When is Fort Macon open?

Fort Macon is open: Sun - Sat 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM Buy tickets in advance on Tripadvisor . If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel at least 24 hours before the start date of your tour for a full refund.

Do you need to book in advance to visit Fort Macon?

We recommend booking Fort Macon tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 1 Fort Macon tours on Tripadvisor

What hotels are near Fort Macon?

Hotels near Fort Macon: (0.09 mi) Sea N Sea-Duplex in Atlantic Beach, NC (0.13 mi) Beachfront Condo, Amazing Ocean & Sound Views, 3rd Floor Southwinds, 2 Pools! (0.14 mi) Renovated 2021!Family Fun 2br/2b Vacation Rental! Pools, waterslide, mini golf!! (0.15 mi) Oceanfront Complex, First Floor Southwinds, Ocean & Sound Views, 2 Pools! (0.17 mi) Southwinds A7 Located in Oceanfront Complex Direct Oceanfront View all hotels near Fort Macon on Tripadvisor

What restaurants are near Fort Macon?

Restaurants near Fort Macon: (1.45 mi) Amos Mosquito's Restaurant & Bar (1.64 mi) Floyd's 1921 Restaurant (2.46 mi) Shark Shack (1.60 mi) Red Fish Grill (1.63 mi) Island Grille View all restaurants near Fort Macon on Tripadvisor

What attractions are near Fort Macon?

Attractions near Fort Macon: (0.01 mi) Fort Macon State Park (1.58 mi) Morehead City Ferry Service (2.37 mi) Hungry Town Tours (2.57 mi) Game On Escape Rooms (3.02 mi) Lookout Cruises View all attractions near Fort Macon on Tripadvisor

Fort Macon - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

542 reviews

#1 of 7 things to do in Atlantic Beach

State Parks • Military Bases & Facilities

Top ways to experience Fort Macon and nearby attractions

The area

Address

Best nearby

Restaurants

74 within 3 miles

Beach Box Eatery

6

0.7 mi$$ - $$$ • American

Amos Mosquito's Restaurant & Bar

1,509

1.4 mi$$ - $$$ • American • Seafood • Vegetarian Friendly

Red Fish Grill

563

1.6 mi$$ - $$$ • American • Seafood • Vegetarian Friendly

Floyd's 1921 Restaurant

403

1.6 mi$$ - $$$ • American • Seafood • Vegetarian Friendly

Island Grille

613

1.6 mi$$ - $$$ • American • Steakhouse • Seafood

Full Circle Cafe

91

1.6 mi$$ - $$$ • American • Pizza • Vegetarian Friendly

Beach Bumz Pub & Pizzeria

118

1.6 mi$$ - $$$ • American • Bar • Pizza

Parrott's on 11th

195

1.8 mi$$$$ • American • Seafood • Vegetarian Friendly

Yellowfin Pub & Sugarloaf Island Deli

30

1.5 mi$$ - $$$ • American • Bar • Seafood

Jack's Waterfront Bar

59

1.5 mi$$ - $$$ • American • Bar • Seafood

See all

Attractions

30 within 6 miles

Fort Macon State Park

1,074

32 ftState Parks

North Carolina Maritime Museum

900

2.4 miSpeciality Museums

Beaufort Historic Site Old Burying Ground

401

2.5 miPoints of Interest & Landmarks

Oceanana Pier & Pier House Restaurant

216

1.5 miPoints of Interest & Landmarks • Piers & Boardwalks

Beaufort Historic Site Visitor Center and Museum

154

2.4 miVisitor Centers

Rachel Carson Reserve

108

2.1 miNature & Wildlife Areas

History Museum of Carteret County

41

1.8 miHistory Museums

Morehead City Yacht Basin

5

1.6 miMarinas

See all

See what other travelers are saying

trvlgirl1217
New Jersey183 contributions
A Piece of US History (and for free)
What I thought would take me one hour tops, had me intrigued for at least 3 hours. Plenty of free parking by the visitor center led me to an air condition building (with bathrooms and water fountain). The volunteer guide informed me of free guided tours hosted three times a day. The guided tour is an hour where you walk the entire fort and learn of the fort's US history, civil war history, and much more. The views walking throughout the fort are breathtaking. If you time it right, certain evenings the fort recreates the action of the cannons so you can experience (at 1/4th the ammunition power) what it would have been like back when the fort was active. I highly recommend this for any history enthusiast, families, and friends.
Visited July 2022
Written August 5, 2022
denism82nd
Columbus, Ohio28 contributions
Cool fort
A beautifully maintained fort & museum that really lets you understand what life must have been like back in the day. Thank you for not ruining it with ropes and safety garbage. Top notch place to visit in a great part of the world.
Visited June 2022
Traveled with friends
Written June 24, 2022
MinnScooter
Lakeville, Minnesota979 contributions
Great Free activity on a nice spring day
Very interesting history.. built, mostly abandoned, captured, re-built 1 day of wat & re captured mostly abandoned reactivated given to state as a park.. re-activated for WW!! then given back to state. well preserved ( after being repaired & restored ) interesting thins like the hot shot furnace, the daily rations etc. and it's FREE ( so be nice and leave a donation to help with upkeep)
Visited May 2021
Written May 6, 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.

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4.5

542 reviews

Excellent

397

Very good

133

Average

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Poor

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JSSAmber

Cambridge, UK597 contributions

Lively and thoughtfully presented

Aug 2021

It's difficult to make a place like this welcoming and interesting for everyone in these divisive times: this was a fort taken by the Confederates and then taken back by the Union, and there's no way to tell that story without making someone feel uncomfortable. However, through the displays and short film, the state has done a really good job of telling that history factually without dodging the painful parts, including the fact that slave labor was used at multiple points in the construction of the fort. The layout and signage are great throughout, and there's cool stuff about wildlife and science throughout, as well. All this for the grand price of zero bucks entrance, zero bucks parking!

Written August 17, 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

DrAMac2014

Rosedale, VA31 contributions

Definitely worth a visit!

Sep 2021

We visited Fort Macon on our recent trip to Atlantic Beach. It is such a neat place and it is free. Everyone was super friendly. There is a really nice visitor center and gift shop. We really enjoyed touring the fort. There is also beach access, picnic sheds, and hiking trails. We wanted to hike but the rain moved in and we weren't able to. If you are in the area, I would definitely recommend.

Written September 27, 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Alta Roark

Oriental, NC5 contributions

Wonderful day trip

Aug 2021

History time capsule, beautifully kept. Don't go during the rainy season, major drain problem. Go towards evening to experience the firing of the canons. Great gift shop with very clean restroom facilities. Across the parking area is a lovely strip of beach for fishing, no swimming allowed.

Written September 12, 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

DDKAT

Wilmington, NC39 contributions

Great stop on the way home!

Jan 2021 • Couples

Stopping at Fort Macon was a treat. Free access to the Fort and surroundings. Atlantic Beach is right across the parking lot. We had a beautiful walk on the beach collecting tons for shells. Highly recommend visiting the Fort and beach.

Written January 18, 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sousabby

Cary, NC170 contributions

Worth a visit

Aug 2021

Beautiful! Nicely restored and ocean view from here is amazing. It is a well restored fort . The vegetation around it is also well preserved since it is a state park. Some of the sections of the fort were closed due to restoration but whatever we could see were very good. The main office also has exhibits. The beach access right in front of the fort is mainly for fishing . The beach access is about half a mile away and is along the Atlantic beach,

Written August 30, 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Roam10146

Topeka, KS1 contribution

Loved Fort Macon!

My family visited Fort Macon in June of this year. (2003) We thought it was fabulous! My husband is a real history buff and he thoroughly enjoyed his time and my children were entertained throughout the guided tour. Our guide was very knowledgable and made the experience at the fort one of the very best bright spots of our North Carolina vacation!

Written July 14, 2003

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Alfred Brock

Wayne, MI415 contributions

Fire Away!

Oct 2018

First of all - if you go here with children or older folks be careful!
As the sign says at the moat (yes, they have a moat - if you appreciate moats then I especially encourage you to visit this moat).
There are steep drop-offs and inviting places to climb so keep the kids on a close leash.
Having said that this is an adventurous location. There is plenty to see and do.
During the Summer months the Park Rangers are usually good enough to offer a variety of interesting special items as well as regularly scheduled tours. The last time I was there we were treated to the display of loading and firing a field rifle used in the Civil War.
I am pleased with the restoration of the place. Though I wasn't alive at the time it was built I have to commend them on their accuracy in recreating the images we have in photos, drawings and paintings of the time.
Visiting here is truly an adventure into the American past. You can get a real sense of history here and learn quite a lot.
The fort is old and predates the Civil War. The forts battles during the Civil War, though brief, touched every aspect of the conflict - from citizen-soldier, to career military men from the North and the South.
It is a nice place to visit. The people are very good and helpful and informative. I recommend it as part of a day trip as the park itself beyond the fort holds a lot of attraction for me as well.

Written September 9, 2019

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Daniel B

Raleigh, NC89 contributions

Excellent Fort in great condition

May 2018 • Family

As far as history goes, this fort has very little. The "battle" that was fought over the fort was hardly notable. However, the fort is in fantastic condition and has a pretty unique approach that my kids loved running down. The gap between the outer walls and the inner fort created a type of moat that gave the fort the feel of a castle.

We also happened to be there on a Saturday when they shot off the canon, which was deeply memorable for my young children because it was bone-shakingly loud. The museum was also well done.

Written November 1, 2018

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Howard M

Fairfax, VA20 contributions

Excellent diversion

Jul 2018 • Family

When you need to take a break from the beach, this is an easy and fun diversion. Watch the video first to get the historical background and look at the exhibits. Then go out and tour the fort. If you're lucky, a huge container ship will pass by - SO close - really surprises the kids. Kids will also love the gift ship - lots of high-end items. Wished we had been able to catch the reenactment.

Written July 28, 2018

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

dlfitzpatrick F

Warminster, PA63 contributions

Great Historical site!

Aug 2017 • Couples

Great place to visit when in the Atlantic Beach,NC area.
Free to see the Fort. You can take a guided tour for a fee.
Very informative movie in the visitors center.
Excellent displays and information to show you the history of the location.
The cannons are fired on Wednesdays between 4 and 4:15pm and certain Holidays.
While there you can walk along the beach surrounding the Fort.

Written August 19, 2017

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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