Ocracoke Lighthouse on Ocracoke Island, North Carolina Sep 20, 2024

Ocracoke Lighthouse on Ocracoke Island, North Carolina

Welcome to Ocracoke Island in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. This secluded island, with 16 miles of beaches, can only be reached by ferry or small plane. The Ocracoke Lighthouse, seen in today"s image, stands out as a notable landmark. The lighthouse celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2023, making it the oldest continuously operating lighthouse in North Carolina. It boasts an 8,000-candlepower light, which can be seen up to 14 miles offshore.

© Chansak Joe/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Sep 20, 2018May we have this dance?
Sep 20, 2019Fall comes to Pando
Sep 20, 2020Celebrating sea otters
Sep 20, 2021Birds of a feather flocking together
Sep 20, 2022Sea Otter Awareness Week
Sep 20, 2023Aqueduct, Arkadia Park, Poland
Sep 20, 2025Oktoberfest begins!

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Nov 26, 2021Native American Heritage Day
Oct 21, 2020Does this chameleon look a little insecure?
Apr 26, 2018National Park Week: Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Dec 22, 2022Galeries Lafayette, Paris
Sep 23, 2022Golden jellyfish in Jellyfish Lake, Palau
Jun 17, 2025Maritime forest in Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia
Nov 24, 2025Gwalior Fort, Madhya Pradesh, India
Jun 21, 2018Inhale and exhale, it’s Yoga Day
Aug 10, 2020Kings of the Kalahari
Nov 6, 2020Life in the slow lane
May 29, 2022Hyalite Creek at Custer Gallatin National Forest, Montana
Apr 15, 2024World Art Day
Jul 19, 2023Crescent Lake near Dunhuang, China
Jun 6, 2018Feature Attraction: 85 years at the drive-in
Feb 26, 2023Tambopata National Reserve, Peru
Jan 2, 2024Prayer flags in Phobjikha Valley, Bhutan
Mar 31, 2025Ostuni, Apulia, Italy
May 31, 2024Gunnerside, Yorkshire Dales National Park, England
Feb 9, 2021What s going on in this sky?
Sep 12, 2025In the Red Sea for World Dolphin Day
Feb 14, 2022Maldives
Apr 27, 2020That s quite a schnoz, baby tapir
Sep 12, 2018A cutting-edge art gallery opens in Paris
Jun 29, 2024Tour de France 2024 begins
Apr 9, 2020Hooray, hooray, it s Unicorn Day!
Apr 25, 2023World Penguin Day
Oct 14, 2022Río Arazas in Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park, Spain
Jul 29, 2025International Tiger Day
Mar 14, 2022Pi Day
Feb 23, 2019A view from the top