Including Elizabethan Gardens & The Lost Colony
Roanoke Island things to do include some of the Outer Banks’ premier attractions. English-inspired botanic gardens and historic sites preserve colonial history. Aquariums celebrate marine life and aquatic environments. Evidence of escaped slaves and early colonies for freed men and women pop up across the island. The impressive operating marina and shipyards showcase the area’s renowned commercial and recreational fishing industry. Some of the top Roanoke Island attractions include The Elizabethan Gardens, The North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island, The Lost Colony Outdoor Drama, Roanoke Island Festival Park and Island Farm, but that's not all so prepare for a full day of exploring the island.
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Attractions in Manteo, NC
1409 National Park Drive (off U.S. Highway 64), Waterside Theatre, inside Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, Manteo
In July of 1587, 117 English men, women and children came ashore on Roanoke Island with the commission from Queen Elizabeth I to establish a permanent English settlement in the New World. They vanished just three years later. The only clues were “CROATOAN" carved into the surface of an abandoned structure and the letters "CRO" carved into a nearby tree. After nearly 450 years, the mystery of what happened to the colonists remains unsolved. The Lost Colony outdoor drama is their story.
Now in its 87th season, The Lost Colony, Paul Green's Symphonic Outdoor Drama, is performed on the site where these actual events occurred. Each summer, a company of more than 100 actors, technicians, dancers, designers and volunteers bring The Lost Colony to life. The production is enormous. The stage itself is three times larger than most Broadway stages in New York City. You are seated in an open-air theater, located on the Roanoke Sound, with the stars above and live action happening on three sides. See epic battles and Indian dances. Experience the sorrow and heartbreak of tragedy and loss. Witness the pageantry of the queen and her court and celebrate the birth of Virginia Dare, the first English child born in America. You'll enjoy music, laughter, romance, dance and stunning special effects.
The Lost Colony is the “grandfather” of all outdoor dramas and is produced by the Roanoke Island Historical Association (RIHA), a nonprofit organization with the mission to celebrate the history of the first English colonies on Roanoke Island and to honor the founders of The Lost Colony through drama, education and literature. Outer Banks locals and visitors have loved it for more than eight decades. Seeing the play is a quintessential Outer Banks activity.
The 2024 season begins May 30 and runs through August 24. Shows are performed Monday through Saturday nights at 8:30 p.m. Ticket prices range from $25 to $40, are half-price for children ages 6 to 12 and free for kids 5 and younger every night. Senior, military, AAA, group discounts and VIP packages are available. For the best seats, advance reservations are recommended. For tickets call (252) 473-6000 or purchase online anytime. Backstage Tours are also available nightly at 7:30 p.m. with the purchase of an additional ticket.
In July of 1587, 117 English men, women and children came ashore on Roanoke Island with the commission from Queen Elizabeth I to establish a permanent English settlement in the New World. They vanished just three years later. The only clues were “CROATOAN" carved into the surface of an abandoned structure and the letters "CRO" carved into a nearby tree. After nearly 450 years, the...read more
In July of 1587, 117 English men, women and children came ashore on Roanoke Island...read more
Attractions in Manteo, NC
In the roundabout at the intersection of Sir Walter Raleigh and Bideford streets, a part of the community's African-American heritage is being preserved and interpreted with a statue and a museum. A life-sized bronze statue of Richard Etheridge, the first African-American United States Life-Saving Service Keeper at Pea Island Station on the Outer Banks, is in the roundabout's median. Adjacent, the Pea Island Cookhouse Museum...read more
Attractions in Manteo, NC
Experience a new adventure in an old world at Roanoke Island Festival Park. This 25-acre historic site allows guests of all ages to experience first-hand what life was like for the first English settlers in 1585. Historic costumed interpreters are featured through Indian Town, the Settlement Site and the Elizabeth II ship to show and tell how the first settlers lived...read more
Attractions in Manteo, NC
Originally a boathouse used to build world-record–holding speedboats, this building has seen a variety of boat-building uses in its day. The building’s double-wide doors and barn-like roominess create the perfect setting for this working boathouse museum. The Roanoke Island Maritime Museum is a treasure-trove of local seafaring history. Come inside for a look at some locally built boats and possibly to see boat building in...read more
Attractions in Manteo, NC
Perched over the water along Manteo’s waterfront boardwalk, the picturesque Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse is perfectly suited to the town’s maritime setting. This Victorian stick-style lighthouse is a reproduction of the third Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse, which never stood on the Manteo waterfront but in the Croatan Sound from 1877 to 1955. Out there in the sound, the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse keepers lived on the lonely lighthouse...read more
Attractions in Manteo, NC
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s LEED–certified visitor center is on the north end of Roanoke Island near the entrance to Fort Raleigh National Historic Site. The center provides information on the 11 National Wildlife Refuges and one National Fish Hatchery in northeastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia and helps visitors plan adventures to some of these wild places. The mission of the center is...read more
Attractions in Wanchese
An unincorporated village on the southern end of Roanoke Island, Wanchese is small and well off the beaten path. Not many visitors make it down this way, but if you want to see the last vestiges of the old Outer Banks, this is a good place to look. If you're coming from the beaches, when you get to the big intersection at Highway 64, take...read more
