Roanoke Island is the place to be this weekend. Not only is the island in full spring bloom and worthy of a drive around just to look at the trees, flowers and bushes, but also it's the site of a ton of upcoming events. Whether you love history, culture, sports, nature, live music or all of the above, you'll find fun on Roanoke Island this weekend.
This is only a small fraction of what's happening around the Outer Banks this week, so be sure to check our Daytime and Nightlife listings for more things to do from Corolla to Ocracoke. And if you haven't registered for any OBX Taste of the Beach food and drink events, coming up next weekend (April 12 to 14) it is highly recommended that you do that now. Find all the information here.
Photo: The Elizabethan Gardens is welcoming volunteers to help clean up and maintain the gardens on Friday, April 5.
The Collins Trail Launch Event
Friday, April 5, 3 p.m.
Start off at The Collins Trail event on Friday at 3 p.m. If you haven’t walked this trail before, it threads behind the Dare County Governmental Center to a boardwalk along Croatan Sound. If you have walked this trail before, it’s been updated with new signage – and that’s the reason for this launch event. New interpretive signs tell about Gussie and Marshall Collins, who owned the property that now houses the trail. At the launch event, you’ll learn more about the Collins family from a Collins family member. The new signs represent the history about the Collins homestead, the little-known Skyco Airport and much more. Afterward, be sure to walk the trail.
Photo: DareArts will host Chicamacomico Shakes, an exhibit and fundraiser in which artists paint on cedar shakes from the Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station 1911 Cookhouse, through the month of April.
First Friday
Friday, April 5, 6 to 8 p.m.
The first official First Friday of 2024 is gearing up to be a doozy. Live music abounds around town: Steve Hauser at Old Tom’s; Just Playing Dixieland at Dare Arts; Havana Club at Magnolia Pavilion; Vinny Blues at the Pioneer Garden; Hope DeHart inside the Pioneer; Toolan & Evans at NouVines; and Jeremy & the Generations at Poor Richards.
Dare County Arts Council is hosting two art exhibit openings: Owen Lauber’s woodworking exhibit called Manteo Made and the Chicamacomico Shakes Exhibit, which is part of the 150th anniversary celebrations of the U.S. Life -Saving Service in North Carolina. More than 100 cedar shakes from the 1911 Cookhouse at Chicamacomico have been transformed into works of art by local artists. Each one will be available to purchase for $150, and the proceeds will be split between DareArts and Chicamacomico Historical Association.
For book lovers, Downtown Books is hosting a book signing with Jan Dawson, who will be signing her romance novels, Hooked On You and Storm Season.
The Downtown restaurants and shops will be open so plan to stay a while and enjoy First Friday.
Events at The Elizabethan Gardens
Friday, April 5 and Saturday, April 6
On Friday, April 5 The Elizabethan Gardens is welcoming volunteers to help out in the gardens from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. From 10 to 11 a.m. the same day they will host Little Diggers, in which preschoolers can have fun with hands-on activities. On Saturday at 10 a.m., you can take a Field Sketching Workshop with artist Kitty Dough. Click here for more information.
Alligator River Tram Tour
Saturday, April 6, 9 to 11 a.m.
This one is not technically on Roanoke Island, but it's close, about a 15-minute drive away on the mainland. Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge hosts a Tram Tour on the first Saturday of the month from 9 to 11 a.m. Make a reservation, meet at the Creef Cut Wildlife Trail parking lot and get ready to see some wildlife (definitely birds and possibly bears and more). A guide will drive you around the refuge and teach you about the wild lands and wildlife. Bring your binoculars and camera. Call (252) 216-9464 to make a reservation. The cost is $10 per adult and free for kids (with an adult).
Acrylic Paint Along
Saturday, April 6, 9 a.m. to noon
Artist Catherine Hamill is teaching an acrylic paint-a-long class at Dare Arts. Class participants will be painting a scene from The Elizabethan Gardens. Find more info here.
Marilyn Berry Morrison, chief of the Roanoke-Hatteras Indians and chair of the Algonquian Indians of North Carolina, at a circle of life ceremony in 2022. Photo by Joan Collins
13th Roanoke Island Native American Indian Festival and Powwow
Saturday, April 6 and Sunday, April 7
Algonquian Indians of North Carolina, Roanoke-Hatteras Indians of Dare County and Machapungo-Mattamuskeet Tribe of North Carolina are presenting the Roanoke Island American Indian Festival & Powwow at Manteo High School’s Athletic Complex from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. There will be family activities, native dancing, music, food, storytelling, exhibits, health screenings and vendors sharing the history and culture of these tribes. Donations of $10 for adults and $3 for children are requested. The festival and powwow provides an opportunity to learn about the little-known aspects of Native-American culture on Roanoke Island.
Book Release Party Excavating Fort Raleigh
Saturday, April 6, 4 to 5 p.m.
The Pioneer Theater is hosting a book launch event with the First Colony Foundation on Saturday at 4 p.m. The book is Excavating Fort Raleigh by the late Ivor Noel-Hume, which details his archaeological search for traces of Sir Walter Raleigh’s efforts to establish an English colony on Roanoke Island. There will be a discussion about the book, Q&A and a book signing. Published by The History Press, Excavating Fort Raleigh is edited by former Colonial Williamsburg archaeologists Eric Klingelhofer and Nicholas Luccketti, who trained under Noel-Hume. The book will also be available at local bookstores.
NCAA Final Four Game
Saturday, April 6, 5:30 p.m.
The Pioneer Theater is showing the N.C. State vs. Purdue game on Saturday – for free! Snacks will be available and the bar will be open.
Solar Eclipse Party
Monday, April 8, 2 to 4:30 p.m.
College of the Albemarle in Manteo is hosting a Partial Solar Eclipse Party on Monday from 2 to 4:30 p.m., with best view times from 3 to 3:30 p.m. This free event will offer free eclipse safety glasses to viewers while supplies last, plus there will be eclipse-oriented activities for kids. The moon will cover about 70 to 80% of the sun at its peak. Meet in the outdoor amphitheater.
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.
