Maritime was a great little place with lots of history. The exhibits were well done and easy to…read morefollow. It was easy to read off to a 7 year old for homeschooling history class!

Wonderful historical museum celebrating the rich maritime history of North Carolina. Free for…read moreeveryone, and lots to explore. Second building across the street with boat building the main topic. A must visit in Eastern North Carolina. Only downside no parking except street parking. 5 stars!

We visited the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores (PKS) on July 4, 2025. Having visited…read morethe New York Aquarium (in Brooklyn, NY) a week earlier, it was an opportunity to compare the two. Parking is free (unlikely to change in the last 12 months). At the entrance of the Aquarium PKS was a man-made pond. There wasn't a wait line at the ticket counter. Purchasing of ticket was quick and easy. Judging by the price - half of New York Aquarium's - I expected a modest-sized aquarium. In the Entrance Lobby, the sign next to the animal sculpture stated that it was an alligator. The sculpture itself had the color of a crocodile. The Orientation Lobby was past the Information desk. Up ahead in the Orientation Lobby was an entrance with the overhead sign "Mountains" for the Mountain Gallery. Upon entering this gallery, we were greeted by a man-made waterfall. A doorway to the left led to the gallery's collection, mostly fishes. The Trout Pool was one of several open tanks. Next to it was a "Do Not Touch" symbol like the one shown on the Aquarium map. It meant no putting of one's hand(s) into the tank. Adjoining the Mountain Gallery was the Piedmont Gallery. With a similar collection but different species of fishes, the Piedmont Gallery also had some non-fishes and non-amphibians. I saw salamanders, frogs, owls and otters. The otters were adorable, as evident by the crowd. On the right past the Piedmont Gallery was the Coastal Plain Gallery. This gallery consisted of reptiles alongside additional species of fishes, most notably pond turtles, crocodiles, corn snakes and longnose gars. After that, we walked back towards the Piedmont Gallery. There was an exit past that gallery that led outside to the Outdoor Marsh Boardwalk. At the boardwalk to our right was Eagle Landing, a habitat area for two female bald eagles. Eagle Landing wasn't enclosed - no nets or walls - because both girls couldn't fly due to wing injuries. So no worries about them coming at us with beaks and talons. Don't ask me which one was Uwohali and which one was Shagoie Watha. Both looked the same to me. Across from Eagle Landing were marshes with two overlooks to view from. I took a photo from Bogue Sound Overlook. Further down the Outdoor Marsh Boardwalk was a shelter called Snakes of the Maritime Forest showcasing more slithering friends (or fears, to those that were ophiophobic), both venomous and non-venomous types. I recalled visiting the San Diego Zoo back in the early 2000s. Its collection of snake was at least five times more. After Snakes of the Maritime Forest was Tree-mendous Nature Play, a play area for kids and the young at heart. Wife observed that the surrounding woods reminded her of childhood times growing up in a similar surrounding. We continued onto Alice Hoffman Nature Trail for a short distance and then headed back to the building. After the Coastal Plain Gallery was another area. Judging by the extra-large model of a hermit crab and the two turtle seat sculptures for visitors to chill, we were in a foyer of a separate section... for saltwater species. This section was divided into two galleries of species exhibits. Tidal Waters Gallery was the first. Its collection included stingrays, seahorses and turtles, as well as fishes swimming in tanks with undersea decors. One such decor was a replica of Blackbeard's ship Queen Anne's Revenge shown in the video below right. Ocean Gallery was essentially a continuation of Tidal Waters Gallery with more saltwater creatures supposedly dwelling in the further depths of the ocean. There were two large tanks, each with a replica of a shipwreck. Of the two, The Living Shipwreck was larger and more prominent for another reason: sharks. Last week at NY Aquarium, I saw them swam over my head in the underwater glass tunnel. This time, they were swimming in front of me. Continuing on, there was a lobster in a smaller tank. The display stated "Lobsters" but I saw only one. Review continues in the final attached image.

Nice place to take the whole family. Plenty of parking but the parking lots get full fast and you…read moremay need to walk a bit. Staff is OK. I wouldn't say overly friendly, but not mean. I didn't pay so IDK if it was expensive or not. But there are lot of ways to get discounts. Lots of exhibits and educational sections. Hands on things for the kiddies as well as a little play area for the little ones. LARGE gift shop. One of the coolest things is this huge tank that has a 3:4 scale model of a sunken U-Boat with plenty of sharks and other fish. Nice way to spend the day. Keep in mind the only food is from a Dairy Queen concession outside. Only thing I hoped the air conditioning was cooler. Still, a great option for the family. Educational & fun

I really enjoyed my visit to Tryon Palace! I learned a lot about the history of New Bern, which was…read morevery cool. This house is a very nice reconstruction, as the original one burned down. The guide was very knowledgeable, and they even had fake food set out in the dining room! The gardens were lovely, and you could wander in them for a while (we didn't, just because it was so hot). Definitely a reasonable price to pay for a 45-minute history lesson.

I enjoyed the history of this Palace and thought that the docent giving the tour was quite…read moreknowledgeable. The history was so interesting and I asked a lot questions as well - she didn't seem to kind! And I actually stumped bet on one of the equations. Make sure you walk around the grounds and the gardens as well. They have a pretend military camp based in 1774, so that was very interesting. Well worth it! If you are a senior make sure you ask for the discount - not advertised!

So, if there is anything to know about me, I will go out of my way to visit a museum. No matter how…read morebig or small. No matter the cost. I enjoy learning a bit about an area, it's good to expand your knowledge. As most have noticed, this is a free museum to visit. Unlike what the one reviewer said, you actually get more than "what you pay for." Other things that others have touched on. Yes, this is end of the line before the ferry to Ocracoke. Be mindful of the lanes when trying to get here, you may end up at the ferry. Ample parking, and there is beach access nearby. I have to touch on this, they did a really good job on design here. They incorporated the shipwreck theme throughout. From the entrance of the land you see large anchor. The building, when you are further away from it, looks like a large boat. Almost like an ark. Then, when you do get inside, the theater area where they show the video, you are inside the hull of a sunken metal ship. You don't see this until you are outside this area and roaming about the rest of the museum. Like there are holes in hull. Then there is the big lifeboat display. It's quite stunning. Then there area the display of items from shipwrecks. So many different eras here. Touching on safety and rescue here as well. The lighthouse display feels massive in this room. And that's the thing, everything this museum has is housed in one room. But it is partitioned in such a way that each display feels like its own area. After you are done with the museum portion the exit takes you into the gift shop. Take your time to find the right souvenir. Once you exit the gift shop make sure to check out the displays in this area. It's kind of a continuance of the museum. I will leave you with this. My favorite part about this museum was the digital display at the beginning. Showing you just how high the storm surge can get during any given storm. Topping out at over twenty feet. When you stand next to it, you feel tiny. On your way out, check out the grounds area around the parking. More information out there.

Pretty cool museum showing history of the area. Great for all ages and free to enter!read more

This museum has so much to offer! The David William's House has exhibits that tell the story of…read moreOcracoke. The parlor exhibit changes each year. There is a local family tree displayed in the hallway that changes out every 2 years. In the Brogue Room, you can watch a hilarious video that highlights the Ocracoke dialect spoken by the island locals. The summer months offer programs almost every day with porch talks, kid's craft days, tours and much more. Be sure to visit the gift shop and buy tickets to win the beautiful quilt displayed every year on the bed. Go say hi to the friendly volunteers! Free admission but be sure to leave a donation.

Wonderful little museum and gift shop. The free museum (donations requested) is in the restored…read moreDavid Williams house. The inside and outside exhibits tell the story of early islanders, including the pirate Black Beard, and Ocracoke Island life. Displays include period rooms, model boats, decoys, and local seashells. The little gift shop offers a mix of local themed books, works by local artists, locally made items, and assorted gifts for all ages--all reasonably priced compared to other area shops.

I think the museums along OBX are small collection-type. The collection here is rich and very…read moreinformative. I learned a lot of history, about art from different tribes. There was one room which was more of an exhibit and resembled a home. The museum generally focused on Native American history at large but was not super helpful in informing you about the Croatan or Roanoke groups which were local to the region prior to European colonization. I understand the historical record is rather sparse but it would have been nice to have more connection to the location we were in. Nevertheless, I learned quite a bit about the role of the code talkers during WWII, saw models of original canoes, and more which were all rather interesting!

Many excellent artifacts with great descriptions and historical context. Very friendly staff!read more

What great place to tour and staff was so nice.. once we paid and started tour the gentleman put a…read moreball up a tube that went into this cool artistic display of how a rain drop forms and the lifecycle.. it went into a cloud around room which simulated atmosphere and into rivers and big bodies of water it was cool. Then we sat in on 12 min film on estuaries.. then self guided tour .. for $5 it's worth price of admission . Lots of rooms to go thru.. live animals like snake , crab, alligator to see.. and you can walk outside on the deck see beauty of the waterfront area. Enjoyed my visit and highly recommend to anyone in area.

The North Carolina Estuarium is located in Downtown Washington, NC. It is the first estuarium in…read morethe world and focuses on the environment. The NC Estuarium offers ferry rides on the Tar and Pamlico Rivers at various times during the year. I really enjoy the rides as you might see some wildlife besides the plant life. The captain provide fun facts along the way too. The museum is 12,500 square foot and serves as an education center. It provides a great overview of the estuaries and coastal rivers which are an important part of the ecosystem where fresh water and salt water mix. 90% of NC seafood comes from estuaries. We need to keep these waterways clean. In the lobby the display is large and shows the different parts of North Carolina. The NC Esturium is part museum and part aquarium. The aquarium focuses just on estuary species. It has over 200 exhibits and a lot are hands on. The part about the hurricanes was informative and showed the damage done from the rising sea levels. I highly recommend visiting this unique museum.

The Queen Anne's Revenge Conservation Lab is located in Greenville, NC. Once a month, on the first…read moreTuesday of the month, the lab is opened to the public for tours. Reservations are required for the free tours but it is easy to make a reservation on their website. In 1996, Queen Anne's Revenge which had been named La Concorde as it was a French slave ship was found off of the Beaufort inlet. The boat was 103 foot with 40 cannons and sunk on the Beaufort sandbar in 1718. In 2003, QAR Conservation Lab was formed in Greenville as they needed a bigger facility to work. Archaeologists work at the facility to uncover; preserve; clean; identify and catalog the artifacts. This is a very long process. Some of the artifacts took 9 years from when they started until it could be displayed at the museum. The artifacts are covered with concretion which is a mixture of shells, sand and debris that latch on. So they start with xrays to see what is inside. The artifacts need to soak in a tank to keep them wet. Then archaeologists have to use air scribes (it reminded me of a dentist drill) to remove the the concretion. The artifacts then need to soak to desalinate and this can take many years. Electronic reduction is used to help stop corrosion. Anodes get attached to artifacts to help the process. The warehouse has some parts of the hull structure; a 12 foot anchor that weighs over 2000 pounds; cannons; cannon balls; and much more. Some of the small artifacts were found in the sand. So far, 30 of the cannons have been recovered among the hundreds of thousands of artifacts. I had no idea how much was involved in getting items from the sea to the point they are ready for the museum. I have much respect for these archaeologists preserving history. I highly recommend taking a tour at QAR Conservation Lab as it is a unique experience.

I highly recommend I toured this museum when bi was a little girl and hageva picture on the…read moreoriginal Queen Anne Pirate Ship. Greenville has alot of historical places and history no one knows about.