LOCATION
Telephone: (757) 898-2410 (Colonial National Historical Park)
Website: www.nps.gov/came/
Cape Henry is located on the Fort Story military base in Virginia. The Visitor entrance is on the southeastern side of the base at Gate 8, which is near the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and 89th Street. This is just down the road from First Landing State Park. There are no National Park Service Rangers at the Cape Henry Memorial, so you must travel to the Yorktown Battlefield or Jamestown if you want to ask any questions or get additional information.
In addition to the Cape Henry Memorial, there are two lighthouses on the base: a brick one from 1792 and a newer one from 1881. These are not part of the National Park Memorial, though the 1792 Lighthouse is open to the public for climbing (check the Preservation Virginia website for a schedule, fees, and other information). The 1881 Lighthouse is not open to the public.
In order to get on the base, anyone 16 years of age and older must have a valid ID, which you must leave with the guard. Keep in mind that standard driver’s licenses will not suffice unless they are the new Real ID licenses, and not all states issue them (or you may still have an older version). If you don’t have such an ID, you’ll need a passport. The driver of a vehicle must also have a state issued driver’s license, proof of insurance, and a vehicle registration. Those on foot or bike just need a Real ID or passport.
Those with an authorized DoD / Military ID will be allowed to drive directly to the Cape Henry Lighthouse. Everyone else must now park in an adjacent parking lot and take a shuttle bus to the historic area. The shuttle runs every 15 minutes. The guards may not even know what the Cape Henry Memorial is, so just say you are going to the Cape Henry Lighthouse, which is where most every visitor is heading. The memorial and lighthouse are two blocks from each other (the shuttle only stops at the lighthouse).
Vehicles are subject to search, and visitors must go through a security check before getting on the shuttle. Each person is allowed to take a small bag, and those with infants can bring a stroller and infant supply bag. Everything else must be left in your vehicle. Also, leave your guns at home. You are parking on the base, not outside the base, and you cannot declare a gun and turn it over to be held.
Visitors may only stop at the 1792 Lighthouse and the Cape Henry Memorial. Once done, visitors must immediately leave the base. For all the effort, it takes fifteen minutes to see the Cape Henry Memorial, not counting time you may spend if you want to visit the lighthouse. In truth, unless there is a pressing reason for seeing the memorial, your time can be better spent elsewhere.
OPERATING HOURS
The Cape Henry Memorial and Lighthouse are open every day of the year accept Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and from December 31st through January 3rd. Visitors to Fort Story can enter starting at 10 AM, which is the time the lighthouse opens for climbing. Closing time for the lighthouse is at 5 PM from mid-March through the end of October, and at 4 PM during the rest of the year. Keep in mind that going through security could take an hour, so you need to be at the base at least two hours before closing time. Furthermore, once the parking lot fills up, you will not be allowed to enter the base until somebody leaves. On weekends from April through November, the parking lot is usually full by 11 AM.
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Last updated on July 8, 2024