Roanoke Island Maritime Museum

In 1998 the Roanoke Island Maritime Museum was opened in downtown Manteo on the waterfront.  The Museum is located in the George Washington Creef Boathouse.

The Boathouse is named after George Washington Creef, a local builder who developed the Shad boat, a unique style of workboat well-suited to the surrounding waters of the Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds. The Shad boat is designated as the State Boat of North Carolina. The museum has a number of small watercraft on display representing the region's maritime heritage. Some of the watercraft exhibits include a 1883 Creef Shad boat, clipper yawl boat, 1960 era hydroplane, and other small boats.

The Museum is a working boatshop where volunteers and staff take on projects including small craft restoration, exhibit design, and new boat construction. The Boathouse was the site of construction for the Elizabeth II, a replica of the ships said to have brought the famous Lost Colony to Roanoke Island in 1587. This, and several other restored traditional sailing watercraft, grace the waters of Shallowbag Bay in front of the museum.

Eight Optimist Prams were built by volunteers in 2001 for the MuseumsYouth Sailing Program. In 2002 volunteers and staff built a replica 25-foot shad boat, funded through a grant from the Percy and Elizabeth Meekins Trust. It is a major focus of the museum's educational and interpretive programming. The Friends of the Museum provides support for the shop's schedule of classes in traditional techniques and for the Outer Banks Community Sailing program. Extensive repairs and renovations were made to the Museum after Hurricane Isabel in September of 2003.