Oak Island is a seaside town located mostly on a barrier island. The island has been inhabited since the early 19th century and was nearly wiped out by Hurricane Hazel in 1954. It is a cozy little town with 10-miles of beautiful beaches.

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The Oak Island Lighthouse was completed in 1958 at a total cost of $110,000.00. The lights are 169 feet above the water but the lighthouse itself is actually 153 feet since the structure stands on a slight rise. The main tower is 128 feet tall, built of monolithic reinforced concrete. To establish a color for each section, the first forty feet is the natural gray of Portland cement, the next fifty feet was poured with white Portland cement and white quartz aggregate for the white color and the top fifty two feet is a gray Portland cement with black coloring. 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. This is the newest lighthouse we have ever seen in all our travels.

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Southport, a 2.2 square mile village, is said to be one of the most authentic and unique coastal communities. It is a combination of historic homes, lush coastal landscaping and miles of water in every direction.

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The T.M. Thompson House was built in 1868. He was a legendary river pilot and blockade-runner. A blockade runner was a lighter-weight ship used for evading a naval blockade as opposed to confronting the blockaders. Very often blockade running was done in order to transport cargo, for example to bring food or arms to a blockaded city. This magnificent home is the only house in Southport with a Widow's Walk and a cupola, as well as a spectacular view of the water.

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The battleship North Carolina was commissioned in 1941 and served in every major naval offensive in the Pacific in World War II and earned 15 battle stars. It was due to efforts of the citizens of North Carolina that the ship was not scrapped.

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The Bellamy Mansion is a restored antebellum mansion that was built between 1859 and 1861 and is a mixture of Neoclassical architectural styles, including Greek Revival and Italianate. Originally built as a private residence for the family of Dr. John Bellamy who was a prominent plantation owner, physician and businessman, this 22-room house was constructed with the labor of both enslaved skilled carpenters and freed black artisans.

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This Queen Anne style home was built in 1897 for Frederick Hashagen, a wholesale grocer, and his family. Today it is a quaint B and B.

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Greenfield Park is 250 acres of park that includes a beautiful lake, some 5-miles of bike paths and some beautiful bald cypress trees living in the water.

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Today found us lining up to take the ferry to Fisher Island.

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Until the last few months of the Civil War, Fort Fisher kept North Carolina's port of Wilmington open to blockade-runners supplying necessary goods to Confederate armies inland. By 1865, the supply line through Wilmington was the last remaining supply route open to Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. When Ft. Fisher fell after a massive Federal amphibious assault on January 15, 1865, its defeat helped seal the fate of the Confederacy.

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Lunch found us in the village of Kure Beach on the island. After another great fish lunch, we walked out on the fishing pier where we saw this and other pelicans calmly waiting for their next meal. I have never had the opportunity to be up close and personal with a pelican before!

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Alligators can be found as far north as North Carolina although I haven't had the opportunity to see one. We did see a couple at the North Carolina Aquarium, one of which was an albino. Her name is Luna and she is one of about 50 albino known albino alligators.

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The loggerhead sea turtle is a protected marine reptile and abundant in this area. Once the turtles begin coming ashore to lay their eggs, the nests will be roped off to save them. We read in the paper that they are accepting volunteers to help with spotting the nests.

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It looks like Debra is taking a dip in one of the fish tanks!

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There were jellies...

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...and seahorses and...

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...even dinosaurs!

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