Fort Raleigh

At the visitor center, the Elizabethan Room features the original oak paneling and stone fireplace from a 16th century house of the kind lived in by the Roanoke colony investors. Also displayed are artifacts from the site, exhibits on the colonists and Elizabethan life, and copies of the John White watercolors. A short film relates the story of both attempts to establish colonies.

The Lost Colony which has been running since 1937, combines drama, music and dance to tell the story of the ill-fated 1587 Roanoke Colony. Pulitzer price-winning dramatist Paul Green built this semi-fictional story from first-hand accounts. The play is produced each summer in the outdoor Waterside Theater by the Roanoke Island Historical Association. Dates and hours are fixed by that organization.

The Elizabethan Gardens were created by the Garden Club of North Carolina as a memorial to the first colonists and as an example of the gardens that graced the estates of the wealthy backers of the colony. Visitors enter through a replica of a Tudor gate house and wander through a rich array of flowers that bloom throughout the year.

Visit our map of the Outer Banks.

Administration
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site is administered by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. The Superintendent of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Route 1, Box 675, Manteo, NC 27954 is in charge of the site. It is located on U.S. 64/264, 3 miles north of Manteo, NC 92 miles south of Norfolk, VA and 67 miles south of Elizabeth City, NC.

For Your Safety
Don’t allow your visit to be spoiled by an accident. Every effort has been made to provide for your safety, but there are still hazards requiring your alertness. Please use common sense and caution.

For more administrative information on the park visit the park site on our Park Net page.