North Carolina’s gorgeous coastline features seven standing lighthouses. Can you name them all? What about naming them in their order from north to south? Try: Currituck, Bodie Island, Cape Hatteras, Ocracoke, Cape Lookout, Old Baldy (Bald Head Island), and Oak Island. Most lighthouses were given their own day mark, so that approaching vessels could determine which lighthouse was in view.

This is true for the Cape Lookout Lighthouse, found on Harkers Island in the Cape Lookout National Seashore.
Wikimedia/Peter J Breton
The second such structure in this location, this Cape Lookout Light was first lit in November 1859 and is 163 feet tall.
Google Local/Jake Ballard
It has the distinction of being one of only a few lighthouses in the U.S. that flash during the day. The light can bee seen for 12-17 miles.
Conversely, the views from the top of Cape Lookout Lighthouse are equally impressive.
Wikimedia/Jarek Tuszyński
Looking out over South Core Banks and the Atlantic is an almost overwhelming experience — or maybe that sensation is also due to the strenuous climb to the top of the the light, which is a total of 207 stairs, or the equivalent to a 12-story building!
Perhaps one of the most loved designs because of its jester-like diamond tower paint, the reason(s) behind the diamonds on the Cape Lookout Light may surprise you.
Wikimedia/Jarek Tuszyński
Firstly, the diamonds serve as a directional tool during the day. The center of the black diamonds points north and south, while the center of the white diamonds points east and west. Additionally, some believe (although there is no supporting evidence) that the designs on the Cape Lookout and the Cape Hatteras Light were accidentally switched because the Cape Hatteras light protects vessels from the Diamond Shoals.

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Want to visit? You can take a ferry over to the Cape Lookout National Seashore and wander the grounds year-round.
TripAdvisor/Rubystarfish
But if you want to climb those 207 stairs to the observation platform, you'll need to visit between May 15 and September 15 on any day BUT Monday or Tuesday.
The climb to the top is open to only 10 visitors at a time, due to engineering recommendations and to reduce stress on the tower.
TripAdvisor/Zeke T
Once you reach the top of the iron, spiral staircase, you'll pop through a hatch at the top and out onto the viewing platform.
TripAdvisor/Zeke T
In case you lose your sense of direction while circling the spiral staircase on the way up... you can always peer over the observation deck and down at the side of the tower to refer to the diamonds to regain your directional sense.
TripAdvisor/Zeke T
During the open season from May 15-September 15, the light opens for self-guided tours at 10:15 a.m. The last tour begins at 4:00 p.m.
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Tickets are sold from 10:00 a.m. to 3:50 p.m. and cost $8/adults and $4/children 12 and under (must be over 44 inches tall), and $4/seniors.

Learn more from this link on the National Park Service website. And for another fascinating window into the past, keep reading here to learn about the nearby historical village of Portsmouth!

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Cape Lookout Lighthouse, Harkers Island, NC 28531, USA