Roanoke Island Recreation - Manteo Recreation

It’s Royalty Salon, Gifts and Spa

205 Budleigh Street
Roanoke Island
(252) 473-2209

This spa and salon offers the full range of hair services as well as makeup application and facials by a professional makeup artist. Wedding makeup is her specialty. The gift shop offers purses, belts, artwork and small gifts.

Kitty Hawk Kayaks Kayak & Surf School

MP 1, 6150 N. Croatan Highway, Kitty Hawk
Manteo
(252) 261-0145, (866) 702-5061

Enjoy a kayak tour to some of the finest flat-water kayaking destinations on the Outer Banks. Kitty Hawk Kayaks offers multiple specialty tours across the Outer Banks, including tours in Kitty Hawk Woods, Nags Head Woods (hike and paddle), Roanoke Island, Alligator River and Pea Island National Wildlife Refuges and in Corolla. Kayak rentals are also available. Ask about the overnight trips on the Roanoke River and their Coastal Explorer Camps for kids with field trips, surfing lessons and kayaking. The Surf School offers daily lessons and three-day surf camps throughout the summer. You can also take surf kayak lessons and ACA-certified kayak lessons. The friendly, professional staff promise your entire family will have fun.

Kitty Hawk Kites

307 Queen Elizabeth Street, Manteo Waterfront
Manteo
(252) 473-2357

You can rent bikes here for the whole family from early spring through fall. They have adult and kid bikes, tandem bikes and baby bike seats. And, if exploring Shallowbag Bay and Manteo’s surrounding waters is more your thing, you can rent single or tandem kayaks from Kitty Hawk Kites. You can put in right at the docks beside the shop from a convenient floating dock, and the views are spectacular.

Kitty Hawk Kites’ Kayak Tours

n/a
Manteo
(252) 441-4124 or (800) FLY-THIS (359-8447)

To see a totally different side of Roanoke Island, slip back into the marsh creeks and coves on a kayak. Kitty Hawk Kites offers kayak tours leaving from the Manteo waterfront and winding through the salt marshes into the sound. Guides point out features of the area ecology and wildlife and talk about the history of Roanoke Island. Tandem and single kayaks are available. Expect to pay around $25 to $45 per person for a guided tour. Tours leave from the Kitty Hawk Kites store on the Manteo Waterfront. Kitty Hawk Kites offers kayak tours of many areas of the Outer Banks. One that we highly recommend is the Alligator River Tour through the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge on the mainland; the meeting place is about a 20-minute drive inland from Manteo. You must make advance reservations for guided kayak tours.

Manteo Bike/Multi-Use Path

U.S. Highway 64
Manteo

A wonderful asset to Roanoke Island is a paved, 7-mile multi-use pedestrian path that runs the entire length of the northern part of the island alongside U.S. Highway 64/264. It’s perfect for bicycling, walking, jogging, in-line skating, baby strolling and dog walking. On all but the nastiest days, the path is filled with a blend of Roanoke Island residents and visitors greeting one another. The path winds all the way to the north end of the island, canopied by shady trees along much of the route. At the north end, the path ends at a little beach on the Croatan Sound. There are a few picnic tables, a sandy beach, a pond and a National Park Service interpretive exhibit about the Freedmen’s Colony.

About midway along the path, you come to an entrance to Roanoke Gardens on Mother Vineyard Road. This neighborhood, known as Mother Vineyard, provides a delightful detour from the main path. In this neighborhood grows the largest scuppernong grapevine on the island, the mother of all vineyards, said to date to the 1500s. If you turn east onto Mother Vineyard Road, you’ll do a nice loop through this beautiful and serene section, getting a peek at some local homes, well-manicured yards and the vineyard, and also catching views of Roanoke Sound, Nags Head and Jockey’s Ridge along the back stretch. The full loop will bring you around to Scuppernong Road, which leads back to the bike path.

If you’re headed to Roanoke Island just to use the bike path, you can park your car at Roanoke Island Festival Park or in downtown Manteo. Downtown Manteo’s quiet residential streets are also perfect for running, walking and biking.

Manteo Boardwalk

Manteo Waterfront
Manteo

A great place to stroll and pass some time is the boardwalk that winds along most of the Manteo waterfront. One end is quiet, with benches that look out over the sound and marsh grasses tickling the edges of the walk. A new section of the boardwalk was opened in 2008 that links the town with the new Marshes Light development, so now you can begin (or end) your water’s edge stroll at the marina being built here. Down the boardwalk a ways is the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse and a children’s playground with swings and a pirate ship for climbing on. Kids also like running out to the gazebo that hangs over the water. As you round the corner, activity picks up a little. Here are the waterfront docks, where transient and resident sailboats and motorboats fill the slips. Storefronts and restaurants line this portion of the boardwalk, and their customers spill out onto the boardwalk to enjoy the breeze. Boat and kayak tours leave from this area of downtown. The boardwalk ends at the Cora Mae Daniels Basnight Bridge.

A delightful stroll over the Cora Mae Basnight Bridge provides you with a commanding view of the Elizabeth II, Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse, the Manteo waterfront marina and the working waterfront on Dough’s Creek. At the end of the bridge, follow the sidewalk to the boardwalk at Roanoke Island Festival Park. The trailhead is reached by a crosswalk to your left through the parking area. A sign announces the entrance to the boardwalk.

This relaxing nature walk weaves its way alongside a tranquil waterway used by local watermen to access Shallowbag Bay and Roanoke Sound. To your left, you will observe the expansive vista of a black needle rush salt marsh that provides habitat to numerous aquatic species. Continuing along, you are surrounded by a maritime forest of Atlantic white cedars, red cedars, loblolly pines, live oaks, myrtles and hollies before the boardwalk pauses at a dock overlooking Jockey’s Ridge and the soundside shore of Nags Head.

Continue left along the paved walkway that circles the Pavilion lawn to the second path to your left. A sign announces the entrance to the park’s award-winning Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration project. This shoreline restoration project is a collaborative effort among the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Wilmington District, State of North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Division of Water Resources and the Roanoke Island Commission. Other federal, state, local and non-profit agencies played major roles in restoring the shoreline by building a rock sill, planting marsh grasses and maritime forest and creating a one-acre oyster reef outside the sill.

This pathway and boardwalk lead to a dock on Shallowbag Bay. Five interpretive signs placed along the path illustrate the unique components of the project through photographs, sketches and descriptive text. This self-guided tour provides visitors with an opportunity to learn more about the value of environmental restoration and management of aquatic and maritime forest resources, a first-hand look at the beneficial effects of restoration methods and information to assist in identification of aquatic plants, animal and native tree species found in and around the Roanoke Island Festival Park.

From here you can walk back to Manteo’s downtown area, or stay and explore all of the great activities at Roanoke Island Festival Park.

Manteo Skate Park

Uppowoc Street, behind the College of the Albemarle on U.S. Highway 64
Manteo

Manteo recently built a killer skatepark for the local kids (and the few adults who are still at it). It’s free to skate here, but be sure to bring protective equipment. The park is located behind the College of the Albemarle campus. There are usually experienced skaters there who are willing to offer newcomers to the sport helpful advice, and these same long-time skaters regularly organize competitions.

Manteo Waterfront Boat Ramp

At the end of Ananias Dare Street, Waterfront
Manteo

A free public boat launch is located at the waterfront, right beside the bridge that leads to Roanoke Island Festival Park. Parking is located here too for easy access.

Manteo Waterfront Playground

On the waterfront beside the Weather Tower
Manteo

Manteo provides a very nice playground at the south end of its waterfront right beside the Weather Tower and the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse. Here, caregivers can relax on one of the benches and enjoy the panoramic view of the sound, Nags Head and beyond while keeping a watchful eye on their charges. Swings, a play ship and slides keep the wee ones happy.

Miss Broad Creek

708 Harbor Drive, Wanchese Seafood Industrial Park
Wanchese
(252) 473-9991

The Miss Broad Creek, a 61-foot head boat, offers a sunset cruise starting at 6 p.m., and you may bring your own beverages on that cruise. It’s best to call ahead for a reservation. The boat also takes two bottom-fishing trips a day, both half-day, from 8 a.m. to noon or 1 to 5 p.m. See Fishing for more information.

Nags Head Diving

406 Uppowoc Avenue
Manteo
(252) 473-1356

Pamela Malec Landrum, author of A Guide to Sea Kayaking the NC Coast, offers scuba diving lessons, referral dives and beach dives. A National Association of Underwater Instructor Scuba Diving teacher, Landrum teaches NAUI certification courses. Lessons include class work (which can be completed at home), pool work and open-water dives. Ages 10 and older can participate. Classes can be mixed to suit your schedule.

Nautics Hall

Elizabethan Inn, 814 U.S. Highway 64
Manteo
(252) 473-1191

Nautics Hall at the Elizabethan Inn is a fitness site offering fitness classes, yoga, Pilates, water aerobics, a regulation-size indoor pool, a weight room with free weights, machines and cardio equipment, a sauna and a whirlpool. Weekly passes are available; call for prices.

OBXtreme Magic and Mad Jack Comedy

1 Festival Park Drive, Roanoke Island Festival Park
Manteo
(252) 489-9219

For out-of-the-ordinary entertainment, try to catch one of these amazing magic and comedy shows staged by world-renowned magicians Clive Allen & Tracy. OBXtreme Magic is the family-friendly version of the show, and you can catch it most Wednesdays and Thursdays at the Hilton Garden Inn in Kitty Hawk, with special shows at the Outer Banks Music Showcase in Kitty Hawk and Roanoke Island Festival Park in Manteo. The magicians also hold children’s magic camps at The Whalehead Club in Corolla on Tuesdays throughout the summer. The show goes to a new level after dark, when the Mad Jack Comedy show features R-rated comedy, magic and bizarre side-show stunts, and they caution that this show is not for the easily offended. Mad Jack Comedy shows are held at Kelly’s Outer Banks Restaurant and Tavern in Nags Head on Tuesdays and at the Hilton Garden Inn in Kitty Hawk on Wednesdays.

Outer Banks Community Sailing Program at the Roanoke Island Maritime Museum

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

If you’re interested in sailing or learning to sail, the Roanoke Island Maritime Museum has a program just for you. The museum hosts Shallowbag Bay Sail-Abouts and Open Sails on Tuesdays starting at 6 p.m. throughout the summer, weather permitting. This is a great way to learn about the traditional watercraft of Roanoke Island and even get out on the water in one.

Kids ages 8 and older can learn to sail with the Maritime Museum. Week-long youth sailing programs are held in June and July, Monday through Friday; morning or afternoon sessions are available. Children ages 8 to 12 are taught on the Optimist, the number one sail training boat in the world. Students should be good swimmers, but no previous sailing experience is required. Youth ages 12 and older are taught on the Vanguard 420, the boat used by most high school and collage sailing programs. Special courses on racing are offered in July for Optimist sailors. Students participate in a local regatta at the end of the course and will be eligible to participate in further regattas. Advance registration is required. You can register by calling the museum for information and prices.

Also ask about other workshops that are offered at the museum, such as Build a Boat in A Day and Simple Rigging. See Attractions for more about the Roanoke Island Maritime Museum.

Outer Banks Jet Boat Tours

Manteo Waterfront
Manteo
Booking through Kitty Hawk Kites (252) 441-4124, (800) FLY-THIS (359-8447)

The Yellow Bird is a 34-foot jet boat that takes passengers out on tours into the Croatan Sound. The one-and-a-half-hour tour includes dolphin watching, local sightseeing and high-speed jet-boating. The boat can hold up to 24 passengers. Cost is $34 for adults and $19 for children younger than 12. Private tours can be arranged. Trips leave from the waterfront several times a day.

Outer Banks Marathon, Gateway Bank Half-Marathon

Ends in downtown Manteo
Manteo

On Sunday, November 8, 2009, you can participate in the fourth-annual Outer Banks Marathon or the Gateway Bank Half-Marathon. If you’re a runner or walker, you don’t want to miss this event on a flat course with awesome scenery and the spirited residents of the Outer Banks cheering for you all along the way. The course for the marathon begins in Kitty Hawk, travels on through Kill Devil Hills and around the Wright Memorial, goes through Nags Head and ends on Roanoke Island. The Gateway Bank Half-Marathon begins near Jockey’s Ridge in Nags Head and ends on Roanoke Island. Walkers are welcome, so there’s no excuse not to be involved. Register early because this event will sell out.

Outer Banks Yoga and Pilates—Nautics Hall

Elizabethan Inn, 814 U.S. Highway 64
Manteo
(252) 480-3214

Outer Banks Yoga and Pilates offers yoga and Pilates classes at the Nautics Hall fitness center at the Elizabethan Inn. They have mats and props available for your use, and they also have a studio location in Kitty Hawk where you can take additional classes or purchase comfortable yoga wear, OmBX original clothing or supplies such as props or mats.

Pilates on the Green

Marshes Light Waterfront
Manteo
(252) 489-1581

Patti Waller teaches all-levels Pilates classes on the Manteo waterfront at Marshes Light beginning the third week of April. The classes are held Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings at 8:30, and the cost is $10 per class. Bring your own mat or towel. Of course, classes are cancelled when it rains.

Pioneer Theatre

113 Budleigh Street
Manteo
(252) 473-2216

The Pioneer Theatre represents all that was good about the good old days. Fair prices, wholesome entertainment and friendly folks are the hallmarks of this theater that dates back to 1918. (The original building burned, and this one was built in 1934.) The theater runs one first-run movie per week, with show times at 8 p.m. nightly. All of the movies are suitable for families. Tickets cost $5, and the snack prices are the best you’ll find anywhere. (We mean it — $2 is usually all you need for popcorn, candy and a drink!) Locals cherish this theater and go even if they’re not particularly interested in the movie. For a movie preview, call the number above and listen to the recording.

Pirate’s Cove Marina

1 Sailfish Drive, Nags Head/Manteo Causeway, off U.S. Highway 64
Roanoke Island
(252) 473-3906, (800) 367-4728

Just about every afternoon between 4 and 5 p.m. a dozen or more sport fishing boats return from the Gulf Stream to the Pirate’s Cove Marina to unload their catches of tuna, dolphin, wahoo and other deep-sea fish. If you’re interested in seeing the fish before they’re cleaned, head down to the docks and watch the mates hurl the whopping creatures onto the docks. Kids love this, and the anglers are usually friendly about sharing their experiences of the day.

If you’re more of a hands-on type, you might want to take a fishing trip yourself. Pirate’s Cove offers several options for getting to the fishing grounds. Approximately 18 private charter boats are available to take you off-shore fishing, and other boats are available for inshore fishing charters. Makeup charters are available. Call for details. See our Fishing section for more information.

Private Charters Aboard the Sea’scape

Tours leave from the Manteo waterfront boardwalk by the lighthouse
Manteo
(252) 473-2719

The Sea’scape is a beautiful 41’ ketch (which means she has two masts, for those of you not in the nautical know) that takes guests on daily tours leaving from the Manteo boardwalk. Captain Dan Bottjen will take up to six out at a time. Imagine slipping along in the water, a lovely breeze filling the sails, the quiet of that comes when you leave the hubub of the shore behind…ahhhh! The boat has a fully equipped galley, so you’re welcome to bring along refreshments. And there are two heads on board. Half-day sails, lasting two to four hours, are $50 per person ($150 minimum). Full-day sails that last up to seven hours are $75 per person ($250 minimum). And Sunset sails, which last two to four hours, and $60 per person ($180 minimum).

R.D. Sawyer Motor Company

404 U.S. Highway 64
Manteo
(252) 473-2142

You can rent a car from this local dealership, but be sure to call well in advance to make reservations.

Red Wolf Howling Safaris

Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Highway 64, East Lake (Dare County Mainland)
Manteo
(252) 796-5600

Endangered red wolves live in the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, and you can meet up with a group at the Creef Cut Wildlife Trail to learn about the wolves and hear them howl. Howlings are held June 10 through September 2 on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. Programs last about two hours. Bring a flashlight and wear insect repellent. There is a small charge for this program, and reservations are recommended. Free howling dates are April 25 (7 p.m.), October 17 and 24 (6 p.m.) and December 12 (4 p.m.).

Shepherd of the Ocean

1 Festival Park, Roanoke Island Festival Park
Manteo
(252) 475-1500

This whimsical comedy about the relationship between Queen Elizabeth I and Sir Walter Ralegh (“Ralegh” is actually the historically accurate spelling, say the show’s creators). The play premiered in 2006 at the international Sir Walter Ralegh Festival in Youghal, Ireland, receiving rave reviews during its three-week run. Set primarily in a time warp, the play is a flashback of Ralegh’s most cherished moments with Queen Elizabeth. The 50-minute show is best suited for ages 14 and older. It runs Thursdays June 4, 11, 18 and August 6, 13 and 20 at 3 p.m. Admission is included in the general admission ticket to the park.

Summer Children’s Performance Series at Roanoke Island Festival Park

1 Festival Park, Roanoke Island Festival Park
Manteo
(252) 475-1500

The Summer Children’s Performance Series features world-class entertainment for all ages, but it’s especially geared to children. The performers delight and excite young audiences, and the series is very popular so arrive early to ensure a seat. The series is held in the Film Theatre at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday through Friday from June 24 through July 31. Admission is included in the Park’s general admission ticket price and is free for Friends of the Elizabeth II.
June 23-26 Tarradiddle Players present The Comedia Alladin
June 30-July 3 Alex and the Kaleidoscope Band
July 7-10 Kinobe Soul Beat Africa
July 14-17 Magic Show
July 21-24 Cello Man
July 28-31 Rumragger Pirate Show with Molasses Creek