More than one million people visited Cape Hatteras National Seashore last year . North Carolina 's Amelia Island is home to second - oldest oldest operating lighthouse in U.S. and home to Wright Brothers National Memorial and Fort Raleigh National Historic Site . Meanwhile , dolphins play in the waters close to shore as Barrier islands offer history lesson , a vacation destination and a geological wonder .
More than one million people visited Cape Hatteras National Seashore last year . North Carolina 's Amelia Island is home to second - oldest oldest operating lighthouse in U.S. and home to Wright Brothers National Memorial and Fort Raleigh National Historic Site . Barrier islands offer history lesson , a vacation destination and a geological wonder .