This Land, Your Land

The 150-year-old Cape Lookout Lighthouse will re-open to the public, possibly as soon as next summer, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced Wednesday.

For years, the lighthouse would open four times a year to limited visitation that required reservations well ahead of time. These visits were discontinued after a safety inspection in the spring of 2008.

The 163-foot brick lighthouse, which stands at Cape Lookout National Seashore, will get $487,000 worth of repairs, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said. Safety and structural changes will include repairs and alterations of the 219-step cast-iron staircase, railings, landings and galleries.