Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education, the Currituck Beach Lighthouse,The Whalehead Club at Currituck Heritage Park and the Corolla Wild Horse Fund.
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
The Outer Banks has so much to offer visitors. In addition to the amazing natural landscape, OBX offers great local food, art galleries, history – first flight, Black Beard, The Lost Colony, wild horses, and the list goes on…way too much to do in a short stay.
Some of the most popular sightseeing destinations are the OBX lighthouses – Currituck Beach, Bodie Island, Hatteras, and Ocracoke. In addition to offering amazing views from the top, lighthouses offer a glimpse to the past and a simplistic oceanside beauty.
HuffingtonPost.com recently complied a list of the World’s Prettiest Lighthouses, and the Outer Banks landed on their list – Hatteras Light to be specific.
They should have called me, I could have saved them some research.
A stroke of luck and some kind generosity have led a group of photos from the late 1800’s to the Outer Banks History Center.
The pictures show wreckage from a major hurricane in 1899, and some have never been seen by local OBX historians. Luckily, many of the photos contain hand-written captions describing the scene. One of the photos shows a shipwreck washed ashore, and others display the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and Hatteras Village.
If you have any old OBX pictures, the Outer Banks History Center would love to see them.
