“My son Jonathan and I, that’s our time that we’ve spent together all of his life,” Garry says. Both have used the sport to build relationships with their sons. Fishing became more than a pastime as they aged, too. Garry and Bill say they were raised with fishing poles in their hands and their feet in a boat. He reflects on the day and the beauty of the sun setting across the North Atlantic Ocean. That’s the year they hoisted me up to the tower.Leaning back in his hammock, Garry Bickett looks over at his brother, Bill. Yet the adventure and allure of Frying Pan Tower made this journey forever special, Garry said. There will be more fishing trips for the Bickett family and many more hours spent on the water. … You don’t forget about it because it’s so unusual and so astonishing.” “It’s one of those times that burns itself into your memory. The sunset, coupled with the family’s celebratory event, was something special, he said. “It definitely met expectations.”ĭespite having watched countless sunsets from the tower, Neal joined the group as the day came to a close. “Everything that you could imagine of an adventure,” Jonathan said. Under a star-filled night sky, the group oohed and ahhed at a fireworks show put on by Neal. When the day’s catch had been cleaned,the group hit biodegradable golf balls from the tower’s helipad, ate dinner and relaxed in hammocks. The “incredible, 31-hour adventure,” as Garry calls it, included more than fishing, though. In the evening, the men and their gear were hoisted into the tower one by one, 85 feet above water. The Gulf Stream is a short ride from the tower, making it a convenient base for fishermen. Visitors generally cook, eat and clean up together in the full-size kitchen, although a chef can be requested while making reservations.ĭuring the day, the Bicketts kept busy with fishing. Basic meal supplies are provided, but ingredients for specific meals must be brought by guests. Guests can stay in one of eight ocean-facing rooms, five of which have twin beds three have queen-size beds. The hotel does provide recommendations for chartering boats it if guests do not have their own. Transportation is not included in the $498 per person cost for three days and two nights. Hotel guests can also arrive at the hotel by helicopter. Beyond simply getting to the see the tower with his son, Garry shared the experience with eight other family members and friends. Jonathan recently scheduled a trip to the tower to celebrate his father’s 60th birthday. When Richard Neal bought and restored it in 2010, the opportunity to find out became a possibility. Like many fishermen, Garry and Jonathan had always been curious about what was inside the light station after it was abandoned in 2004. But the light station was automated in 1979, and the invention of GPS eventually made the tower obsolete. The tower was built in 1964 to help ships skirt Frying Pan Shoals, a nearby shallow area infamous for shipwrecks.Ībout 20 Coast Guard cadets lived at the tower full-time during the 1960s and ’70s. “Anybody who’s spent any time out in the ocean in North Carolina knows about the Frying Pan Tower,” Garry says. The ocean is an unlikely spot as any for a hotel, but that only adds to its allure. In an age of stress, little work-life balance and constant connectivity, the Frying Pan Tower answers a growing demand for off-the-grid travel. The ex-Coast Guard light station is located approximately 34 miles off the coast of North Carolina in the Atlantic Ocean. Their most recent fishing adventure was unique: The Bicketts spent the night at the Frying Pan Tower. Leaning back in his hammock, Garry Bickett looks over at his brother, Bill.

Frying pan tower hotel