Manteo’s vibrant downtown scene is on full display during this monthly event that highlights the area’s businesses, restaurants and galleries that makes this central Outer Banks community so unique. The First Friday in Manteo is held every month on the initial Friday of the month, and is a street festival that will make any new visitor fall in love with this charming coastal community.
The event is held along the waterfront in Downtown Manteo, and anyone strolling along Queen Elizabeth Avenue, Sir Walter Raleigh Street, or Budleigh Street will be treated to the festivities. During this 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. celebration, sidewalks are lined with live music, magicians, period-dressed actors from various historic attractions, artisans, and much more, and every week presents an opportunity to experience and discover a new downtown gem. Many shops and restaurants are open late for the evening, and / or have specials or festivities of their own to lure in visitors. With lots of ways to enjoy the cool shopping, dining, and arts scene, this monthly event is a fantastic introduction to what the town is all about. The event is held rain or shine, and everyone is welcome to swing by the waterfront to join in the fun.
Welcome to the home of the happy oyster where for over 40 years the oyster has been our world. The Outer Banks only authentic oyster bar is the place to enjoy sensational fare from the sea washed down with your favorite brew or cocktail. We serve by the peck, pound, and dozen, raw or steamed to perfection. Kicked back casual, down to earth friendly staff, and reasonable prices make Awful Arthur’s Oyster Bar the all-time favorite of locals and travelers alike. The idea wasn’t to set out and establish a new concept restaurant on the Outer Banks, but that’s exactly what Awful Arthur’s owner Jo Whitehead and her late husband, Jay, accomplished more than 35 years ago when they opened the area’s first authentic oyster bar. Awful Arthur’s opened in May 1984 on the Outer Banks. “We embraced the concept of an authentic copper top bar with the idea of it being a major drawing card and it still is,” explains Whitehead. “I get oysters wherever they are local. We follow the warm waters.” Just across from the ocean, in Kill Devil Hills, oyster season is year-round at Awful Arthur’s. Diners can take a seat at the copper-topped bar to observe the staff shucking oysters, served raw or steamed, along with shrimp, crab legs and clams all steamed to perfection. It’s not just the raw bar that’s earned Awful Arthur’s both local and national recognition, including being named one of America’s greatest oyster bars by Coastal Living magazine. The restaurant is a seafood-lover’s paradise, offering the freshest catches available.