The charming historic waterfront town on Roanoke Island, sitting between the OBX barrier island and the mainland. Manteo punches well above its size with excellent restaurants, independent shops, the NC Aquarium, Roanoke Island Festival Park, and the site of the famous Lost Colony. Worth a full day.
46 things to do in Manteo
A refined waterfront restaurant inside the Tranquil House Inn in downtown Manteo, serving lunch and dinner with small pl…
A sea-to-table restaurant and raw bar at Pirate's Cove Marina on Roanoke Island, opened in 2015. Blue Water Grill serves…
The original small-batch roastery on the Outer Banks, established in 1999 and now with four coastal locations. Front Por…
A beloved Roanoke Island neighborhood staple. Fast service, family style dinners for groups, and online ordering availab…
Inspired by the mystery of the Lost Colony, Lost Colony Tavern brings an authentic British pub experience to the Outer B…
A cozy wine bar and bottle shop in a restored historic building on Budleigh Street in downtown Manteo. Small-batch wines…
+ 3 more restaurants
A free 9-hole disc golf course at North End Park on the northern end of Roanoke Island, designed with families and begin…
Bottlenose dolphins are year-round OBX residents and surprisingly easy to spot — surf line, sound side, from a pier, fro…
The only trampoline park on the OBX — 14,000 square feet of indoor adventure with trampolines, dodgeball, ninja warrior …
A full-service bike shop and rental operation on Roanoke Island. Beach cruisers, tandems, trikes, kids bikes, and traile…
Tandem skydiving from 9,000 feet over the Outer Banks out of Dare County Airport in Manteo — 30 seconds of freefall at 1…
Scenic air tours over the Outer Banks from Dare County Regional Airport in Manteo — choose between a vintage WWII open-c…
Captain Johnny's Dolphin Watch
Experience the OBX like never before. A guaranteed dolphin watch cruise out of Manteo, run by an 11th generation Outer B…
Historic Old Manteo Candlelight Walking Tour
A 90-minute walking tour through historic downtown Manteo covering the Wright Brothers, Virginia Dare, the Freedmen's Co…
A candlelight walking tour through historic Manteo waterfront covering 400+ years of history — the Lost Colony, Blackbea…
Scenic air tours and biplane rides over the Outer Banks departing from Dare County Regional Airport in Manteo — just fou…
A genuinely fun and slightly spooky walking tour through historic downtown Manteo, run by guides with deep local roots a…
+ 3 more tours
Big Buck's has been scooping homemade ice cream on the OBX since 1994 — the owner literally traveled to Italy to study g…
A 65-foot head boat at Pirate's Cove Marina on the Nags Head-Manteo Causeway offering half-day fishing trips, sunset dol…
A world-class marina and charter fishing destination in Manteo offering offshore Gulf Stream charters, nearshore trips, …
Dare County Arts Council Gallery
A nonprofit fine arts gallery housed in the historic 1904 Dare County Courthouse in downtown Manteo, featuring rotating …
A beloved independent bookstore in downtown Manteo voted Best Bookstore on the Beach four years running. Downtown Books …
Founded in 1974, Kitty Hawk Kites is the world's largest kite shop and home to the oldest and largest hang gliding schoo…
Take a spin around the Laughing Lollipop and you'll feel like that proverbial kid in a candy store. Their selection of m…
A full-service dive shop on Roanoke Island open year-round, offering guided beach dives to a shallow shipwreck 150 yards…
A Manteo institution since 1967 and one of the most genuinely fun shopping experiences on the entire OBX. Twenty-five th…
A genuinely beautiful small coastal town on Roanoke Island with a protected waterfront, replica lighthouse, festival par…
An authentic Peruvian restaurant in Manteo specializing in charcoal rotisserie chicken — juicy, well-seasoned, and the r…
A stunning 10-acre garden on Roanoke Island, steps from where the Lost Colonists lived in 1585. The Elizabethan Gardens …
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site
The site of England's first attempted settlement in America, established on Roanoke Island in 1585 and forever linked to…
A quaint counter-serve deli with creative sandwiches, fresh salads, homemade soups, and ice cream served from a casual s…
A living history farm on Roanoke Island telling the story of everyday OBX life in the 1850s through the lens of the Ethe…
+ 6 more attractions
The first distillery on the Outer Banks, nestled in a historic 1946 brick building in downtown Manteo. Outer Banks Disti…
A private sunset sail charter out of the Manteo waterfront on a classic 41-foot ketch sailing the Roanoke and Albemarle …
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