Walk the old downtown blocks of Roanoke Island's historic waterfront town
Historic Old Manteo Walking Tour sends visitors on foot through the old downtown blocks of Manteo, the walkable waterfront district that anchors Roanoke Island's oldest town center. The route runs near Budleigh Street and works its way toward the docks along Shallowbag Bay, tracing streets that have served as the island's civic and commercial core since Manteo's founding in the late 1800s.
Downtown Manteo is a different kind of Outer Banks stop than the beach towns to the east: it's the region's historic and cultural anchor, its identity bound up in the story of the 1580s Roanoke Colony, England's first attempt at a permanent New World settlement. Covering these streets on foot is a plain, unhurried way to take in that layered backstory at ground level, without a ticket booth or a scheduled start time.
8 reviews
a year ago
Our tour guide, Greg, was fantastic. Knowledgeable and entertaining, he shared stories of the people, buildings, and history that kept us involved, engaged and showed his love, respect and passion for Manteo and the Outer Banks.
4 years ago
Amazing tour! My family had a great time. We recommend Greg as a guide!
4 years ago
Loved learning the history of Manteo. Rex was so knowledgeable, and obviously a history buff loving what he is doing. The best part was his inclusion of personal family tales, being a native had a lot of cool stories you wouldn’t normally hear. Highly recommend Rex.
4 years ago
Surprisingly very entertaining! We learned so much about the area and our guide Greg showed us a good time. We found several walking tour companies in the area, but the locals said this one was the best and they were spot on! We will be back!
3 years ago
From the first greetings to the ending goodnights from Rex, he had our attention from beginning to the end. Rex has so much knowledge and family history to share on this tour, we learned so much about the island of Manteo. Highly recommend this tour.