Oak Island Lighthouse

To all area residents and Lighthouse Enthusiasts, The Town of Caswell Beach and the Friends of Oak Island Lighthouse have been receiving many inquiries regarding the status of the navigation lights on the Oak Island Lighthouse.

In mid-October the Lighthouse experienced several power fluctuations causing the motor that rotates the lights to fail, which required the lights to be turned off. USCG ANT Oak Island (Aids to Navigation Team), the group responsible for maintaining the light, had been in the process of evaluating what it would take to upgrade the existing lights to a newer LED technology.  With the failure of the motor, they determined that this would be the perfect opportunity and most cost-effective solution going forward, to implement the new LED lights. The new LED rotating fixture (FIRST of its kind in the US!) was turned on as of 12/6/2020.

The LED lights produce a more focused beam that is a different look (not as diffused) than the prior canister configuration and are brighter out at sea. With the rotating fixture, the Coast Guard was able to maintain the sweeping motion of the prior lights and keep the signature flash pattern we have all come to love (4 one second flashes followed by 6 seconds of blank).

Check out this Video of the new LED light in action!

If you have any questions, feel free to email us at oakislandlighthouse@gmail.com.

Friends of Oak Island Lighthouse (FOIL)

The Oak Island Lighthouse will be CLOSED until further notice due to COVID-19 – NO TOURS

See next notice.

Due to the Executive order issued by Governor Cooper on Saturday 3/14/20 stating that all public venues be canceled until further notice, the Town of Caswell Beach and the Friends of Oak Island Lighthouse will comply and have suspended all tours until further notice. No reservations for any tours will be accepted at this time. With the availability of the vaccine starting this month (Jan 2021) we anticipate that our staff will be vaccinated by sometime in late spring or early summer. Our primary concern is for the safety of our visitors and health of our all volunteer staff. We anticipate being able to reopen to the public sometime in early summer. Please check this website in late April for the current status of the tours.
Once tours have been reinstated, we accept reservations year round for Top Tour requests with AT LEAST 2 weeks advanced notice for a reservation and 4 weeks in JUNE, JULY and AUGUST. Last minute requests (less than 2 or 4 weeks in advance) will be considered if other tours have already been scheduled and space still remains. There is a maximum of approximately 20 climbers per tour and ALL tours are in the MORNINGS and climbers MUST be at least 9 years old.

Summer top tours (Memorial Day through Labor Day) are only scheduled in the mornings on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.
Please visit our tour webpage here ==> tour page for additional details and to request your tour.

The Oak Island Lighthouse is owned by the Town of Caswell Beach, however, all governance, tours and maintenance activities are run by a 501c(3) Tax Exempt organization (FOIL - Friends of Oak Island Lighthouse) that the town created. If you would like to help support the Lighthouse and our "Keeping Our Light Strong" campaign to fund our recent repairs, your tax deductible donation would be greatly appreciated. 100% of all donations and profits from our merchandise sales go to the maintenance of the lighthouse. FOIL is completely run by volunteers, have NO paid staff and receive no funding from the government. THANK YOU!

Checks may be made out to FOIL and sent to:
Friends of Oak Island Lighthouse
1100 Caswell Beach Rd.
Caswell Beach, NC 28465

Once reopened after COVID-19
Public "no reservation required" free tours to the second level (NOT to the top) are offered every Wednesday and Saturday (10 AM - 2 PM) ONLY starting after Memorial Day and running through Labor Day. Visitors climb 1 level (12 steps) for anyone age 7 and up. A docent will provide information about the lighthouse and answer any questions you may have.

Climbing to the top is available year round for anyone 9 years or older with AT LEAST 2 weeks advanced notice for a reservation and 4 weeks in JUNE, JULY and AUGUST. Requests with less than 2 or 4 weeks notice will be offered the opportunity to join already scheduled tours IF openings exist. Memorial Day through Labor Day, top tours are only offered in the mornings on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. We are closed on most major holidays. Top tours are up 131 metal ship stairs to an outside balcony and are currently offered free of charge and by appointment only. Please check our tour page for additional details and to find out how you can request a tour.