We will be spending a day on Manteo on our upcoming trip to OBX the first week of May. We will be in the area Sat May 4 through Monday May 6, then head on down to Ocracoke for rest of week.
One day we want to check out the Roanoake Festival Park, ride our bicycles along the path out to Fort Raleigh and just check out Manteo and other parts of island--probably hang out at waterfront, check out the maritime museum. We may even do a cruise out of Manteo, depends on what we can fit in. We may so the cruise a different day.
We will arrive around noon Sat to check in a Nags Head Hotel.
For Roanoake Fest Park, which day would be better. I was leaning toward Sun or Mon (although we could do as we pass through Sat), but want to be sure the enactors will be there all three days. Are any of the attractions closed Sun or Mon? What day would you suggest to avoid crowds but still see all the stuff at places?
And secondly, any Manteo restaraunt or quick eats suggestions? Seafood would work but not necessary. I am sure we will do seafood a few times, so maybe something casual and possibly quicker with easy biking access around Manteo would be nice.
Also, where would you suggest parking for riding bike to see sights. I am wondering if parking at Roanoake Fest Park and checking it out before riding to other places would be the best bet. Does that parking lot close in evening?
Eating in Manteo--Best Day to Visit Attractions?
I don%26#39;t know anything about Festival Park, I didn%26#39;t know they had much going on there on a daily basis and I would think May would be pretty quiet any day of the week.
The Manteo waterfront is nice and there are 3-4 places to eat. Poor Richards has good sandwiches and Full Moon Cafe is nice too. I am not a big fan of 1587, a bit over priced for me. Just avoid Big Al%26#39;s in Manteo on the main road, it is a tourist trap with food not much better than McDonald%26#39;s across the street. There are a lot of little shops to roam through, but spending more than half a day there seems over kill. The aquarium is not far and you can spend several hours there.
Eating in Manteo--Best Day to Visit Attractions?Here%26#39;s a link to the Festival Park website www.roanokeisland.com/index.php… They are open every day and have enactors even on Sunday%26#39;s, though you might want to confirm that by contacting them via the site. I believe their lot is open even after they close, but again a good question to pose to them directly. They have extensive walking paths all around so I suspect they remain open to all.
Don%26#39;t worry about any crowds in May. The previous suggestion of Poor Richards for a quick bite to eat is the best one in my opinion. There%26#39;s a nice coffee place in the shops just behind the waterfront. If you have young children, the aquarium is worth about an hour, but if not, I%26#39;d opt for the Elizabethan Gardens as a place to visit in May - worth a walk around to enjoy and relax.
Alright my parents retired to Manteo so I%26#39;m there many, many weekends yearround, so even though I don%26#39;t live there full-time I consider myself a quasi-expert.
First - Eating: Quickbites (sandwiches, etc.) - either the back porch of Poor Richards or the outdoor tables at Magnolia Grille (limited tables at both spots but usually not that hard to get a spot). If you%26#39;re thinking at all of eating a nice dinner at an upscale restaurant than I highly recommend 1587. It%26#39;s one of the best upscale restaurants in the entire OBX.
Also, in addition to biking, right next to Poor Richards you can rent kayaks. This is cool b/c you can paddle out to the boat, around the lighthouse or you can circumnavigate Roanoke Park Island.
Also, for a biking trail. There is a cool little trail in the woods that runs from the beach at end of Manteo (where the old bridge to Manns Harbor is) all the way to Fort Raleigh. It%26#39;s a well worn trail so I%26#39;ve biked it. Also, the little beach there is a great spot for sunsets. A nice thing about biking in Manteo, is that there%26#39;s a paved trail that pretty much runs the length of the island so you could bike from downtown all the way out to the trail or to Fort Raleigh.
In Manteo, the day of the week really doesn%26#39;t matter esp. at the time of year you%26#39;re coming. The only thing to note is that on the first Friday of every month they have a downtown celebration aptly called ';First Friday';.
Parking%26#39;s not really an issue. You can park along the streets or there%26#39;s small parking lots located next to 1587 and another located right before you cross the tiny bridge over to Roanoke Park Island. They don%26#39;t lock them.
On your way to Ocracoke you may want to cut across over to Wanchese were you can buy some of the freshest seafood on the East Coast from the fishing boats that come in there. This is where I always buy my crabs.
I absolutely love Ocracoke, but be forewarned: I%26#39;ve never had a great sit-down meal at any of the restaurnats. Food is strictly mediocre...I guess cause it%26#39;s hard for food shipments to get to the island. Howard%26#39;s Pub is an institution. Also, you can catch a cocktail and get a pretty decent sandwich at a waterfront tiny bar called SMacNallys. Also, the Jolly Roger has great sunsets and you can catch a drink there, but the food is strictly mediocre.
I hope this helps and I didn%26#39;t ramble too much. If you have any questions please just ask!
Thanks for responses. We will probably end up doing the Roanoake Fest Park on Sun and basically spend all day on Manteo, checking the park, riding bike out to the Fort and then eating.
We were considered Darrels Restaraunt for one meal. Thinking they might be good for fried seafood type meal. From the web it reminds me of a typical Mom and Pop type diner place, which we like most times. We will usually do one upscale meal and have been checking out 1587 as well as a few on the island like Blue Point, Owens and Flying Fish.
Any thoughts on Darrels for a more down to earth meal?
No comments:
Post a Comment