Members of the Dare County community are cordially invited to attend a ribbon cutting ceremony and open house event on Thursday, February 13, 2025 to celebrate the recent completion of the new Manteo Youth Center on Roanoke Island. The ribbon cutting ceremony will begin at 3:30 p.m. (outdoors, weather permitting), and the open house will follow from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the facility, which is located at 101 N. Highway 64/264 in Manteo.  

During the open house, attendees will have the opportunity to tour the 4,000-square-foot youth center and learn more about the many programs and resources it will offer to the youth of Dare County. The open house portion of the event will also feature a variety of activities, including:

• Tours of the facility
• Youth center children's art displays
• Light refreshments

The new facility replaces the former Dare County youth center on Roanoke Island, which was located a short distance away on Highway 64/264 and, due to its age and small size, was outdated and unable to adequately meet the needs of the growing Roanoke Island community. The new and improved Manteo Youth Center on Roanoke Island—which is open to all Dare County residents and will have the capacity to serve approximately 100 children once fully staffed—includes a range of modern amenities for area children and teens, including:

• A multipurpose room for a variety of activities and events
• A game room for recreational use
• A classroom for educational programming
• A fully equipped kitchen
• Office space and restrooms
• An outdoor playground and 15 parking spaces

Construction of the Roanoke Island Youth Center began in the spring of 2024 following the demolition of the former Masonic Lodge that previously occupied the site. Work on the new facility was completed in December 2024.

Operated by the Dare County Department of Health & Human Services, the Manteo Youth Center on Roanoke Island offers an assortment of programs for children and teens throughout the Dare County community, including after-school activities and daylong summer camps.

“This new and improved facility represents a brand-new and exciting chapter for the children and families of Roanoke Island and beyond,” said Dare County Board of Commissioners Chairman Bob Woodard. “It was meticulously designed and constructed to ensure that we created a safe, welcoming and modern space where the children within our Dare County community can go to learn, play, grow and explore.” 

Members of the Dare County community are invited—and encouraged!—to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony and open house event beginning at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 13, 2025 to help celebrate this exciting milestone. For more information about the Manteo Youth Center on Roanoke Island, please contact Dare County Department of Health & Human Services Director Dr. Sheila Davies at 252-475-5076 or Sheila.Davies@DareNC.gov.