Outer Banks Park Service Sites to Reopen

Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site and Wright Brothers National Memorial reopened indoor facilities over Labor Day weekend.

Following guidance from the White House, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and consistent with North Carolina’s “Safer at Home Phase 2.5” executive order, the National Park Service opened Saturday the visitor center at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site and museum at Wright Brothers National Memorial. The museum of the Sea at Cape Hatteras National Seashore reopened Monday.

The National Park Service closed temporarily March 17 to minimize potential spread of the COVID-19, consistent with federal, state, and local advisories, visitor centers at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, and Wright Brothers National Memorial.

The National Park Service is working with federal, state, and local public health authorities to closely monitor the COVID-19 pandemic and using a phased approach to increase access on a park-by-park basis.

“At Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, and Wright Brothers National Memorial, the operational approach continues to be centered on examining each facility function and service to ensure those operations comply with current public health guidance and are regularly monitored. Parks continue to work closely with the NPS Office of Public Health using CDC guidance to ensure public areas and workspaces are safe and clean, according to the park service.

The park service encourages visitors to plan their visit by checking the park websites and social media for current conditions and travel tips and asks visitors to follow CDC and state and local guidance, social distance wear a face covering when social distance cannot be maintained. The CDC has offered guidance to help people recreating in parks and open spaces prevent the spread of infectious diseases. 

In addition to paying by credit card at the park’s entrance kiosk, visitors can purchase standard entrance passes and annual passes  for Wright Brothers National Memorial before arriving on recreation.gov.

For a full listing of operations at each park, visit the following operational status pages:

• Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
• Fort Raleigh National Historic Site.
• Wright Brothers National Memorial.