RALEIGH, N.C. (WRAL-NBC) - For decades, Frying Pan Tower was a Coast Guard Light Tower, 30 miles off of Cape Fear, alerting ships to treacherous shoals.
Now, it's a vacation destination.
“When you're out there, you're looking across the ocean and you're seeing this expanse of blue,” said Richard Neal, the tower’s owner.
In the heart of hurricane season, Neal prepared Frying Pan and left about two weeks before Florence hit.
“We didn't know it was going to turn into what it did, but had an idea that it just might,” Neal said.
He’s referring to the viral sensation created when a live webcam maintained by Explore.org became a window into the coming storm.
