Construction of the Bodie Island Light Station began in mid-1871 and was first lit on October 1, 1872. The Currituck Beach Lighthouse built the following year used essentially the same plans with the light located two feet higher than Bodie's 156 feet. Light focused by the first-order Fresnel lens can be seen for 18 nautical miles. To reach the lighthouse from the US 158 intersection with NC 12 in Nags Head, drive south on NC 12 for six miles before turning right on Bodie Island Lighthouse Road. The parking area is at the end of the road in about one mile. The lower level of the keeper's quarters is now a visitor center, ticket office and bookstore. We visited during our October 2015 trip to the Outer Banks.
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| Lighthouse and keeper's house |
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| The lighthouse dominates the landscape |
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| The keeper's house was actually a duplex |
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| Bookstore |
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| One of the staircases in the keeper's house |
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| View from the back porch |
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| The name of the island changed from "Body's" to "Bodie" over the years |
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| End of the road and Pamlico Sound |
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| Keeper's house |
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| US Coast Guard radio tower and Herbert C. Bonner Bridge to the south |
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| A closer view of the USCG station and Bonner Bridge |
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| NC 12 and the Atlantic Ocean |
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| The pond was created by hunters decades ago |
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| View north toward Nags Head |
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| Shadows |
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| A choice of views: looking down... |
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| ...and looking up |
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| Light room above the observation level |
Entrance to Cape Hatteras National Seashore is free. The lighthouse is normally open daily from the third Friday in April until Columbus Day, but may close due to adverse weather. A fee of $8 per adult is assessed to climb to the exterior observation deck of the lighthouse. Seniors aged 62 and older; children under age 12, but taller than 42 inches; and the disabled may climb for only $4.
The seashore website is http://www.nps.gov/caha/index.htm.
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