The Guide to Roanoke Island

All In A Day’s Play

By Molly Harrison

A national historic site, gardens, an outdoor drama, an aquarium, a maritime museum, a lighthouse, a waterfront boardwalk, a replica sailing ship, an adventure museum - wow! You could spend days enjoying the many attractions of Roanoke Island. But if you have only one day on the island, don’t worry. Follow our suggested timeline and you’ll see them all. Of course, to do that, you’re going to have to get an early start. Pack a picnic and snacks if you’d like, or plan to get lunch in downtown Manteo. We suggest touring the Roanoke Island attractions on a sunny day - rainy days bring out the crowds.

9 AM THE ELIZABETHAN GARDENS

We suggest starting here because in the warmer months it’s best to get your outdoor activities done in the cooler hours of the day. In July and August, the gardens stay open until 8 PM, so you could also come here after an early dinner.

The Elizabethan Gardens is on the site of the New World’s first English colony and it memorializes these settlers with an accurately reproduced English garden. It’s a peaceful respite that’s perfect for strolling at your own pace. They’ll give you a map when you pay in the Gate House, which is a charming building modeled after a sixteenth-century orangery.

From there you’ll find delights around every corner - more than 500 different varieties of plants, flowers, shrubs and trees, along with fountains, statuary, a thatched gazebo, resting benches and much more. You’ll find a Shakespearean herb garden, a fragrance garden, a woodland garden and a rose garden. You’ll see the gorgeous, graceful Virginia Dare statue in a quiet garden all her own. You’ll step down into the Sunken Garden to see an antique fountain surrounded by meticulously clipped hedges.

You’ll sit in a hand-hewn, thatched-roof Gazebo and look out over Roanoke Sound. You’ll ponder beneath ancient live oaks along the Great Lawn. Flower displays are changed seasonally so you will see color all year round, and the plants and trees are labeled so that you can learn while you walk. Bring the children.

Kids love running along the paths and lawn, and there are many surprises to keep them entertained. As you end your tour, browse through the plants that are for sale.

10:30 AM FORT RALEIGH NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

The Fort Raleigh Visitor Center is just a short stroll from the gardens. Inside you’ll find exhibits that commemorate the first English attempts at colonization from 1585-1587. To refresh your memory about the history of the settlements, the site offers a 17-minute film on the history of the Roanoke Voyages and Sir Walter Raleigh’s efforts to establish a colony here. The museum has exhibits on the colonization efforts, along with some of John White’s drawings of what the colonists saw here. You can also walk around the back of the Visitor Center to see a restored earthworks fort. There are two great hiking trails at Fort Raleigh, but if you’re pressed for time you might have to skip them on this trip. If you’ve got kids who need a snack at this point, there are picnic tables beneath shady trees next to the Visitor Center.

11:15 AM NORTH CAROLINA AQUARIUM ON ROANOKE ISLAND

The Aquarium is a short drive from Fort Raleigh, so in no time you’ll be walking through the serene, air-conditioned building. There is a lot to see and experience at the aquarium daily. The collection of marine animals offers an excellent example of what can be found along the Outer Banks. Text and pictures help explain the ecosystems and natural habitats of the underwater animals and plants.

In the “Coastal Freshwater” exhibit, you’ll see fish such as pickerel, white perch, sunfish and largemouth bass. A radically different sight unfolds as you enter the “Wetlands on the Edge” zone. Here are the animals you might find if venturing along our region’s coastland, such as alligators, turtles, otters and more. The “Graveyard of the Atlantic” exhibit takes you to the re-created shipwreck of the USS Monitor. It’s a 285,000 gallon tank complete with sharks, fish, underwater plants and more. Nature’s most feared creatures are featured in the “Bite, Shock, Sting” exhibit, which offers an up-close look at species like the poison dart frog, electric eel, lionfish, snakes, jellyfish and spiders. This isn’t all there is to the N.C. Aquarium.

Kids love the petting area, where starfish, hermit crabs and horseshoe crabs can be touched and explored. During the summer months, the “Osprey Cam” exhibit comes to life, as a camera in a real osprey nest sends live footage to a monitor inside the aquarium. And at the newly improved fossil pit outside, you will find fossilized shark’s teeth left over from the dinosaur age. There are also special programs throughout the day.

12:30 - 1 PM LUNCH

If you brought a picnic, a good place to enjoy it is right next to the aquarium. Drive over to the other side of the aquarium and you’ll find the Ole Swimming Hole. This is a soundside beach where people like to swim, and there are covered picnic tables by the sound. If you didn’t bring your lunch, head to downtown Manteo, where you’ll find several restaurants offering lunch.

2 PM ROANOKE ISLAND FESTIVAL PARK

Roanoke Island Festival Park is a 27-acre island filled with history and adventure for the entire family. Commemorating the unique role Roanoke Island has played in our nation’s history, the park offers several venues that interpret the 1584-1587 English Colonization.

Be prepared for startling encounters when you board the Elizabeth II, a representative 16th century sailing ship. The 69-foot wooden vessel has a crew of living history interpreters that stay in period costume and tell of colonizing this wild coast. Visit with soldiers in the Settlement Site who tell of their hardships and challenges, their losses and hopes. Discover 400 years of Outer Banks history in the interactive Roanoke Adventure Museum. The costume trunk is a favorite place where guests can dress in Elizabethan clothing.

Bring the camera! The Legend of Two-Path is a 45-minute film that recounts an enlightening story of the Algonquians who lived here when the first English arrived. Two performing arts series are offered during the summer months - “illuminations” Summer Performing Arts and Film Series (June 28- August 6) and the Summer Children’s Performance Series (June 28 to July 29). Call (252) 475-1500 for schedules.

Don’t miss the Art Gallery with monthly changing exhibits and the Museum Store, which is filled with unique gifts, many inspired by the English. The Outer Banks History Center offers a reading room and research library, with a friendly staff. The History Center Gallery always has an intriguing exhibit related to local history. To all this, add picnic areas, boardwalks through natural marshes, a fossil pit and plenty of free parking.

4 PM MANTEO WATERFRONT

If you’ve still got the energy to walk around, head down to the Manteo waterfront to see the boats in the harbor, to get an ice-cream cone, to visit the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse and the North Carolina Maritime Museum. For the super-energetic, stay in Manteo for dinner then head over to The Lost Colony Outdoor Drama at 8 PM.

8 PM THE LOST COLONY

The Waterside Theater in Manteo is home to America’s longest-running drama, The Lost Colony, which first opened on July 4, 1937. It has run every summer since then, except during four seasons at the height of World War II. The two-hour drama includes spectacular dance scenes, acrobatically choreographed fight scenes and a story line that warms the heart while giving a history lesson on the beginning of America as an English-speaking country. Costumes are based on drawings from the sixteenth century and are authentically re-created. More than 100 actors and technicians make each performance memorable, telling the story as written by playwright Paul Green back in 1937.