Manteo, North Carolina, is on Roanoke Island. It’s the island before you get to the islands that make up the Outer Banks. Virginia Dare, the first English child born in the then-colonies, was born here. Manteo is also the site of the Lost Colony. Stepped in a bit of history and tourism, the town has a rustic charm while offering some unique attractions visitors won’t find anywhere else.

Among the site visited in this photo adventure are the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, the Elizabethan Gardens, Festival Park and downtown Manteo. The top photo is of the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse, which is a sister to the lighthouse near our home, the Roanoke River Lighthouse in Edenton.

A marker noting the lost Roanoke colony Fort Raleigh National Historic Site..
A replica board waits for visitors to board.
A bench at the Elizabethan gardens.
Wood panelling from the late 1500s on display at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site..
Bags of oysters sit under the water. The animals help filter the water.
This plaque describes a pretty cool mayor pro tem who thought the waterfront belonged to all.
Roses at the Elizabethan gardens.
A gate bars entry into the upstairs of a downtown Manteo building.
Gypsy VI is used by tourists who can shoot water from the cannons, attacking a nearby pirate ship.
More roses at the Elizabethan Gardens.
A grasshopped sits on a flower.
The shoreline of Manteo.
Island Perk, a coffee shop, used to be a bank.
The sunrise at Manteo looking toward Nags Head and the Outer Banks.
Pigeons vie for a spot on the room of this building at the Scarborough Inn.
A bench at the Elizabethan gardens.
A marker noting the lost Roanoke colony Fort Raleigh National Historic Site..
Pigeons vie for a spot on the room of this building at the Scarborough Inn.
A gate bars entry into the upstairs of a downtown Manteo building.
The shoreline of Manteo.
Bags of oysters sit under the water. The animals help filter the water.
Wood panelling from the late 1500s on display at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site..
Gypsy VI is used by tourists who can shoot water from the cannons, attacking a nearby pirate ship.
A replica board waits for visitors to board.
The sunrise at Manteo looking toward Nags Head and the Outer Banks.
A grasshopped sits on a flower.
More roses at the Elizabethan Gardens.
Roses at the Elizabethan gardens.
Island Perk, a coffee shop, used to be a bank.
This plaque describes a pretty cool mayor pro tem who thought the waterfront belonged to all.