Tea with the Queen

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

This might be your only chance to meet the Queen of England. Tea with the Queen allows you to visit with The Lost Colony’s Queen Elizabeth and her royal court for a sumptuous dessert and iced tea, along with some delightful antics, at Waterside Theatre. After tea, a behind-the-scenes tour of Waterside Theatre is included. The event is held from 3 to 5 p.m. on the following dates: June 25, July 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30 and August 6 and 13. Advance reservations are required.

Running concurrently with this show is a show for younger audiences called Simon’s Pirate Adventure, providing the younger members of your party with another entertainment option. This event invites youngsters to dress, talk and act like a pirate and hear some fellow pirates talk about their adventures at sea. Advance reservations are required. See our Attractions section for more information.

Tennis

• Manteo

Tennis players will find non-lighted courts at the College of the Albemarle on U.S. Highway 64, at Manteo Middle School on U.S. Highway 64 and at Manteo High School on Wingina Avenue. The COA courts are available to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. The school courts are available on a first-come, first-served basis after school hours and when the students are not practicing.

The Lost Colony

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

Since its premiere in 1937, The Lost Colony outdoor drama has become one of the Outer Banks’ most beloved attractions. The play itself has become as much a part of the culture and history of Roanoke Island as the historic events it portrays. The symphonic production tells the 400-year-old mystery of the 117 men, women and children who lived for a short time on Roanoke Island then vanished without a trace. Held in the beautiful, open-air Waterside Theatre, the lively show features song, dance and drama. Getting to the actual theater requires a short walk down a paved path through an enchanting forest, stirring the imagination about the colonists’ lives.

In September 2007 a fire consumed The Lost Colony costume shop, destroying all of the show’s working stock and historical costumes. The silver lining in this tragic event was that the show rebounded to an even more stunning production. Renowned Broadway costume designer William Ivey Long, creative costumer for such productions as The Producers and Hair Spray, designed and created a thousand new costumes for the show, and The Lost Colony is more visually stunning than ever. The new costumes are not only beautiful, they are more historically accurate, as the redesign allowed Long to portray the Elizabethan class system of the colonists. A new director has also changed some key elements of the play. Even if you’ve seen The Lost Colony several times, it’s worth it to go again to see the new level of sophistication it has attained.

The Lost Colony is performed Monday through Saturday nights from May 29 through August 20, 2009. The show starts at 8 p.m. and is about two hours long. Ticket prices are $18 for adults, $17 for seniors and $10 for children 11 and younger. Tickets in the Producers Circle, which offer the best view, are $22. On Mondays and Fridays, one child age 11 and younger gets in free with the purchase of a full-price adult ticket. On Saturday, one child gets a half-price ticket ($5) with the purchase of a full-price adult ticket. Advance reservations are recommended. For tickets, you can call (252) 473-3414 or visit www.thelostcolony.com to purchase your tickets online.

The Lost Colony organization offers backstage tours nightly at 6 p.m. On this 45-minute walking tour you’ll see insider views of the theater, costume shop and props. Reservations are required, and the cost is $7 per person. Special day tours of The Lost Colony backstage and Waterside Theatre combined with a tour of Fort Raleigh can be made by special arrangement and are available in the off-season only; call (252) 473-2127. The Lost Colony production company also offers many special events throughout the year; see our Calendar of Events.

The Lost Colony Children’s Theater Presents Charlotte’s Web

• Waterside Theatre, 1409 National Park Drive
• Manteo
• (252) 473-3414

The Lost Colony cast puts on fantastic versions of children’s favorites every summer. In 2009 it’s Charlotte’s Web, and it’s guaranteed to be a hit. Face-painting, balloon-sculpting and games entertain the children before the show. Performances are held Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:30 a.m. from June 18 to August 13 in Waterside Theater. Tickets cost $7 per person.

The Outdoors Outfitters

• 406 Uppowoc Avenue
• Manteo
• (252) 473-1356

Pamela Malec Landrum, author of A Guide to Sea Kayaking the NC Coast, offers kayak tours for children and adults as well as beginning kayaking and advanced kayak touring lessons. Tours are held in the salt marsh areas around Roanoke Island, Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Alligator River. In the lessons, beginners learn about gear, basic strokes, technique and self-rescue, while advanced students learn in-depth techniques, trip-planning skills and rescue techniques. Ask about the Children’s Activity Tour, a family favorite, as well as the Everglades kayak trip offered in winter months.

The Retreat Spa

• Corner of U.S. Highway 64 and Hariot Street
• Manteo
• (252) 473-2287

The Retreat Spa is a full-service spa housed in a sweet little cottage. Owner Monique Vann offers nurturing and relaxing treatments that are affordable for all women. Each woman is greeted with complimentary slippers and snacks or chocolate. Services include massage, facials, steam treatments, manicures and pedicures, and the full range of hair services. The upstairs loft is available for spa parties. Locals should ask about Monique’s Pink Pajama Club, which rewards students who make good grades with mini spa treatments every nine weeks

The World War II Flight Museum at the Dare County Airport

• 410 Airport Road, Manteo
• Roanoke Island
• (252) 475-5570

The Wright Brothers weren’t the only famous pilots to fly on the Outer Banks. Located inside Roanoke Island’s Airport is a small, two-room museum dedicated to the days when the airport was a Naval Auxiliary Air Station. In 1941, the U.S. Navy took over the county’s airfield, making it a training site for World War II aircraft. Check out the museum to learn about local heroes like Dave Driskill and the “Kitty Hawk Kid,” Lt. Sheldon R. “Ray” Beacham. Beacham is credited for shooting down two Japanese Zeros in the South Pacific. Beacham and his VF-17 Squadron were one of the most famous Navy Fighter Squadrons, known for the skull and crossbones painted on the noses of their planes. The museum is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and admission is free.

Thicket Lump Marina

• 219 Thicket Lump Road
• Wanchese
• (252) 473-4500

Way down on the south end of Wanchese in a beautiful location that’s only 5 miles from Oregon Inlet by water, Thicket Lump Marina offers offshore, inshore and intermediate fishing charters as well as head boat fishing with licensed and insured captains. The head boat, the Roseann, can carry a maximum of 16 people. Dolphin tours are offered on the Kokomo. Thicket Lump sells gas and diesel fuel. Great Gut Deli, a great lunch spot, is here too. If you’re out in your own boat, definitely stop here for gas and lunch.

Waterside Art Wednesday

• Waterside Theatre, 1409 National Park Drive
• Manteo
• (252) 473-3414

To entertain your 7 to 12 year olds in the afternoon, come to Waterside Theatre for art classes. Students will create their own watercolor drawings like those John White made of Roanoke Island in 1585. Supplies and snacks are included on both days. This event runs from June 17 to August 12 on Wednesdays from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Cost is $10 per person.

Weaving Studio at Endless Possibilities

• 105 Budleigh Street
• Manteo
• (252) 475-1575

This shop offers a truly unique concept in creativity and fund-raising. The goods sold here — rugs, purses, pillows, boas and more — are hand-woven and handcrafted out of recycled clothing that was donated to local Outer Banks Hotline thrift shops. The creations are amazing, colorful and original. The shop also offers the work of talented artists on consignment. The knitters, jewelers and sculptors who display their wares here all work with other found or recycled materials. Proceeds of the goods go to Outer Banks Hotline, a local nonprofit organization, to help local women and families on the Outer Banks. See the Shopping section.

Weavers are at work on the looms right in the store, and they welcome volunteer weavers. (They’ll teach you what to do in about 15 minutes.) Volunteering is free and includes a lesson. You can also come in and pay a fee to make your own woven items. This is a great activity for young and old alike — just call ahead to check for loom availability.