Roanoke Island Attractions, Performances & Events

Nancyware Pottery

• 402 Queen Elizabeth Street
• Manteo
• (252) 473-9400

This is the potter’s studio as well as her exhibit space, so you can often see her at work at the wheel. Nancy’s functional ceramics are made of high-fired stoneware that is dishwasher, microwave and oven safe including pie plates, colanders, dishes, tumblers, vases and spoon rests. She also makes odds-and-ends jars, beaded jewelry, small collectible mirrors and tile murals. Nancy can create personalized special orders, which make great wedding gifts or wedding favors! Ceramics classes are offered in the off-season.

Outer Banks History Center

• Roanoke Island Festival Park, across from the Manteo Waterfront
• Manteo
• (252) 473-2655

The Outer Banks History Center is a regional archives and research library administered by the North Carolina State Archives. Its holdings document the history, development and growth of the North Carolina coast. It’s a great place to find historic photographs of the Outer Banks. The public is welcome to use the center to research geneaology or any other topic related to the Outer Banks or to peruse their extensive reading library of current periodicals. The Outer Banks History Center is open year-round, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The History Center’s gallery features changing exhibits of topics about the Outer Banks. Admission is free, and the gallery is open from March through December, seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The 2010 show is a photography exhibit by Bruce Roberts.

Pea Island Cookhouse Museum

• Sir Walter Raleigh Street
• Manteo
• (252) 473-2133

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 is housed in a the refurbished former cookhouse of the historic Pea Island Station and honors the African-American men who courageously served under Etheridge.

Born into slavery on Roanoke Island, Etheridge was in charge of the U.S. Life-Saving Service Station at Pea Island from January 1880 to May of 1900. The story of Etheridge and the Pea Island surfmen has been immortalized in the riveting book, Fire on the Beach, and recently made into a documentary film, Rescue Men. Despite living during a time of great prejudice — his station was burned to the ground by disgruntled whites and white lifesavers who refused to work for him — Etheridge’s career was one of distinction. Having been a sergeant in the Colored Troops of the Union Army during the Civil War, he ran the station with military precision. This resulted in successful lifesaving missions, including the chilling rescue of the E.S. Newman in October 1896 when two of his crew moved through hurricane-force seas to save lives. While fighting to end slavery during the Civil War, Etheridge also fought for the rights of people on the homefront who were being mistreated in the Freedmen’s Colony. He co-authored a compelling letter to the commissioner of the Freedmen’s Bureau and signed it “on behalf of humanity.” The statue of Etheridge was crafted by Stephen H. Smith of Marshville, who has also sculpted the likenesses of Martin Luther King Jr. and Wilbur and Orville Wright.

In the museum you’ll see original artifacts from the U.S. Life-Saving Service, the shipboard from the E.S. Newman and a video and learn about the history of Etheridge and his crew.

For now, you may call the number listed here to arrange a tour.

Roanoke Island Festival Park Museum Store

• 1 Festival Park Road, Roanoke Island Festival Park, Across from Manteo Waterfront
• Manteo
• (252) 475-1500

Explore this store and find historically themed gifts, collectibles and memorabilia that includes Elizabethan, nautical, Civil War, American Indian, Outer Banks and North Carolina arts, candles, pottery and music. Learn a 16th-century game, play with a hoop, be a princess or a pirate in the children’s corner or sit and rock while you explore the many cookbooks. Meet local authors, enjoy unusual toys and discover distinctive jewelry, fine teas, dishware, chimes, candles and garden items. Receive all the benefits of supporting Roanoke Island Festival Park by joining Friends of Elizabeth II; forms are available in the shop. The shop is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week from mid-February through December. 

Roanoke Island Maritime Museum / Creef Boathouse

• 104 Fernando Street, Manteo Waterfront
• Manteo
• (252) 475-1750

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 the process.

Whatever you see, you’ll learn about the island’s traditional boats, what they were used for and how they were used. On the water, you’ll see a variety of traditional watercraft, the most noteworthy of which is the reproduction North Carolina shad boat, The Spirit of Roanoke Island, built by museum volunteers. Head over to the boathouse to see the Ella View, an original shad boat built in 1883 by George Washington Creef, the boathouse’s namesake.

The museum has a number of programs and workshops to celebrate maritime heritage. The Maritime Museum offers Build a Boat in a Day workshops once a month from June through October. They also offer boat rides in a traditional shad fishing boat once a week throughout the summer. Call to register in advance. The museum’s community sailing program and Learn-to-Sail camps for kids are very popular (see our Recreation section). It’s free to tour this museum and talk with the volunteers and staff. The museum is growing all the time, so check back often for new programs and events.

Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse / Manteo Weather Tower

• East End of Queen Elizabeth Street, Waterfront
• Manteo
• (252) 475-1750

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 platform and operated the light to help mariners navigate safely. This replica was built by the Town of Manteo and dedicated in September 2004. Inside the lighthouse is an exhibit about the history of the first lighthouse along with some boat-related exhibits from the neighboring Roanoke Island Maritime Museum.

Also on this site, the Town of Manteo is keeping the century-old tradition of the Storm Warning Tower alive with the Manteo Weather Tower. This particular tower dates back to 1904, when the U.S. Weather Bureau set up its first Storm Warning Tower in Manteo. Using flags by day and lights by night, the towers provided a useful service to local residents, especially mariners and fishermen, but certainly for others as well. A. E. Drinkwater, the town’s telegrapher, was the weather observer, and the tower was located first at the downtown courthouse, then at a location on the waterfront and then at Drinkwater’s home, where it stayed for decades until the Town of Manteo obtained it in 2005. The tower on the Manteo waterfront today is the original 1904 tower with the original signal lights and a bit of refurbishing. The Town of Manteo’s dock master changes the flags and lights according to weather reports, and locals and visitors enjoy interpreting the signals. If you need to brush up on your weather-warning flag symbols, a legend for the flags is available at the base of the tower and also on postcards available at the Maritime Museum and at Manteo’s Town Hall on Budleigh Street.

Simon’s Pirate Adventure

• 1409 National Park Drive, Waterside Theatre, off U.S. Highway 64
• Roanoke Island
• (252) 473-3414

Presented by The Lost Colony actors, this playful event coincides with The Lost Colony‘s The Queen’s Fairy Quest program (see separate listing), providing members of your party with an alternate entertainment option. This event invites youngsters to see a play, dress, talk and act like a pirate, and hear some fellow pirates talk about their adventures at sea. Take-home souvenirs and snacks are provided. The event is held from 3 to 5 p.m. on Thursdays from June 24 to August 12. Cost is $22 for adults or $11 for youth ages 4 to 11. Reservations are required 48 hours in advance.

The Andrus Gallery and Studio

• The Waterfront Shops
• Manteo
• (252) 305-5411

The Steve Andrus Gallery is the gallery and workspace of watercolor painter Steve Andrus. The gallery sells only Andrus’ work, and you will find the artist at work here as well. Andrus’ craftsmanship is stunning; he has a flair for capturing light and reflection. Much of his subject matter is nautical, focusing on beautiful sailing vessels on a stormy sea or docked in a peaceful harbor. His first-hand wilderness experiences in Taos, New Mexico, also bring some decidedly Western subjects to the gallery as well. Stop by to talk to Andrus and view his artwork. 

The Queen’s Fairy Quest

• 1409 National Park Drive, Waterside Theater, off U.S. Highway 64
• Manteo
• (252) 473-3414

Join Queen Elizabeth I and her royal court for this interactive drama in which the Queen learns about an expedition to discover the fairy queen. The event includes a royal audience with the Queen, a complimentary souvenir program, a backstage tour of Waterside Theatre and a feast of delicious royal treats. The Queen’s Fairy Quest is performed on Thursdays from June 24 to August 12 from 3 to 5 p.m. The event coincides with Simon’s Pirate Adventure so that every member of the family will be entertained at the same time. Cost for The Queen’s Fairy Quest is $22 for adults and $11 for youth ages 4 to 11. Reservations are required 48 hours in advance.

Wanchese Pottery

• 107 Fernando Street
• Manteo
• (252) 473-2099

In the red-roofed building across from the Maritime Museum, Wanchese Pottery features the handcrafted pottery of local potters Bonnie and Bob Morrill. Their work is beautiful as well as functional. Well-crafted bowls, pitchers, coffee mugs, dinnerware, oil lamps, bird feeders and more are stacked on the shelves in this quaint shop and studio.

Waterside Art Wednesday

• 1409 National Park Drive, Waterside Theatre, off U.S. Highway 64
• Manteo
• (252) 473-3414

To entertain your 7 to 11 year olds in the afternoon, come to Waterside Theatre’s air-conditioned costume shop for art classes. Students create their own watercolor drawings inspired by those John White made of Roanoke Island in 1585. Supplies and snacks are included. This event runs from June 16 to August 11 on Wednesdays from 2 to 3 p.m. Cost is $10 per person.