The Guide to Roanoke Island

Manteo

By Angel Ellis Khoury

Norman Rockwell would have been hard-pressed to paint a typical summer scene of this waterfront town. Sure, there’s Manteo’s barber shop, with its striped barber pole, and a sign propped up in Mr. Reynolds’ bike basket saying “Open.” And there’s the blacksmith at work, sparks flying and the scent of fire on metal. And children and dogs jumping off the docks, their splashes cooling to the eye, an antidote to the sun’s glare on the water.

There’s even a band playing, sometimes a throaty brass echoing off a brick wall, other times, a symphonic strain carried across the pavilion lawn on an evening breeze, or the twang of a banjo in time with the thump of a big bass fiddle, a foot-tapping scene framed by the tall white columns of the century-old courthouse.

Maybe Rockwell would have set up his easel alongside one of Manteo’s plein-air painters, capturing the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse in the dying light, or a children’s regatta, white sails cutting triangles in the sky. Certainly, this painter of small-town Americana would be attracted to the shopkeeper setting out her merchandise on the sidewalk, or a boy pointing to his favorite ice-cream as the girl patiently holds the cone, ready to scoop.

But unless Rockwell could transform his medium, and turn these images into a moving picture, or a kaleidoscope, or a midsummer dream, an artist would be hard-pressed to put on a single canvas all the movement and color that is Manteo.

Manteo comes even more alive during the monthly event known as First Friday. Residents are lured downtown to see friends and neighbors, and now visitors have caught on to this monthly get-together, when shops stay open late and many merchants put on a spread of free food and beverages.

On the first Friday of each month, Roanoke Island Business Association and the Town of Manteo make sure there’s live music to move the crowds from street to street as they check out special sales or just visit with friends. The downtown shop, Endless Possibilities, sponsored the town’s original First Friday, and it’s grown into a favorite for children as well as adults.

On a typical First Friday in the off-season you’re likely to find a pile of oysters ready for shucking or a big iron pot of Brunswick stew simmering over an open fire. In summer, it may be hotdogs grilling or cold watermelon slices piled high. Best of all, it’s your time to explore the amazing variety of gifts, decorative accessories, clothing, jewelry, books, treats and art offered in Manteo’s one-of-a-kind shops.

You don’t have to wait for Fridays to have fun in Manteo; many restaurants feature live entertainment at other times during the week. Even the casual stroller can keep time, as musicians perform at outdoor cafés.

For six weeks (June 28 through August 6), the performing arts take center stage Tuesday through Saturday at the outdoor pavilion at Roanoke Island Festival Park, as the state’s prestigious performing arts university presents the “illuminations” Summer Performing Arts and Film Series. Jazz, brass and percussion ensembles are on the calendar this summer, as well as ballet, contemporary dance and Shakespearean theatre performances by the North Carolina School of the Arts.

You may also see NCSU students and alumni in town for the series offering impromptu mini-concerts on the boardwalk or in the shade of a live oak tree overlooking the water. As evening falls, watch for them walking or biking over the bridge to Festival Park, their instrument cases at their sides. Pack a picnic or get dinner to go from one of the many restaurants in town, and take it to Festival Park for “illuminations”.

The performances begin at 8 pm, so bring a blanket and arrive early enough to enjoy your dinner al fresco. The resident osprey is usually circling above the stage as evening falls and the stars come out.

“illuminations” also moves indoors, with its Afternoon Classics musical performances in the Art Gallery at Festival Park at 2 pm Tuesday through Friday. And the “illuminations” film festival is in the park’s Film Theatre for the first week of August, featuring student short films as well as enduring classics. Also at Festival Park, don’t miss lebame houston’s live production of Bloody Mary and the Virgin Queen, which has a summer stint on Wednesdays at 3 pm, May 18 through June 15.

Looking for more things to do in Manteo? There’s usually some buzzing, banging, sawing, sanding or gluing going on in the George Washington Creef Boathouse, where the fragrant smell of wood chips or the pungent odor of paint are ways to measure the painstaking work done by volunteers at the North Carolina Maritime Museum. The sleek lines of traditional workboats you see floating along the edge of Roanoke Sound are a more lasting tribute to their boatbuilding skills and a tangible way to keep Roanoke Island’s maritime history alive. Tuesday evenings are Community Sail events for the North Carolina Maritime Museum’s sailing program. As the colorful little Optimist prams make quick turns in the shadow of the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse, young sailors gain valuable sailing skills.

You can venture out on the water if you’d like, on a sunset cruise departing from the downtown docks. Daytime tours include dolphin watches, splash rides, parasailing and kayaking.

Every evening, light from the Fresnel lens of the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse punctures the night sky. This reconstruction of a historic lighthouse stands at the end of a picturesque pier, making it a popular place to stroll after dinner. Come during the day to see exhibits on Manteo’s maritime history.

Manteo is a magnet for parents pushing baby strollers because this waterfront town has a pleasant network of boardwalks and sidewalks to keep baby moving. The town is also a must-see for active children, who love climbing aboard the Elizabeth II, a representative 16th century ship, exploring the Adventure Museum, playing games at the Settlement Site, and interacting with other children in the History Garden, all part of Roanoke Island Festival Park. Be sure to arrive by 10:30 am for the summer children’s performances Tuesdays through Fridays in July. Kids will see everything from classic fairy tales to ventriloquists to jugglers.

Local families feel comfortable letting the kids go to The Pioneer Theater, said to be the oldest family-owned movie theatre in the country, while the adults join their friends a block away on the boardwalk, maybe for a glass of wine, until the movie lets out.

Summertime isn’t the only fun time in Manteo. Street puppets entertain children at Halloween. Fall includes an Elizabethan fair. Christmas sees a Holiday Tour of Homes, and springtime includes a Civil War reenactment and celebration of the Freedmen’s Colony on Roanoke Island.

But even if there’s nothing officially scheduled, downtown Manteo is a fun place to be. In fact, you really don’t need to worry so much about a schedule, since there’s almost always something happening along the Manteo waterfront, any time of the year, indoors or out.