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Fort Raleigh National Historic Site   

courtesy of the National Park Service

Contact Information:
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site 
1401 National Park Drive
Manteo, NC 27954
252-473-5772
http://www.nps.gov/fora/

Size: 513 acres

Location: Fort Raleigh National Historic Site  is located on US 64/264, 3 miles north of Manteo, North Carolina. 

Description: The first English settlement in North America was attempted here (1585-1587). The fate of Sir Walter Raleigh's "Lost Colony" remains a mystery.

 

Fort Raleigh National Historic Site 
courtesy of the National Park Service
Activities: The visitor center offers a 17-minute film providing the background history of the Roanoke Voyages and Sir Walter Raleigh's efforts to establish a colony in the New World. Museum exhibits tell the story of the colonization effort and of other historic events for which the park has been set aside: the Outer Banks Theater of America's Civil War, the Freedman's Colony, Fessenden's experiment with radio, and the story of the beginning of America's first outdoor symphonic drama. The Lost Colony outdoor symphonic drama plays during summer season evenings beginning early in June and ending late in August at the park's Waterside Theatre. The Elizabethan Gardens, located inside the park, provides a stroll and look and an accurately reproduced early English garden.

Operating Hours: The park is open year round (except for Christmas Day) from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. During the summer when The Lost Colony outdoor symphonic drama is being presented, the visitor center is open until 6:00 p.m. The Lost Colony outdoor symphonic drama runs nightly (except Sundays) from early June to late August. Check with the visitor center for opening night/closing night dates.

History: Designated on April 5, 1941. 

See other National Historic Sites
See other North Carolina National Parks

Learn about The Lost Colony of Sir Walter Raleigh and What Happened to Virginia Dare

 

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