Top Things to do in Roanoke Island
The 5 Best Nature & Parks in Roanoke Island, North Carolina Coast
Discover the best top things to do in Roanoke Island, United States including Elizabethan Gardens, Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island, Dare County Civil War Heritage Trail, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site.
Restaurants in Roanoke Island
1. Elizabethan Gardens
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 738 reviews
Fanciful and elaborate gardens were kept to entertain Queen Elizabeth I during her reign. Our garden was created for your enjoyment, and as a living memorial to the time when Sir Walter Raleigh’s lost colonists lived in this very place over 400 years ago. The Elizabethan Gardens is a project of the Garden Club of North Carolina. Located 15 minutes from Nags Head, North Carolina. Special features include: Butterfly Center, Children's Discovery Cottage/ Outdoor Play Area, Italian renaissance statuary, water views, gift shop and plant sales, mobile phone audio tour. Plant collections include: native plants, azaleas, crape mrytles, hydrangeas, conifers and seasonal blooms. Our dapple-shaded paths and lush green Scape offer a tranquil retreat from the beach. We are pet friendly. Our walkways are handicap accessible.
Reviewed By HistoryLover2017 - Maryland, United States
Winter Lights are a wonderful experience this year! The Elizabethan Gardens have created a lovely, unique experience that follows guidelines for Covid Cautions. Reservations are made online and in advance this year, and there is spacing between groups as well as a mask requirement to walk through the Gardens for the Winter Lights. This actually makes for a more private experience than in earlier years. The music is lovely and playing throughout the Gardens, the lights are very magical and there are many lovely touches, including the theatrical Elizabethan figures staged as if a ball is in progress and (new this year) individual decorated trees in plastic wind protecting 'bubbles' staged at several points in the Gardens. The entire experience makes for a lovely evening, and you'll probably want to return before the season's over.
2. Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 315 reviews
An off-beat wildlife refuge that is interesting for children.
Reviewed By annecolorgreen - Louisville, United States
My husband and I actually visited two different times. The first, was just after lunch on a hot July day. We had quite the delay getting there because I mistakenly thought that the trail was close to the visitor's center--it's not. and then I couldn't figure out how to find it. Don't put the visitor's center in your GPS, put in the Creef Cut Wildlife Trail (which is actually the 1/2 mile nature trail that you can hike at the beginning of the motor trail). My husband and I kept driving in circles trying to find it! When we actually did get there, I was very impressed. There are very well maintained gravel roads that go in/out through this part of the refuge. There were also some dirt roads (not necessary to drive on) but they were well marked that they could be potentially hazardous during wet weather. We saw birds, a bear from a LONG distance, many turtles sunning on logs, and an alligator. Also, lots of pretty late summer flowers. Because we took awhile to get there and there are no restrooms, we eventually did have to leave. I made a plan to go back the next day and was up well before dawn to drive back over from Kitty Hawk (30'ish minutes?). This time, my plan was to drive along the areas with big fields keeping an eye out for bear. If this is your goal, don't turn off onto Sawyer Lake Rd (to the right) but keep going straight until you can turn left onto Long Curve Road. Drive slowly and pull off to the side if you want. You will soon see some big open fields--keep your eyes peeled. Through the help of a local, I was directed to the area by the "dump" where there are NUMEROUS bears that gather at least in the early hours of the day. Sadly, I didn't see or hear the wolves, but the bears were fun to watch.
3. North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,491 reviews
The North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island was originally founded in 1976 as the North Carolina Marine Resources Center, along with our sister facilities at Pine Knoll Shores and Fort Fisher. In 1986, the three facilities were renamed Aquariums, and we were joined by Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head in 2011. The state of North Carolina owns the Aquariums and Pier, which are administered by the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (NCDNCR). Located on the Outer Banks, three miles north of Manteo on Roanoke Island, the Aquarium is an educational attraction focused on “inspiring appreciation and conservation of our aquatic environments.” The Aquarium is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
Reviewed By M1967XCjulieb
We’ve been going to the beach for days and decided we needed an indoor activity something that we could bring our granddaughter with to. The aquarium was wonderful and all of us loved it, especially our granddaughter (18 months)!! It was bigger than I thought it would be and our granddaughter loved the shark exhibit (baby shark song) and the jellyfish. We totally loved the sea turtle rescue center, and enjoyed seeing the sea turtles on the mend (we loved that part of our admission fee helped them) The hands on tank was so much fun for all ages!!!
4. Dare County Civil War Heritage Trail
5. Fort Raleigh National Historic Site
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 478 reviews
Historic museum that tells the story of the 16th-century Roanoke Island colonists.
Reviewed By NancyW871 - Cincinnati, United States
Being a descendant of settlers of Jamestown, I guess I never really bothered to learn about Roanoke Island/Fort Raleigh, except what I've seen on Discovery and American Horror Story. Not wanting to make the 2 hour trip to Ocracoke with the grandkids, I thought this might offer up some history, imagination, mystery, and a romp in the sound. My granddaughter is in to Jr. Ranger Badges, so we came here twice. The first day we watched the little movie, hiked the interpretive trail to the sound, which resulted in 3 wet kids, and picked up the booklet. The second day was the diorama, artifacts, local Algonquin cultural history, learning about the underground railroad (still amazed this was a stop!), and of course, scoring the coveted badge. It could easily be done in one day, but we arrived late the first day and spent way too much time in the sound, so the visitor center was closed when we finished playing. It was fascinating to learn how the whole idea was really about getting a one-up on the Spanish and finding and abundance of (speculated) gold. It was all about the money - at least for Sir Raleigh. But to the lost/forgotten/abandoned settlers, it was about a bountiful new world. Once again, if there isn't a fortune to be made, the hell with them!
