Elizabethan Garden Statues – Manteo – Roanoke Island

My husband and I recently attended a wedding on the coast of North Carolina.  While we were there, we took the time to visit the Elizabethan Gardens at Manteo on Roanoke Island.

Seeing statues that depict characters from real life is so inspiring. For another post on this type of experience, be sure to check out my Centennial Land Run Monument post.

The gardens are a fabulous experience.  They feature 10 acres of wonderful  tree lined and shaded paths with lovely water views.

The gardens feature many areas which are accented with Elizabethan style renaissance statues and other lovely statues. 

Since we visited the gardens in April, the flowers were not so much the focus of the visit, although camellias, tulips and some other flowers were in abundance.

I thought it would be nice to share my photos of the statues with my readers.  There are several areas of statues, including many that honor various gods.

If you enjoy this type of scenery, the Memphis Botanic Garden also has a wonderful area called the sculpture garden that is worth viewing.

Some are located in the formal garden area and others are dotted throughout the wooded area along the pathways.

Many of the statues feature gods and goddesses from Greek mythology.

HRH Queen Elizabeth I begins our garden tour.  This large statue is the first one that we discovered as we started along the paths. 

The fountain area is  really striking and gives us a hint of what is to come in the formal garden part of the estate. 

This statue features Diana, Goddess of the hunt.

Continuing the Renaissance theme is Apollo the God of Music and Poetry.

Aptly named Venus – the goddess of spring and bloom is surrounded by some of the tulips that were in abundance on the day we visited.

Finishing up the Renaissance statues is Jupiter – ruler of all the gods.

Virginia Dare is easily the Outer Banks’ most famous resident.  Her statue is found in many landmarks and other locations as well as in the Elizabethan Gardens.

We came upon her as we walked along the pathway overlooking the water side of the park.

The statues are not the only interesting garden accents. This impressive Lion birdbath is magnificent.  Look at the incredible detail at the bowl area!

This lovely sundial has the memorable saying “grow old along with me, the best is yet to be.”

As we left the formal area, we encountered many wooded pathways.  Many of them had some rustic smaller statues.  This one features a bearded nymph.

We could almost hear the pan flute coming from this charming Pan Statue in a rustic water setting.

This charming wood nymph looks so shy!

This little wood gnome has no arms.  I’m not sure if it is by design or not!We spent sometime in the gift shop of the gardens when we were done with out tour. They have a big range of small statues and other garden pots and accents for sale.

This is the entry point of the gardens.  Even the building has a Renaissance look to it.

I hope that you have enjoyed my virtual tour of the Elizabethan Gardens.  If you have the opportunity to visit the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the gardens are a definite must see.

I will soon do another article on the landscaping and plants that were on view the day we were there.  Stay tuned!

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