Roanoke Island Festival Park

Roanoke Island Festival Park on the Manteo waterfront tells the story of the first English settlements in America — including the enduring mystery of the Lost Colony of 1587, when over 100 settlers vanished from Roanoke Island without explanation. The park combines outdoor living history, a full-scale ship replica, indoor museum galleries, and costumed interpreters to create one of the Outer Banks' most educational and engaging family attractions.

The Elizabeth II is a representative 16th-century sailing vessel docked at the park's waterfront. Costumed interpreters portray Elizabethan sailors, demonstrating navigation, rigging, and the daily routines of an Atlantic crossing. Kids can explore the ship's deck, peer into the cramped below-deck quarters, and gain a visceral understanding of how small and dangerous these voyages were.

The outdoor Settlement Site and American Indian Town bring two perspectives to the story. At the Settlement Site, interpreters demonstrate colonial-era trades and daily life. The American Indian Town represents the Algonquian people who inhabited Roanoke Island before English arrival, with interpreters sharing their culture, technology, and perspective on the dramatic changes that European contact brought.

The indoor Adventure Museum provides interactive exhibits about Roanoke Island's history, from the Algonquian period through the Civil War and beyond. For younger children, the museum's hands-on activities provide a welcome indoor break from summer heat. A film about the Roanoke voyages sets the historical context for the outdoor experiences.

The park's location on the Manteo waterfront makes it easy to combine with a walk through downtown Manteo, one of the Outer Banks' most charming small towns. The harbor, shops, galleries, and restaurants of Manteo provide a pleasant contrast to the beach-focused tourism of the northern Outer Banks. During summer, The Lost Colony outdoor symphonic drama (performed at the nearby Waterside Theatre) extends the Roanoke Island story into an evening performance that's been running since 1937.