Winter Hours Begin Monday at Outer Banks Group In North Carolina

Things move a bit slower along the North Carolina coast in winter, which is why the National Park Service's Outer Banks Group is scaling back the hours of its visitor centers just a bit.

As of Monday morning the visitor centers at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, Wright Brothers National Memorial, and the Cape Hatteras National Seashore visitor centers at Bodie Island, Hatteras Island, and Ocracoke Island will be open 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. daily.

These facilities are open year-round, closed Christmas Day. The Museum of the Sea near the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse will be open on an intermittent basis as staffing is available, according to park officials. Call the museum for open hours at (252) 995-4474. The Museum of the Sea will return to a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily schedule in mid-February, 2011.

Eastern National bookstores at all three parks will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.