Roanoke Island

Fort Raleigh National Historic Site

This national park features the restored remains of the first English fort in America, built in 1585 by a colony of 108 men. Sir Walter Raleigh’s “Lost Colony” came 2 years later and occupied the same fort. The Elizabethan Gardens and The Lost Colony amphitheatre can be found here on the shores of the Roanoke Sound. (link)

The Lost Colony

America's longest running symphonic outdoor drama, written by Pulitzer prize winning author, Paul Green in 1937. This summer marks the 73rd anniversary season. Queer as Folk's Peter Paige got his start in the drama in 1988. Tony award winning costume designer, William Ivey Long, known for his designs for Hairspray, Guys and Dolls, Grey Gardens, Cabaret and many other Broadway shows, is the Production Designer. We highly recommend you see this fantastic spectacle. (link)

The Elizabethan Gardens

Dedicated in 1953 by the Garden Club of North Carolina, these lovely English gardens stand as a living shrine to the 117 men, women and children of the Lost Colony. (link)

North Carolina Aquarium

See the 285,000 gallon Graveyard of the Atlantic exhibit. Marvel at the close up views of large sharks, alligators, river otters and many varieties of marine life. (link)

Island Farm

Roanoke Island’s eagerly anticipated new attraction is the Island Farm, a re-creation of the Etheridge family’s 1850s Roanoke Island working farm. Visitors feel as if they’ve stepped back more than 150 years as they explore the farm and see interpreters dressed in period attire carrying out the daily activities of the time – tending animals, blacksmithing, hoeing corn, doing laundry, making corn cakes. Hands-on activities and demonstrations may include woodworking, textile work, cooking demonstrations, horse-drawn wagon rides, 19th-century toys and games and farm and garden work. Visitors take self-guided tours of the Etheridge House and Farm, interacting with interpreters along the way. Activities vary daily and by season and are weather dependent. Admission costs $5 per person, with children younger than 5 admitted for free. After opening day on June 7, 2010, hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Island Farm is not open on weekends, and it will close for the season in November. www.roanokeisland.net/attractions/

Manteo Waterfront

Quaint historic waterfront district with a southern Cape Cod feeling, numerous gift shops, crafts, boutiques, cafes, bookstores, antiques, a pirate ship and the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse. (link)

Roanoke Island Festival Park

Representing the first English colony in America, this living history and performing arts state park across the water from the Manteo Waterfront is home to the Elizabeth II, a 16th century sailing ship, a 250 seat theater, the 1585 settlement site with working blacksmith shop, a 400 year local history museum, a gift shop, the Outer Banks History Center, the North Carolina Maritime Museum and a 3,000 seat pavilion amphitheatre. (link)