About Our Manteo, NC Inn

Experience Gracious Hospitality & Small-Town Charm

The tradition of White Doe Inn harkens back to a time when guests were pampered. Today, Innkeepers Bebe and Bob Woody make every effort to recapture that era of traveler comfort and camaraderie. Each guest room and suite is distinctly different. All bedchambers are decorated with family heirlooms, turn-of-the-century antiques, reproductions, special architectural features, appointments that compliment each room’s décor, and comfortable sitting areas with bedside gas log fireplaces. Several rooms offer spa tubs for two. King and queen-size beds are available. Every effort has been made to create a comfortable and intimate ambiance for you to enjoy during your romantic vacation at our Outer Banks bed and breakfast.

White Doe Inn is listed on the National Register of Historic Places – noted for its architectural significance. Our Manteo, NC Inn is a recommended property for our excellence in hospitality services and outstanding accommodations. We are also members of the Association of Independent Hospitality Professionals.

A Long Pier at an Outer Banks Beach

Inn History

It all began with the Meekins family. Theodore S. Meekins came from one of the oldest families in the Outer Banks – his ancestors had inhabited the area since before the American Revolution. Mr. Meekins came to Manteo from Rodanthe on Hatteras Island, where he had been previously been a magistrate of Kinnakeet township. In 1896, he married Rosa P. Midgett and they subsequently had seven children. In 1904, Theodore and Rosa Meekins purchased a lot in Manteo on Roanoke Island. The property was located on County Street, now 319 Sir Walter Raleigh Street.

Outer Banks Inn Parlor Sitting Area

At the time the property was purchased, a small structure was standing on the property which the family lived in until 1910. Meekins worked as a contractor and used his experience in construction to build the beautiful house that governs the property today. Meekins hired his brother-in-law John Wilson and local carpenter Joe Dailey; the men had measurable experience in building and had constructed several lighthouse keeper’s houses and life-saving stations on the Outer Banks. They built the three-story house in Manteo using a photograph – found by Rosa Meekins – as a model. Local tradition claims that Cramer Brothers Company of Elizabeth City milled the windows for the house, cut the building materials, and sent them to Roanoke Island by boat. With seventeen rooms, the Inn remains the largest house on Roanoke Island.

Throughout his years in Manteo, Meekins earned a prominent local reputation and rendered considerable service in local and state government. In addition to being a magistrate, he served as clerk of the Dare County Superior Court in the early twentieth century. He also served in the NC State Legislature during the years 1945-1947.

As a contractor, Meekins left his imprint upon the maritime history of the Outer Banks. In 1911, the US Government awarded him a contract to build the Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station near Rodanthe. Since its construction, the station has become one of the most famous life-saving outposts in the history of the US Coast Guard. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, the crews of the station made a number of daring rescues of shipwreck victims. These heroic feats included the spectacular rescue of the crew of the torpedoed British tanker Mirlo during World War I. For their heroism, each member of the crew was awarded the US Gold Life Saving Medal for Valor.

In addition to being a successful contractor, Meekins was a prosperous merchant and businessman. He owned significant amounts of real estate and operated a merchandise store on the waterfront in Manteo. He and his partner, Richard C. “Dick” Evans, ran the store on the ground floor of the Roanoke Hotel until the structure burned in the 1920s. Meekins then built and opened another business across the street from where the first had stood. The new two-story frame building was eventually sold to the Carson Davis family and used as Davis Department Store until the 1960s, when Manteo’s third major fire destroyed many of the remaining buildings in the town.

Following Meekins’ death in 1952, the house on Sir Walter Raleigh Street was passed to his son Theodore S. Meekins, Jr.; he died in 1959, leaving the property to his wife Goldie Harrell Meekins. By 1993, “Miss Goldie” was no longer able to manage the large house and property. She sold it to Bebe and Bob Woody, whose intentions were to preserve it for the community as a bed and breakfast, as well as making it into their home.

Today, visitors come from near and far to stay at the Inn. It is known as one of the few places where one can still experience a way of life not easily found in today’s fast-paced world. The Inn harkens back to a time when pampering, camaraderie, service, and comfort of guests were the expected norm.

Manteo NC Inn's Exterior at Night

Architectural Significance

The Meekins House is a grand three-story late-Queen Anne style house, constructed in 1910 by local builders John Wilson and Joe Dailey for Theodore S. Meekins and his family. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, noted for its architectural and historic significance.

The house is said to be modeled after a photograph which caught the fancy of Meekins’ wife, Rosa. The highly picturesque masterpiece is essentially rectangular in plan and form, with a richness achieved by the lavish combination and composition of its elevations. The rectangularity of the mass is enlivened by a variety of rooflines, the use of weatherboard and shingles, and an unusual variety in the placement, grouping, and size of window openings, as well as sash type and stained glass. The grand three-story tower, two-story bays, and a variety of architectural moldings and devices – plus the encircling one-story porch – further enrich the appearance of the magnificent house, which remains the largest house in Manteo, the Dare County Seat on Roanoke Island.

Bob and Bebe Woody Innkeepers of White Doe Inn

Meet Bob & Bebe Woody

Bob and Bebe Woody have over 60 combined years of experience as rangers with the U.S. National Park Service. It wasn’t until their encounter with Manteo’s historic Meekins House that they decided to venture into the bed and breakfast business.

Bebe, born and raised on Roanoke Island, retired after 31 years as a ranger with Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, and Wright Brothers National Memorial. She served the later third of her ranger career as a cultural resource management specialist working with the historic structures of the Cape Hatteras Group.

Bob, a North Carolina State University graduate with degrees in Zoology/Wildlife Management, served in many areas of the national park system including the Everglades, Yellowstone, and Joshua Tree National Parks, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Arizona/Utah, and Civil War sites in Mississippi and Maryland. He recently retired as Chief of Interpretation and Visitor Services for the Cape Hatteras Group.

Both developed a strong sense of visitor service and hospitality as a result of their many years as national park rangers. Both Bob and Bebe are intimately familiar with the Outer Banks’ resources. Bebe is actively involved in trying to preserve the cultural heritage of Roanoke Island, while Bob carves decoys during his spare time and has won awards for his work.

Driving Directions

Take I-95 South to I-64 in Richmond. Follow I-64 East to Hampton, VA. Go South on I-664 through the Monitor-Merrimac Bridge Tunnel. Then take I-64 towards Norfolk/Virginia Beach and take the Exit to US-168 Great Bridge, VA (Exit 290-B). Go South on VA-168 to the NC border. Once in North Carolina, US-168 merges into US-158 East. Stay on this road. Follow US-158 East to the Outer Banks. At Mile Post 16, turn West on US-64/264 crossing the George Washington Baum Bridge to Roanoke Island and Manteo.

Once on Roanoke Island, follow signs to the Town of Manteo, Business US 64/264. At the stop light with a Pizza Hut/Ace Hardware/East Carolina Bank and RBC Bank occupying the corners, turn right onto Sir Walter Raleigh Street in the direction of the Manteo Waterfront. One block down is White Doe Inn; turn left on Uppowac Street and park along the curb; off-street parking is also available behind the Inn off Uppowac.

Via I-95 North to US-17, take US-70 to NC-12 and ferry to Ocracoke and Hatteras Islands. From Hatteras, travel North to Nags Head and take US-64/264 West crossing the George Washington Baum Bridge to Roanoke Island and Manteo.*

If you’re coming from South Carolina, take I-95 North to Wilson, NC. Take US 64/264 East through Greenville and Washington, NC. From Washington, take State Route 20 to Plymouth, NC and follow the directions above via US-64 East crossing the George Washington Baum Bridge to Roanoke Island and Manteo.

*This is the more scenic route. You will need to make ferry reservations for the ferry traveling from Cedar Island to Ocracoke Island.

Once on Roanoke Island, follow signs to the Town of Manteo, Business US 64/264. At the stop light with a Pizza Hut/Ace Hardware/East Carolina Bank and RBC Bank occupying the corners, turn right onto Sir Walter Raleigh Street in the direction of the Manteo Waterfront. One block down is White Doe Inn; turn left on Uppowac Street and park along the curb; off-street parking is also available behind the Inn.

From Raleigh, NC, take US 64/264 East. Follow US-64/264 East towards Rocky Mount, NC. Continue on US-64 East through Williamston, Plymouth, and Columbia, NC. In Manns Harbor, NC you may choose to go:

US 64/264 East crossing the Virginia Dare Bridge to Roanoke Island and Manteo. Once on Roanoke Island, follow signs to the Town of Manteo, Business US 64/264. At the stop light with a Pizza Hut/Ace Hardware/East Carolina Bank and RBC Bank occupying the corners, turn right onto Sir Walter Raleigh Street in the direction of the Manteo Waterfront. One block down is White Doe Inn; turn left on Uppowac Street and park along the curb; off-street parking is also available behind the Inn off Uppowac.

Or …

Alternate US 64/264 East crossing the William Umstead Bridge to Roanoke Island and Manteo. Once on Roanoke Island, follow signs to the Town of Manteo, Business US 64/264. At the stop light with a Pizza Hut/Ace Hardware/East Carolina Bank and RBC Bank occupying the corners, turn left onto Sir Walter Raleigh Street in the direction of the Manteo Waterfront. One block down is White Doe Inn; turn left on Uppowac Street and park along the curb; off-street parking is also available behind the Inn off Uppowac.

Mileage Chart

Asheville, NC459
Atlanta, GA615
Baltimore, MD315
Boston, MA720
Charleston, SC450
Cincinnati, OH740
Charlotte, NC365
Cleveland, OH630
Columbus, OH665
Greensboro, NC290
Jacksonville, FL625
Montreal780
Nashville, TN730
New York, NY505
Philadelphia, PA420
Pittsburgh, PA510
Richmond, VA170
Savannah, GA490
Virginia Beach, VA95
Washington, DC270



Roanoke Island Inn Living Room

 

Nearby Airports

Dare County Regional Airport
If you’re taking a private flight to the Outer Banks, White Doe Inn is located 3 miles from the airport. Pick-up and drop-off services to and from the Inn are available.

Norfolk International Airport
Follow White Doe Inn directions from the north. Check out the new Norfolk Airport Guide.

Raleigh Durham Airport
Follow White Doe Inn directions from the west.

Book with Complete Confidence

Book direct with us and enjoy the peace of mind that you’re getting the safest possible stay.