The North Carolina Maritime Museum of Roanoke Island is located at 104 Fernando Street at downtown Manteo's waterfront on the grounds of George Washington Creef Park. Manteo is a town blending charm with pleasurable amenities. Choice accommodations, from classic inns to Victorian bed and breakfasts, are plentiful. Restaurants offer everything from N.C. barbecue to the freshest seafood available. Shopping includes an array of boutiques, antiques, and galleries, and a waterfront boardwalk and marina. Roanoke Island is located on the Outer Banks, North Carolina 5 minutes from Nags Head.

Collaboration has made the NC Maritime Museum on Roanoke Island a reality. The expertise and guidance of the state's prestigious maritime museum in Beaufort, the Town of Manteo's generous contribution of facilities located in a historic working boatshop on the downtown waterfront, and staff and resources provided by a fellow state Historic site, Roanoke Island Festival Park, came together in 1998 to create this site of the NC Maritime Museum that concentrates on the maritime heritage and culture of the northeastern region of the state. Curator Barry Wickre, along with a corps of volunteers, presents exhibits, demonstrates traditional boatbuilding skills, and offers junior sailing and a broad range of educational classes to the public.

The museum offers a variety of educational programs and interpretive exhibits through out the year. Interpretive exhibits include examples of traditional small watercraft built and sailed on the Outer Banks, North Carolina's Shad boat and early commercial fishing exhibit featuring the 1883 Shad boat Ella View, and exhibits on regional boat building. The museum's education programs focus on the use, construction and celebration of traditional watercraft and related maritime activities. During the summer months sailing, traditional boat handling, and boating safety courses are offered as part of the museum's Outer Banks Community sailing program.

Come experience the workings of a traditional boat shop in The George Washington Creef Boathouse  
and visit the Roanoke Marshes lighthouse. Visitors to the boathouse are met by the smell of cedar and a group of enthusiastic volunteers and staff. We encourage questions about traditional building practices and local maritime history. The Roanoke Marshes lighthouse marks the entrance into Dough's Creek and is a replica of the 1877 screw pile lighthouse once located in Croatan Sound. Inside are seasonal exhibits focusing on regional maritime history and on the history of the Marshes lighthouse. In the evening, watch for the lighting of the beacon, a 4th order Fresnel lens, that can be viewed in Shallowbag Bay and surrounding waters.

The Maritime Museum on Roanoke Island offers a full calendar of workshops, programs, and events throughout the year. Please visit our calendar of events for current programs and workshop schedule.