US Visitor Center

The visitor center on National Park Drive is where a visit to Fort Raleigh National Historic Site begins. This is the north end of Roanoke Island, ground where England's first attempt at a permanent New World colony took hold in the 1580s and then disappeared — a genuine historical mystery that has never been definitively solved. National Park Service rangers staff the center, and its exhibits and orientation film walk through what is actually documented about the colonists before you head outside to the historic site itself.

Getting Oriented

Inside you will find exhibit panels on the Roanoke voyages and the archaeology behind them, a park film, and an information desk where rangers can point you toward the day's ranger programs, walking routes, and the reconstructed earthwork fort a short walk from the door. It is the logical first stop, since the trails and grounds beyond have minimal on-site signage of their own.

What's Nearby

• The reconstructed earthen fort and wooded walking trails that make up the historic site
• The Freedom Trail–Soundside Trailhead, a short path commemorating the Freedmen's Colony, a self-governing community of formerly enslaved people established here during the Civil War
• Elizabethan Gardens, a separate non-profit garden adjacent to the fort grounds
• The Waterside Theatre, home to the long-running Lost Colony outdoor drama during its seasonal run

Call ahead if you are planning around a specific ranger talk or seasonal program, since offerings shift through the year.