At 198 feet, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is the tallest brick lighthouse in the United States. Its distinctive black-and-white spiral stripe makes it one of the most recognisable structures on the American coast, and the beam is visible up to 20 miles out to sea — warning ships away from Diamond Shoals, the treacherous shallow where the Gulf Stream meets the cold Labrador Current.
From mid-April to mid-October you can climb the 257 steps to the lantern room for panoramic views across Hatteras Island: ocean on one side, Pamlico Sound on the other, and an unbroken expanse of sand and sea oat dunes in between. The former keeper's quarters at the base serve as a visitor centre with exhibits on the lighthouse's history and the fierce storms that have shaped the Outer Banks.