You'll Want To Spend More Time In The Oldest State Park In North Carolina

North Carolina’s oldest state park is located at the eastern tip of Bogue Banks (near Atlantic Beach and Morehead City) and doles out history, nature, and a beach perfect for swimming, fishing and sunbathing. It’s also among the top three visited state parks in the Tar Heel State, even though it’s among the smallest. Here’s what this state park has to offer and why you’ll want to spend more time here:

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Constructed from 1826 to 1834, Fort Macon is the fourth such defense fort to have been placed along the North Carolina coast in the vicinity of Beaufort. It's open daily year-round and admission is free.

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You can freely explored the grounds of the fort and walk in the footsteps of both union and confederate soldiers. At the start of the Civil War, soldiers from the North Carolina militia seized the fort and held it for nearly a year, installing 54 big cannons.

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Just a year later, land forces from the Union army attacked with more the 500 strikes, forcing a surrender of the fort to the Union. Although it was held by the Union for the remainder of the Civil War, it was mostly unmanned except for a lone attendant. After the war ended, it was used briefly (for 11 years) as a civil and military prison.

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And finally, in 1903, after the end of the Spanish-American War, the fort was completely abandoned by the U.S. government. In 1924, it was sold to the state of North Carolina for $1 to be used as a park. It was the first park to open in the new North Carolina State Parks system.

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Fort Macon State Park may be rich in history, but it also doles out a wealth of outdoor activities.

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The park includes more than four miles of walking trails, including 1.5 miles of beachfront.

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It is the perfect place to reconnect with nature along the coast and has picnic tables, educational sessions, and trails that wind through the park and around the dunes dishing up gorgeous views of the foliage and the water.

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Each year from Memorial Day through Labor Day the beach is staffed with lifeguards and the park operates a concession stand. Swimming is permitted outside of those dates, but at your own risk.

It’s easy to see why Fort Macon, North Carolina’s oldest state park, is among the most visited. When was the last time you enjoyed a stroll around the park and fort and Fort Macon?

You’ll find Fort Macon State Park at 2303 E Fort Macon Rd., Atlantic Beach, NC 28512. It’s open year-round daily from 9:00 a.m .to 5:30 a.m. Admission if free. Learn more from the official website of North Carolina State Parks.