The Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station Historic Site is the most complete U.S. Lifesaving Station site in the nation, with original station built in 1874 and a second station constructed in 1911. Five outbuildings, three water tanks, and one cistern comprise the remaining structures, plus a home built in 1907. Family-oriented programs offered during summer months. Exhibits include artifacts, apparatus, documents, uniforms, photographs, including a display honoring the only all-black crew in American history who served at the Pea Island Lifesaving Station. (252) 987-1552.
The Elizabethan Gardens is filled with flower bordered walkways, antique garden statuary and majestic trees greet visitors at this 16th century pleasure garden created by The Garden Club of North Carolina as a living memorial to the lost colonists. Highlights include the thatched gazebo, Shakespearean herb garden and formal sunken gardens. Located within Fort Raleigh adjacent to Waterside Theatre at 1411 National Park Drive. (252) 473-3234.
Roanoke Island Festival Park is a 25-acre state site offering visitor activities celebrating history, education, arts and environment. Climb aboard the Elizabeth II, a 16th century representative sailing vessel. Meet soldiers in the Settlement Site and explore more than 400 years of history in the Roanoke Adventure Museum. View local art in the Art Gallery. Visit the museum store. Stroll our boardwalks through natural marshes. Location: Across from the Manteo Waterfront and 5 miles from the beaches. (252) 475-1500.
The Outer Banks History Center is a regional archive and research library managed by the North Carolina State Archives (Dept. of Cultural Resources) with the mission to collect and preserve the history and culture of the North Carolina coast. Collections include personal and organizational papers; books; photographs; periodicals and newspapers; maps (1584+) and drawings; public records on microfilm; oral histories and other audio and video recordings; ephemera; and original works of art. Exhibits are presented in the Gallery throughout the year on various related topics. Location: Roanoke Island Festival Park. (252) 473-2655.
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site is the location where Sir Walter Raleigh's explorers and colonists attempted to find settlements on the North end of Roanoke Island in 1585. Home to the Waterside Theatre, where you'll find The Lost Colony, a symphonic outdoor drama. You'll also find a visitor's center, interpretive programs, bookstore and nature trail. Location: Off Hwy. 64/264, on the north end of Roanoke Island. (252) 473-5772.
The Lost Colony is an exciting musical drama that tells the story of the English colonists who came to the North Carolina shores in search of a better life, struggled to make a home in the New World and then vanished without a trace. The colonists, by their disappearance, have become one of our country's most famous mysteries and one of our most enduring legends. The Lost Colony is a lavish production, written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playright Paul Green and designed by four-time Tony award-winner, William Ivey Long. Location: Waterside Theatre in Fort Raleigh National Historic Site. Box Office: (252) 473-3414.
The Wright Brothers National Memorial commemorates the first successful sustained powered flights in a heavier-than-air machine were made here by Wilbur and Orville Wright on December 17, 1903. A 60-foot granite monument dedicated in 1932, is perched atop 90-foot tall Kill Devil Hill in honor of the achievement of these two visionaries from Dayton, Ohio. A visit should include touring the museum exhibits, participating in a ranger conducted program, touring the reconstructed camp buildings and first flight trail area, and a climb up Kill Devil Hill to view the memorial pylon. (252) 441-7430.
The Roanoke Island Freedmen's Colony is recognized as a historic National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Site. A marker was erected in 2001 to designate the site of a permanent colony on Roanoke Island between 1862 and 1867. Most of its 3,000 residents had been slaves three years earlier in northeastern North Carolina. A path through the woods north of Fort Raleigh leads visitors to a commemorative park along Croatan Sound.
The Whalehead Club, once the private residence of Mr. and Mrs. E.C. Knight, was built along the Atlantic flyway so they could enjoy their passion for waterfowl hunting. The restored museum is the finest representation of art nouveau architecture in the state. An exhibit in the downstairs gallery features the house's original furnishings. (252) 453-9040.
