Fort Macon State Park

Tour a restored five-sided 1830s brick fort on the tip of Bogue Banks, then swim or fish at the beach beside it.

2303 E. Fort Macon Road, Atlantic Beach, NC 28512 · Atlantic Beach, NC

About Fort Macon State Park

Fort Macon was finished in 1834 to guard Beaufort Inlet, and Union guns forced its Confederate garrison to surrender in April 1862 after an 11-hour bombardment. Its 26 vaulted rooms sit inside brick and stone walls 4.5 feet thick. Rangers lead daily tours and often fire cannon and muskets. The park also has a guarded swim area in summer, surf and sound fishing, and nature trails. Day use is free.

#civil war
#historic fort
#beach
#fishing
#state park

Printable maps

What's around here?

The closest stops to Fort Macon State Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

Museums
North Carolina Maritime Museum
Check prices
A regional state history museum in Beaufort focused on North Carolina's seafaring heritage.
1.7 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
Museums
Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center
Check prices
A regional heritage museum on Harkers Island that showcases the culture, crafts, and community life of the Core Sound area.
8.6 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
Sports & Outdoors
Outdoor Adventure
Cape Lookout National Seashore
No admission fee
Ride a ferry to undeveloped barrier islands for shelling, wild horses and a diamond-patterned lighthouse.
10 mi awaySwitch it up: Sports & Outdoors
Sightseeing
Tryon Palace
Under $25
Reconstructed colonial governor's residence and historic site in New Bern, North Carolina.
Transit: reachable by public transit
35 mi awayMore like this
Sightseeing
New Bern National Cemetery
No admission fee
A national cemetery in New Bern, Craven County, North Carolina, established in 1867 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.
Transit: reachable by public transit
36 mi awayMore like this
Sightseeing
North Carolina Historic Bath
No admission fee
Colonial-era town site in Bath, NC, known as the state's first town, with a historic district and house tours.
54 mi awayMore like this