Bodie Island is a long, narrow barrier peninsula that forms the northernmost portion of the Outer Banks in North Carolina. The area is renowned for its two lighthouses, Bodie Island Lighthouse and Currituck Beach Lighthouse. Both have played an important role in local maritime history since the 19th century. Recently, Bodie Island Lighthouse has undergone a tip-to-toe renovation and been opened to the public. For a decade, the 141-year-old structure was filled with wasps, the stairs to the top wobbled, the glass in the lantern room was broken, and rain had rusted the ironwork. But its US$5 million makeover has set back the clock, turning the facility into a bona fide tourist site with a new set of stairs and a painstakingly restored Fresnel lens of 344 hand-cut glass prisms that can once again cast light 30 kilometers out to sea. From the top of the 52-meter-high tower, guests can also expect unimpeded views of the Atlantic Ocean and Pamlico Sound.