Alligator River/Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge P. O. Box 1969 Manteo, North Carolina 27954 Contact: Bonnie Strawser - 252-473-1131 Back to News Home Page

News Release

June 27, 2012

Coastal NC National Wildlife Refuges Gateway Visitor Center to Open on Friday, June 29, 2012 at 9 am

Caption: Project Leader Mike Bryant announced today that the long-awaited opening of the Coastal NC National Wildlife Refuges Gateway Visitor Center will be this Friday, June 29, 2012. The Visitor Center, located on the north end of Roanoke Island on the opposite side of US 64 from The Lost Colony, Ft Raleigh, and the Elizabethan Gardens, will be open to the public from 9 am until 4 pm daily. The gallery features a wide variety of educational and entertaining exhibits designed, fabricated, and recently installed by Wilderness Graphics, Inc, based in Tallahassee, Florida. Exhibits include a Cessna airplane where visitors may "fly-over" the eleven national wildlife refuges represented at the Center, as well as realistic dioramas, and a multi-sensory theater with three distinct productions. The Coastal Wildlife Refuge Society hosts "Wild Things", their Book/Gift Shop where visitors may purchase refuge items and a wide assortment of books and other educational merchandise. Entry is FREE. To volunteer at the new facility, contact Refuge Volunteer Coordinator Abbey Reibel at 252-475-0060 or abbey_reibel@fws.gov. A Grand Opening Celebration will be planned for the fall.

Coastal NC National Wildlife Refuges Gateway Visitor Center Lobby. Photo Credit: USFWS.