Visiting Currituck Beach Lighthouse
Visiting Currituck Beach Lighthouse
HOURS OF OPERATION
2026 Season: March 21 – November 30
The Lighthouse and Museum Shop are open daily 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Open *weather permitting*
Closed for thunder, big storms, & Thanksgiving Day
ADMISSION
$13.00 to Climb Lighthouse (ages 4 and up)
Admission is paid at front of lighthouse and includes NC sales tax. (Via cash, check, or credit card)
Advance and online ticketing are not available.
77% of admission is deductible as a charitable donation
Come See the Light
Currituck Beach Lighthouse towers above the northern Outer Banks in the Historic Corolla Village. The last brick and mortar lighthouse built in North Carolina, its unpainted red brick served as a day marker to distinguish it from other coastal lighthouses.
The Currituck Beach Lighthouse is a first-order lighthouse, having the largest of seven Fresnel lens sizes. With a 20-second flash cycle, the light can be seen from 18 nautical miles away. Upon entering, you will find exhibits interpreting the history and significance of the Currituck Beach Lighthouse; its role in cultural and maritime history on the Outer Banks and the nation is significant.
Climbing the Currituck Beach Lighthouse is always rewarding; at the top, you’re greeted with expansive views of the Currituck Sound, the Atlantic Ocean, and the northern Outer Banks.
See What a Day at the Lighthouse Looks Like
Want to climb all year long?
Purchase a Season Pass
Additional Information
Admission to the grounds and the museum shop is free, along with parking.
There are no height restrictions but climbers must be at least 4 years old to climb. Children ages 0-3 may go to the top in a carrier/backpack only (free).
To climb the tower, visitors must sign a liability waiver. It indicates that there is risk in climbing a building where the architecture is preserved and interpreted for a period before modern building codes.
Drones and their pilots must stay outside the wooden fence that surrounds the Currituck Beach Lighthouse compound.
Leashed pets are welcome on the grounds.
Tour Groups & Field Trips
The Currituck Beach Lighthouse hosts school groups, nonprofit groups, and professionally guided tours. To qualify for our group rate, your party must have 15 or more guests and make arrangements at least 3 weeks in advance.
* Prior to climbing the lighthouse, we ask that each person in the group sign a liability statement. Don’t worry, we never share your information. To save time, the waiver may be sent to the tour coordinator and must be turned in to staff upon arrival.
How to Find Us
The lighthouse entrance is 20 miles north of Highway 158 and Route 12 junction; take the third or fourth left after Corolla’s 11-mile marker, just beyond the Historic Corolla Park sign. The lighthouse is just north of the Historic Corolla Park and Historic Whalehead.
Currituck Beach Lighthouse Office
(252) 453-4939
Currituck Beach Lighthouse Museum Shop
(252) 453-6778
