Caswell Beach and Oak Island Lighthouse

North Carolina’s Brunswick Islands are a great place to vacation for golfers, beach goers, and lovers of great seafood. And if you are a lighthouse lover, history buff, there is the Oak Island Lighthouse to explore.

History of Oak Island Lighthouse

From the OIL website: The Oak Island Lighthouse was completed in 1958 at a total cost of $110,000.00. The lights are 169 feet above the water. A misconception is that the lighthouse itself is 169 feet tall. The actual structure is 153 feet tall, but it stands on a slight rise. Therefore, the height of the light above the water is 169 feet, and it is so reported on nautical charts.

There is no spiral staircase!!! as found in most older lighthouses, but instead a series of ships ladders with a total of 131 steps to the lantern gallery level.

View from the top?

I’m usually the adventurous sort who will try anything once — maybe even twice!— but eager as I was to climb to the top of Oak Island Lighthouse… I found I just could not. There are 131 steps to the top, which doesn’t sound like a lot. 17 steps to each level… but that makes for a lot of levels!

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I started out with enthusiasm, but after only a dozen steps I started to feel my gut clench and my fear of heights kick in. It was not so much the going up! than the thought of coming down all those steps that caused me to bail on the adventure. Instead of making the climb I chose to take photos of those who did. (Full disclosure: the photo “View from the top!” is a google image, not a photo I took.)

Those who made it to the top were happy they did. The view was fabulous and well worth the climb.

Take A Virtual Climb…

You can take a virtual climb to the top of the lighthouse if you want to…. just click here.