Fort Raleigh National Historic Site

Fort Raleigh National Historic Site is a U.S. National Park Service site on Roanoke Island, North Carolina, that commemorates the English expeditions and settlement attempts on the island in the 1580s.

Interpretive exhibits and trails explain the late 16th-century Roanoke voyages and the context of the Lost Colony. A visitor center offers exhibits and a short film, and an outdoor amphitheater is used each summer for the historical drama The Lost Colony.

The site marks the locations associated with English exploration and attempted settlement sponsored by Sir Walter Raleigh during the 1580s. Over subsequent centuries the island has been the focus of archaeological investigation and public commemoration of the Roanoke episodes.

Fort Raleigh National Historic Site sits on Roanoke Island near the town of Manteo on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, with shoreline access to Croatan Sound.

• Setting: Located on Roanoke Island near Manteo, North Carolina, with interpretive trails and shoreline views of Croatan Sound.
• Focus: Administered by the U.S. National Park Service and focused on the 1580s English attempts to colonize Roanoke Island and the unresolved disappearance known as the Lost Colony.

What to See #

• Visitor Center: The visitor center provides exhibits, films and interpretive material about the late 16th-century English Roanoke expeditions and the "Lost Colony."
• Waterside Theatre: An outdoor amphitheater on site hosts the long-running historical drama The Lost Colony during summer months and serves as a prominent cultural venue on Roanoke Island.