If you are planning a trip to this historic landmark, here is what you can expect:

Local lore, supported by period letters and the later depositions of his crew, describes the point as a scene of controlled chaos. The smell of bilge water, roasting hog, and black powder would have hung in the humid air. Teach, a towering figure with a thick black beard that he famously lit with slow-burning matches (fuses) to terrify his enemies, held court not on a gilded quarterdeck but on this muddy spit of land. He was said to have entertained local merchants here, trading stolen hogsheads of wine and bolts of silk for pitch, tar, and gunpowder—the currency of the outlaw.

Elias felt something heavy slammed onto his shoulders. It wasn't gold. It was the crushing, suffocating weight of the ocean.

Along the edge of the treeline, faint orange glows appeared. Fuses burning in the dark. They bobbed and weaved, moving with intelligence. They were pacing him.

Blackbeard Point, also known as Blackbeard's Point, is a small, isolated area on the southern end of Ocracoke Island. In the early 1700s, this location served as a perfect hideout for Blackbeard and his crew. The point offered a secluded cove, sheltered from the open sea, where pirate ships could anchor and unload their plunder. The surrounding waters were teeming with fish, and the nearby sounds and rivers provided an abundance of food and fresh water.