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Getting to Manteo, NC
By Plane
. Norfolk International Airport (1 hour 45 minutes away) - American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta, Northwest Airlines, Southwest Airlines, United Express, US Airways
. Raleigh Durham International Airport (3.5 hours away) - Air Tran, US Air, Delta, Continental, United, Air Canada, Northwest, Southwest, American Airlines
. For those with private planes, the Dare County Regional Airport is on the northern end of Roanoke Island, approximately 2.5 miles away. From the airport, take Airport Road to a right on Hwy. 64. Turn left on Fernando Street to the model at 326 Fernando.
By Car
. From the North - I-95, I-295, I-64, Hwy. 168 South, Hwy. 158 South, Hwy. 64 West
. From the West - US-64 runs East West throughout North Carolina
Police and Fire
Police Protection
Marshes Light receives police protection from the Manteo Police Department. They partner with the community and provide a safe and healthy environment to live, work, raise families. They do this by being attentive to the needs of citizens, being mindful of responsibilities to each other as citizens of the United States and the Constitutional guarantees so ordained. With service as a goal they strive to deliver law enforcement excellence to the community and help to maintain a good quality of life.
Chief Vance Hasket
P.O. Box 246, Manteo, NC 27954
Phone: 252-473-2069
Fax: 252-473-5320
E-mail: cops@townofmanteo.com
Fire Protection
The fire station is located just north of the town within 2 miles of Marshes Light.
Local Schools: Kindergarten - 12th Grade
Marshes Light is served by the following public schools which are administered by the Dare County Board of Education:
Manteo Elementary School K- 5th Grade .6 miles
Manteo Middle School 6th - 8th Grade 1.8 miles
Manteo High School 9th - 12th Grade 1.2 miles
Manteo Events
Manteo hosts several events throughout the year including:
. Dare Day - held on the first Saturday of June for the last 30 years to help celebrate the summer season. The day includes lots of food; crafts; activities and games for kids; and entertainment.
. Independence Day - downtown comes alive with entertainment and food vendors. In addition, Roanoke Island Festival Park has an outside musical performance prior to a fireworks show that brings families from throughout the Outer Banks to the downtown Marina.
. New World Festival of the Arts - held annually for two days in mid-August, this is a special show of selected artists and fine craftsmen who sell their works along the downtown boardwalk.
. OBX Marathon - Veteran's Day weekend Manteo plays host to the end of the 26 mile run. Runners cross the finish line in downtown Manteo and all the celebrations are at Roanoke Island Festival Park.
. Manteo Christmas Tree Lighting - on the second Friday in December at 6 pm the town comes alive with the lighting of the Town Christmas Tree; a well tended bonfire; a yule log; caroling and musical performance to celebrate the Holiday season.
. Manteo Christmas Parade - the day after the Christmas Tree Lighting is an annual parade thru the streets of Manteo. At the end, there's always an appearance by Santa himself.
Other Facilities and Services
Outer Banks YMCA located in Nags Head is approximately 15 miles from Marshes Light. They provide Youth/Adult Sports, Swim Lessons, Child Care, Summer Camp, Senior Programs, Fitness Programs, Skate Park, Racquetball. Facility for YMCA members only.
The Dare County Library includes three facilities located in Manteo, Kill Devil Hills, and Hatteras Village. The system is a member of the East Albemarle Regional Library System, so Dare County Library borrowers also have access to materials owned by the Corolla, Currituck and Pasquotank-Camden libraries via the automated system. A weekly courier exchange between libraries allows for the timely delivery of requested items.
Area Sports
The Dare County Parks & Recreation Department offers a variety of seasonal programs for youth and adults. The department is a team of knowledgeable, diligent working professionals. They are dedicated to quality, and committed to the growth of leisure service within our county.
Area Shopping
Shopping opportunities have greatly expanded in Manteo in recent years, especially in the historic waterfront area. Several antiques shops, art galleries, fine apparel shops, fun gift shops, a classic bookstore, a day spa/salon and even a wine and specialty shop, among many others are within walking or biking distance to Marshes Light.
Beaches
The Atlantic Ocean and a public beach access is directly accessible by taking Highway 64 toward Nags Head and bearing right on Gulfstream Street off 64 in Nags Head (Whalebone Junction). The road literally dead ends in the public beach access. There are several public beach accesses up and down the beach road some with bathroom and shower facilities. Marshes Light is approximately 5.5 miles from the Ocean.
Medical Facilities
An EMS Station is located within .4 of a mile from Marshes Light.
Outer Banks Hospital is the natural result of many years of growing healthcare needs and represents the culmination of many professional relationships. In November 1998, the state of North Carolina awarded Chesapeake Health, anchored by Chesapeake General Hospital, and University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina, which includes Pitt County Memorial Hospital, a Certificate of Need. This allowed them to build the first hospital on the Outer Banks.
The cooperative efforts of these two organizations are testimony to the level of commitment they share for Dare County and surrounding areas. Chesapeake General Hospital operated the Outer Banks Medical Center for 14 years, which merged with a University Health Systems facility to become HealthEast Outer Banks Medical Center in Nags Head three years ago. The center provided both primary and emergency care services, and was the only 24-hour medical care facility in the area. Chesapeake General Hospital also offers specialty care at the Chesapeake Health Medical Office in Kitty Hawk.
In addition to HealthEast Outer Banks Medical Center in Nags Head, University Health Systems operates HealthEast Family Care practices in Hatteras and Avon and are the only primary care facilities in southern Dare County. They also partnered with Dare County to operate a new dialysis facility in Manteo.
The opening of The Outer Banks Hospital marked the beginning of a new day in healthcare for Dare County, built on the tradition of excellence that already exists here.
Roanoke Island Attractions
Roanoke Island Festival Park is a 25-acre island across from the historic downtown Manteo waterfront, where history comes alive, the "natives" are friendly, art and nature surround you. Through a 16th-century ship, living history, an 8,500 sq. ft. "hands on" museum and a variety of performing and visual arts, Roanoke Island Festival Park is a celebration of Roanoke Island's place in history as the birthplace of English-speaking America.
On Elizabeth II, a representative 16th-century sailing ship, you'll meet sailors like those who sailed across the Atlantic in 1585. Dressed in period garments and speaking Elizabethan dialect, these interpreters bring the history of the voyages to life. At the Settlement Site you'll encounter soldiers bravely facing the challenges of the New World. By viewing the film "The Legend of Two Path," you'll find out how the 1584 arrival of the English changed the life of the native Roanoke Island population, the Algonquians.
In the Roanoke Adventure Museum, interactive exhibits explore the 400 years of Outer Banks history since America's beginning. You can site a star with an astrolabe, meet Algonquians through John White drawings, climb aboard a spritsail skiff and hoist her sails, meet a pirate who sailed with Blackbeard, learn about lighthouses and lifesaving, experience duck hunting and a take shopping trip to a 1900s general store.
The spacious Art Gallery features monthly changing exhibits by artists from far and near. The Museum Store offers distinctive gifts, books, jewelry, toys, nautical gifts and more with the flavor of the Outer Banks.
Boardwalks, through natural marshes, surround much of Roanoke Island Festival Park. Here, life takes on a whole new perspective as you get up-close to nature and visually observe its hidden pristine beauty and quiet surrounding. You will discover dew-covered wildflowers illuminated by the sweet light of early morning and stunning sunrise hues across Roanoke Sound. The area embodies the heritage of Roanoke Island, a walk back to a simpler way of life, in its ecological blend inhabited by turtles, muskrats, egrets, rabbits, osprey and red-winged black birds.
For additional information please visit www.roanokeisland.com
The George Washington Creef Boathouse Maritime Museum and Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse - The Museum offers a variety of educational programs and interpretive exhibits throughout the year. Interpretive exhibits include examples of traditional small watercraft built and sailed on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Featured at the Museum is a North Carolina 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.
Visitors can 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.
For more information visit www.obxmaritime.org
At The Elizabethan Gardens, history, mystery and fantasy are combined in these special gardens, which are a memorial to the first English colonists who came to North America in 1584-1587 and "walked away through the dark forest into history" as memorialized in Paul Green's symphonic drama, "The Lost Colony". For here and nowhere else, Sir Walter Raleigh made initial attempts to colonize the New World under Queen Elizabeth I. Truly this hallowed site is the birthplace of America.
The Garden Club of North Carolina adopted The Elizabethan Gardens as a project in 1951. In 1953 land was leased from The Roanoke Island Historical Association to begin building an English Pleasure Garden. In 1952 The Honorable John Hay Whitney donated an outstanding collection of European statuary and garden ornaments to the project. In 1953 the internationally acclaimed landscape firm of Innocenti and Webel were commissioned to design The Elizabethan Gardens. From the beginning, garden club members have worked tirelessly to fund and assist in the development of these fine gardens. The Elizabethan Gardens were formally opened on Virginia Dare's birthday, August 18, 1960.
Garden highlights include:
. The thatched roof, 16th century-style gazebo that overlooks Roanoke Sound
. A marble statue of Virginia Dare carved in Italy by Maria Louisa Lander
. The ancient live oak thought to be more than 400 years old
. The Sunken Garden with an antique Italian fountain as its central focal point
. The Shakespearean Herb Garden
. The Queen's Rose Garden featuring pierced brick walls and The Queen Elizabeth Rose which was given to The Elizabethan Gardens by Queen Elizabeth II
For additional information please visit www.elizabethangardens.org
The North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island is one of three state-operated aquariums on the North Carolina coast. Overlooking the Croatan Sound, the Aquarium on Roanoke Island features the state's largest saltwater tank, interactive exhibits, two touch tanks, a film theater and much more. Throughout the aquarium are tanks filled with fish of the coastal habitats, including sharks and rays. You'll also see eels, sea turtles and a fascinating number of fish in a shipwreck habitat. In the Wetlands on the Edge sky-lit atrium, you'll see otters, alligators and turtles lazing on rocks in the sun. New for the summer of 2006, see Aquarium Confidential, a behind the scenes look at the aquarium. Each day at the aquarium there are educational programs, fish feedings and demonstrations. The gift shop has a great selection of toys and gifts related to sea life and ecology. Snacks are available outside the aquarium from vending machines, and in the summer months there are food vendors.
For more information please visit www.ncaquariums.com
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