Fort Raleigh National Historic Site

Address:1401 National Park Drive
Manteo, North Carolina
Tel: (828) 693-4178

Fort Raleigh National Historic Site protects and preserves portions of England's first New World settlements from 1584 to 1590 as well as the cultural heritage of the Native Americans, European Americans and African Americans who once lived on Virginia's Roanoke Island.

Though the fate of Sir Walter Raleigh's "Lost Colony" remains a mystery, its stories are told through exhibits, artifacts and the 17 minute park video, "Roanoke: The Lost Colony." Visitors to Fort Raleigh can walk the Thomas Hariot Nature Trail which offers a 20 minute wilderness experience of the island's natural setting. There's also a Freedom Trail well worth walking for additional information on the area. The Elizabethan Gardens, created as a memorial to the first colonists, is an example of a period gardens found at Fort Raleigh. Museum exhibits tell the story of the colonization efforts and of other historic events such as the Outer Banks Theater of America's Civil War, the Freedman's Colony, Fessenden's experiment with radio, and the story of the beginning of America's first outdoor symphonic drama. In the summer, park rangers offer interpretive programs and activities, well worth participating in, and the Lost Colony outdoor symphonic drama performs during summer season evenings beginning early in June and ending late in August at the park's Waterside Theatre.

Fort Raleigh National Historic Site is located on US 64/264, just three miles north of Manteo, North Carolina. To get to US 64/264, take US 168 or US 17 to US 158, which will bring you to US 64/264. There are ferries to and from the islands nearby. Have fun exploring this historic and mysterious colony!