Downtown Manteo has been a favorite Outer Banks daytrip destination for decades. Visitors from all along the Outer Banks and throughout eastern North Carolina have long been drawn to the town’s shops, restaurants, activities, attractions and easy walkability. Now more and more people are discovering that Manteo is an excellent place for a night out or weekend getaway.
Manteo By Day
Daytrippers love a destination where they can park their car and spend their day on foot, casually walking from place to place. Manteo is just that town.
The waterfront boardwalk, right along Shallowbag Bay and overlooking Roanoke Sound, is a perfect place to start your stroll. Along this route you can stop in the Roanoke Island Maritime Museum and Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse, gawk at a few of the large boats tied up at the dock, pet a few dogs, sit on a bench or under the gazebo overlooking the water, book a boat trip, rent a kayak, or head over the bridge to Roanoke Island Festival Park, home of the Elizabeth II reproduction sailing ship.
Venturing into the Downtown streets, you can walk to several restaurants, a coffee shop, a bakery and tea shop, a candy store, an independent bookstore, art galleries, clothing and gift boutiques and a flyfishing shop. You can walk the streets under old-growth trees and admire restored historic homes. If you’re looking for more to do, the attractions of Roanoke Island (Island Farm, North Carolina Aquarium, The Elizabethan Gardens, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site) are just a few minutes’ drive away. Manteo’s charms can easily occupy an entire day, so be sure to stick around long enough to get back to the waterfront boardwalk in time for sunset.
Manteo By Night
The fun in Manteo does not stop when the sun goes down. A distillery, a wine bar, a garden bar and several restaurants are open in the evenings for guests looking to wind down in town. The historic, restored Pioneer Theater is open for movies, comedy or live music, and the town’s nightlife hotspot often has trivia or live music. Fun nighttime events often bring people Downtown, from monthly First Friday live music on the streets to art exhibit openings to film festivals to holiday events.
All this activity wraps up before midnight, and townspeople and overnight visitors walk along the quiet streets to turn in for the night. Guests have the choice of several bed and breakfasts in historic homes, a historic inn overlooking the water, a brand-new hotel with a rooftop deck and more accommodations options.
If you’re looking for a place that’s just as charming by night as it is by day, Manteo is the place.
Events in Manteo
First Friday October 4, November 1, December 6
National Night Out October 8
Fall Fever Market October 12
3th Annual Bluegrass Island Music Festival October 16 - 19
Island Farm Pumpkin Patch Saturdays Saturdays, October 5 – 26
Wooden Boat Show October 26
Outer Banks Environmental Film Festival November 1 - 3
Merry Market November 8
Winter Lights at The Elizabethan Gardens November 22 - December 28
Manteo Tree Lighting December 6
Manteo Christmas Parade December 7
Manteo Preservation Trust Holiday Tour December 7
The Tams at The Pioneer Theater December 22
Meet Me in Manteo for a New Year December 31
For further information about Manteo go to ManteoNC.gov.
About the Author Molly Harrison
Molly Harrison is managing editor at OneBoat, publisher of OuterBanksThisWeek.com. She moved to Nags Head in 1994 and since then has made her living writing articles and creating publications about the people, places and culture of the Outer Banks.
