North Carolina Maritime Museum Beaufort

About this activity

The North Carolina Maritime Museum Beaufort lets kids explore the wonders of the ocean and maritime history, both indoors and outdoors right on the water!

Kids, fancy getting your captains hat on and taking a journey through the maritime history of our great oceans, and all that occurred on them?

Have you heard of...Blackbeard? You have?! Well, did you know that in 1718 this infamous pirate lost his flagship, the Queen Anne's Revenge, when it ran aground right in Beaufort!

It was only in 1996 that a crew discovered the shipwreck, and now YOU get to be  apart of it with this interactive and permanent exhibition. Artifacts, legends, weapons, and the history of the crew are all on display. What do you think they were like? Can you imagine being part of the pirate crew? Arrrrrr maybe!

You will learn how Blackbeard became a legends, and how North Carolina's geography and economy created a "perfect storm" for piracy! You will also learn about how the team know that the shipwreck was actually Blackbeard's, and also...where is all the treasure!

There is a fascinating exhibit on the seafood industry, and commercial fishing. Kids will love checking out the tools of the trade which include crab pots and flounder scales. What do you think it would have been like working in the fisheries?

The North Carolina Maritime Museum Beaufort also has a great exhibition on whales and whaling. You can even meet Echo - their resident sperm whale! 

If you want to get out onto the water, the museum offer programs where you can actually spend some time within their summer camps learning how to sail. There is also a Junior Sailing Program and Summer Science School.

So whether it's pirates, whales, sails or just history, the North Caroline Maritime Museum Beaufort will have something for every age, and every inquisitive little captain!