Roanoke Marshes lighthouse (Photo by Melody E. Leckie)
When my brother and sister-in-law moved to Manteo, North Carolina, years ago, it opened up a new vacation destination for my family. We’d been to the Outer Banks plenty of times, but we’d never ventured across the causeway to Manteo. We didn’t know what we were missing.
Manteo is a throwback to a gentler time, oozing with the same charm as Mayberry on “The Andy Griffith Show.” Interestingly, Griffith settled in Manteo and was often seen in local restaurants. He lived there until his death in 2012.
Downtown Books (Photo courtesy Downtown Books)
On the Waterfront
Manteo’s historic downtown waterfront district beckons you to stroll at a leisurely pace. Its narrow streets are sprinkled with a variety of shops and restaurants, everything from Downtown Books, a bookstore with a resident feline, to the Dare County Arts Council. The juried gallery features paintings, mixed media, jewelry, pottery and photography, mostly crafted by local and North Carolina artists. While you’re perusing the art, check out the Roosevelt chair. It’s the one President Franklin D. Roosevelt settled into when he visited Manteo in the 1930s.
You may want to venture up Budleigh Street to catch a tour of Outer Banks Distilling, the maker of Kill Devil Rum. A little over 2 years old, the company renovated a 1940s furniture store, turning it into a distillery and an attractive tasting room.
Tours run year-round Tuesday through Saturday and last about an hour. Owners try to keep the maximum number of people in each tour to 30. In the summer, tours are held at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. each day. The rest of the year, the distillery runs one tour, at 1 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and two tours on Saturday.
The tours start with a talk about the four owners and a history of rum in the Outer Banks. It advances to the distilling process and then back to the tasting room for samples of the distillery’s three products — silver rum (unaged white rum), pecan-honey rum made from pecans and local honey, and barrel-aged gold rum, which is aged in 4- to 6-year-old bourbon barrels for at least 18 months.
If you’re lucky, you can score a rum ball or pecans that are soaked in rum before being dried and candied.
Before leaving the waterfront, head to the east end and walk the long wooden pier to the Roanoke Marshes lighthouse. Smaller than most lighthouses, it’s a popular location for photographers eager to catch a sunrise or sunset over the water.
Roanoke Island Festival Park (Photo courtesy Roanoke Island Festival Park/Ray Matthews)
The 27-acre Roanoke Island Festival Park is at the other end of the waterfront, across a walking bridge. Features include the Elizabeth II, which represents a vessel from the second English voyage to Roanoke in 1585, complete with costumed 16th-century sailors.
You can also examine coastal Algonquian culture in American Indian Town at the park, learn about the history of Manteo at the Roanoke Adventure Museum and talk with costumed interpreters at the settlement site.
Attractions
The North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island is a short drive from the waterfront. Straddling the edge of the Croatan Sound, the aquarium explores life on the water via everything from a shipwreck to a cinematic experience featuring a replica of the USS Monitor.
Sea Turtle Assistance and Rehabilitation Center (Photo by Melody E. Leckie)
While you’re there, don’t miss the Sea Turtle Assistance and Rehabilitation (STAR) Center. The working hospital is home to rescued turtles that are sick or injured. Visitors can talk with volunteers and staff on site to learn how they are rehabilitating each turtle.
The Elizabethan Gardens, adjacent to the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site and the Waterside Theatre, where “The Lost Colony” play is performed, are near the aquarium. The gardens contain over 500 different species of plants.
Dining
Manteo offers a solid selection of eating options. The Hungry Pelican on Budleigh Street serves up everything from house-made soups and sandwiches to cookies and cakes.
Ortega’z Grill brings Southwestern flair, with street tacos, soups, sandwiches and entrées such as sizzling fajitas, a ribeye steak and crab cakes. The grill was featured on Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.”
For breakfast, we usually head over the causeway to The Dunes Restaurant. I’m a sucker for the waffles, but the popular eatery — in the summer it’s crucial to be there when it opens around 7 a.m. to avoid long lines — offers a variety of menu items as well as a buffet.
The Great Gut (252-473-2479), on the marshes in Wanchese, is a local lunch favorite, and it’s just a short drive from Manteo. This small shanty serves up the tastiest and freshest tuna salad and deli sandwiches I’ve ever eaten.
