In the Spotlight: Elizabethan Gardens—Roanoke Island

20 April 2011

Initially, we planned to start our exploration of Roanoke Island at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site (post here), but when our arrival there coincided with that of several busload of school kids, we switched gears and headed over to the Elizabethan Gardens, located adjacent to the site.

The gardens were created as a living memorial to the first English colonists who came to explore the New World and settle on Roanoke Island in 1584-1587.  (More about that history is in the previous post, linked above.)

We arrived at the high brick wall that surrounds the Elizabethan Gardens just as the doors opened, paid the $8/person admission fee, and began a meandering walk through the grounds. As anticipated, the kids on Spring Break had no interest in the gardens; it was nice to have the place to ourselves.  Peaceful, quiet … with forested trails and manicured gardens offering the perfect setting for a slow-paced stroll.  Any chance encounters with other early-bird visitors were few and far between.  Couldn’t have asked for better.

Spring is very much in evidence in the courtyard that fronts the Gate House.

The gardens are named in tribute to Queen Elizabeth I, who directed Sir Walter Raleigh
to explore and settle the New World in 1584.

Virginia Dare of the lost colony “Elenora  … wife to Ananias Dare … was delivered of a daughter in roanok … and because this child was the first Christian borne in virginia, she was named virginia. (from the narratives of Gov. John White on the birth of his granddaughter, Aug 18, 1587) sculpted by Maria Louisa Lander in Rome in 1859, the statue is made of Carrara marble.  It's said to have been based on an Indian legend that says the first English child born in America grew up amongst Native Americans. Coincidentally  lost in a shipwreck off the coast of spain, the statue spent two years in the ocean before it was recovered and sent to the us.

The focal point of the Sunken Garden is an ancient Italian Renaissance fountain.

A number of birdbaths are tucked into nooks and crannies, including
the "Bashful Girl" (bottom left) and "Lion Couchant" (bottom right).

Colorful blooms delight the senses.

Mui shares a moment with his gnome friend in the Woodland Garden.

I’ll end with the words etched into the plaque embedded in the brick wall surrounding the gardens:

“Down the centuries, English women have built gardens to the glory of God, the beauty of the countryside, and the comfort of their souls.  The women of the Garden Club of North Carolina have planted this garden in memory of the valiant men and women who founded the first English colony in America.  From this hallowed ground on Roanoke Island, they walked away through the dark forest and into history … 1585-1951.”

If you’d like to see full-size versions of the pictures used in the collages, go to this online gallery and click the link for the Elizabethan Gardens.

Quick Look III: Flowers, History, and Lighthouses

Wednesday, 20 April

Our day of exploration took us to Roanoke Island, which lies between mainland North Carolina and the islands that I refer to as the outer Outer Banks.  Specifically, we explored sights in Manteo.

Our 8:00a departure from the campground made for perfect timing.  We arrived in Manteo an hour later, just as the places on our sightseeing list were opening their doors.  Our plans called for starting out in Fort Raleigh, but when we saw three busloads of kids in the parking lot, we made a quick adjustment to the order of our sightseeing stops.  All in all, our day worked out quite nicely.

In the morning, we visited …

The Elizabethan Gardens
(above and below)

Fort Raleigh ... Home of the Lost ColonY
(image from an informational poster in the visitor center)

Although we’d packed a picnic lunch, we toyed with the idea of eating at a restaurant on the Manteo Waterfront instead.  Once there, however, we had another change of heart (actually, I did; but Mui didn’t put up much of a fight).  Spotting a gazebo jutting out into the water, we headed there for an al fresco meal.

My hat stands in for me for the lunch photo op.

The Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse … the view from our lunch spot.

We had planned to spend the afternoon at the North Carolina Aquarium.  That was before we learned that there were several busloads of kids there intent on doing the same thing.  Switching gears, we rounded out our afternoon in Manteo at …

The Roanoke Island Festival Park
(celebrating the first English Settlement in America)

And, on our way back to the campground, we capped off our day with a stop at the last of the four Outer Banks lighthouses …

Bodie  [pronounced “Body”]  Lighthouse

We were back at the coach around 5:00p.  A few minutes to check our emails; another hour to prepare and eat our steak and shrimp dinner (cooked to perfection in our microwave/convection oven since there are no grills at Camp Hatteras, and we’ve not yet bought one for the coach).  It was 6:30p before we knew it.

Although the clouds had moved in and the winds had picked up, we decided to walk over to the section of the campground that overlooks Pamlico Sound to watch the sunset.  Unfortunately, the stiff wind made it impossible to wait until 7:38p to see the sun disappear over the horizon.  Slightly chilled, and more than a little disheveled, we returned to the coach to enjoy a quiet evening at home.