About Island Farm:

At A Glance

• Visit us on the web at:
  www.theislandfarm.com
• Email: Click Here
• Address: 1140 US Highway 64 Manteo 27954 Click for map
• Phone: 252-473-6500
• Latitude: 35.928728
• Longitude: -75.686917
• Hours: Wednesday - Saturday; 10am - 4pm
• Payment: No cards accepted
  Cash, Checks
• Entry Fee: Standard Admission $6; Children 5 and under free.
• Age Requirements: All Ages.
• Season: April 4, 2012 - November 24, 2012; Closed Thanksgiving Day.

Experience life as it was before the Civil War.  Join interpreters dressed in period attire as they carry out the daily activities of a Roanoke Island farm in the 1850s. Stroll along the pasture fences and visit with the farm animals, listen to the ringing of the blacksmith’s hammer, help a farmer hoe his corn or carry water to the garden. In the cookhouse, hear the sizzle of salted ham in the skillet or help the cook make corn cakes. See laundry washed in a steaming iron pot over a hardwood fire and lend a hand if you like, or just relax under the shade of a tall pecan tree and watch coastal history come to life before your eyes.

Hands-On Activities and Demonstrations May Include: Woodworking, cooking, ox-drawn wagon rides, children’s 19th century toys and games, farm and garden planting, harvesting and tending, blacksmithing, folk medicine, musket firing, self-guided tours of the c. 1847 farm house. Activities vary daily and by season and are weather-dependent.

Island Farm also has several special events throughout the year. Christmas Past at Island Farm, Civil War Living History Weekend, Sheep Shearing Day, Historic Trades Day, Evening Lantern Tours: Dressed in Black and Fall Foodways. Please refer to the above Entertainment/Events tab or our website for more information on these events.

Island Farm is located at 1140 US Highway 64, 2 miles north of Manteo. Only 15 minutes from Nags Head and 1 hour from Corolla, and just 5 minutes from the North Carolina Aquarium, The Elizabethan Gardens, Fort Raleigh, Roanoke Island Festival Park and the Manteo Waterfront.

Must Dos:

Wagon rides on farm trails

Ox-drawn wagon rides around the trails on the farm are a popular feature for all ages to enjoy. This activity takes place daily between 1:30 -3:30 and is subject to change. Please call ahead to verify availability.

Fields plowed by farmer and ox.

In the 1850s, animals were heavily relied upon by farmers to get fields ready for planting crops.

Tend the Chickens

Help the farmer tend the chickens. Learn about the historical breeds and what their job is on the farm.

150th Anniversary of the Battle of Roanoke Island, Civil War History

Daily life for Roanoke Islanders was abruptly turned upside down on February 7, 1862. Union gunboats and troop transports navigated into the Croatan Sound and bombarded Confederate forts along the Island's western shore. The following morning nearly 10,000 Federal troops subdued Confederate defenses and forced the fleeing soldiers to surrender at the Island's North End. Join us as the history from that time is brought to life. Young visitors will enjoy marching with the soldiers, musket demonstrations, hearth cooking demonstrations and visiting with the farm animals. Other activities will include Civil War era wet-plate photography demonstrations (for a fee, you may have your photo taken) and an original Civil War artifacts display. Dr. Patricia Click, historian and author, will speak about the Roanoke Island Freedmen's Colony. There will be military camps and a field hospital and also a battle re-enactment. More Info...

More Entertainment & Events: