My daughter Tabitha and I made the climb up the Hatteras Lighthouse and it was worth it. The view was amazing and the history is interesting to say the least.

• The 257 steps is like climbing a 12 story building. We had to stop twice on the way up and take a little break.
• There is no air conditioning and no elevators in any of the lighthouses on the Outer Banks. The hot and humid days on the Carolina coast makes it a challenge for sure.
• The stairs are narrow and only have a handrail only on one side. There is a landing every 31 steps to be able to take a short break before you keep climbing up.

In 1999, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was successfully relocated 2,900 feet from the spot on which it had stood since 1870.

While the National Park Service has met its obligation to both historic preservation and coastal protection, the much-heralded move of the historic station, especially the lighthouse, was hotly debated and closely watched. The move was needed because of the threat of continued shoreline erosion.

If anyone visits the Outer Banks of North Carolina I would suggest seeing several of the area lighthouses.

We also visited the Ocracoke Lighthouse and the Bodie Island Lighthouse on this trip. They were all great to see and read the history on each one.