Fort Raleigh NHS

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Day two of exploring the Outer Banks of North Carolina and yet another day of experiencing Tropical Storm Julia. Again, as we are having breakfast at the hotel, we are disappointed that the storm is lingering over the northern reaches of the OBX. So we decide to explore Roanoke Island in the morning, have lunch there, then travel down to Hatteras Island Light in the afternoon. With the choppy waters of the channel, we refrain from taking the 45-minute ferry over to Ocracoke Island to see the light and visitor center. We will save that for another trip.

We started the morning on Roanoke Island by visiting the Roanoke Marshes Light. Being early in the morning, the lighthouse, nor the Stamp site for it was open yet, we decide to get the other sites in as they are mainly indoors and will return to the light before lunch as it is still raining and windy from the sound.

We proceed to Fort Raleigh NHS and are the sole visitors of the park as it opened just 30 minutes prior. We used the comfort facility and proceeded across the walkway to the Visitor Center where we are welcomed, the film is started, etc. We visit the bookstore area. do the stamp thing and make a small purchase before exploring the exhibits indoors, this being a frontier colony and exploring that of which they made somewhat interesting if I say so myself.

We proceeded outside and visit the First Light of Freedom Monument, dedicated to emancipation, as it is said to have begun in the early stages here. The remnants of TS Julia upon us, we don't linger and proceeded up the road to the US Fish and Wildlife Services Visitor Center.

Park Synopsis

Fort Raleigh National Historic Site protects and preserves known portions of England's first New World settlements from 1584 to 1590.

This site also preserves the cultural heritage of the Native Americans, European Americans and African Americans who have lived on Roanoke Island.

There is much here for you to experience as you discover the rich history that Roanoke Island has hosted over the centuries. Learn about the courage of early English colonists as they left the comforts of England for the unknowns of the "New World," glimpse into the Algonquian culture—the native population the English encountered—who tended crops and fished in the surrounding sounds, and celebrate the freedom that former slaves found here during the American Civil War.

If You Go

Fort Raleigh National Historic Site is located on the northern end of Roanoke Island, an island sitting in the sounds west of the chain of barrier islands of North Carolina known as the Outer Banks. The National Historic Site is just a few miles north of the town of Manteo, NC and is open every day of the year except December 25. For additional information or resources in planning your visit to the Outer Banks, please visit the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau.

The grounds of Fort Raleigh National Historic Site as well as the modern comfort facility are open from sunrise to sunset all year-round. The Lindsay Warren Visitor Center hours are 9:00 am to 5:00 pm seven days a week. 

Your pets are welcome at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site. Your pet must be on a leash no longer than 6' at all times. Pets are not allowed in buildings. Please, for your pet's sake, never leave them unattended. Also, for everyone's and the environment's sake, clean up after your pet.

The visitor center of Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, housing immersive exhibits on the Algonquian, the English, the Roanoke Island Freedmen's Colony, the Civil War Battle of Roanoke Island, and Reginald Fessenden. A 17-minute dramatic video on the interaction between the Algonquian and the English is displayed in the visitor center's theater.

Accessibility

The visitor center, walking trails, restrooms, and Waterside Theatre are accessible. The video played in the visitor center is closed-captioned. A wheelchair is available at the visitor center during operational hours.

All ranger-conducted activities are accessible, though no sign-interpreter is available.

To borrow a Braille version of the park brochure, please ask a park ranger or volunteer at the front desk for a copy.