A Sea-Faring Adventure
Frying Pan Tower™ is located 32 miles off the coast of North Carolina and rises 135' above the Atlantic Ocean. It helps provide safety to Mariners in the Atlantic Ocean, is used for environmental research and education studies, and is shelter to a natural ecosystem for marine wildlife.
The tower is powered using solar energy for electricity. It has a filtration system for potable water and high-speed Internet for communications. View live streaming on YouTube!
Amid the many volunteer-driven restoration projects happening, people can still enjoy activities like fishing from the tower, biodegradable clay skeet-shooting, corn hole, snorkeling or scuba diving the protected reef below. Golf lovers can tee off biodegradable golf balls made of fish food, enjoy indoor movie and game nights, shoot pool, and on occasion, firework displays over the water.
Frying Pan Tower Facilities
The main level of the tower is a furnished 5,000+ sq. ft. livable space. This includes a fully equipped stainless steel kitchen, large common area for dining, living and indoor recreation, four (4) queen bedrooms, three (3) twin bedrooms, and an inner crew room with five (5) twin beds, a utility room with washer and dryer, hot shower, and toilet facilities.
Enjoy salt air breezes on the 73’ by 73’ open air platform with helicopter landing area, communications system, flag pole where we proudly fly the American flag, and solar panels attached along the outer perimeter. At this level, you can enjoy watching beautiful sunrises and sunsets, moon watching and star gazing, relaxing in hammocks, sun bathing, and just hanging around enjoying the great outdoors spotting various marine wildlife swimming below.
Our 2 high-speed hoists are used to lift and lower supplies, volunteers, and scuba divers from boat to tower from a height of 80' in less than a minute.
The maintenance area keeps our battery and communication systems dry and out of the elements protected from any harsh weather. This area also houses our large backup generators, fuel sources, and tools & equipment for repairs and maintenance.