The North Carolina Maritime Museum at Southport is one of three maritime museums sponsored by the state that lies along the eastern portion of NC. The Southport branch focuses on the maritime history of the lower Cape Fear River, and contains a detailed and fascinating collection that covers shipwrecks, piracy, the Civil War, commercial fishing, hurricanes, and a number of other natural and manmade events that have left a permanent mark on the North Carolina coast.
Voted one of the best attractions in Southport by newcomers and frequent vacationers alike, an afternoon at the museum is a must for any coastal lover who wants to dive right into the fascinating history and culture that this region supplies in abundance.
The North Carolina Maritime Museum’s Southport branch houses a collection of memorabilia pertaining to the vast nautical history of the “Lower Cape Fear” area of southeastern North Carolina. You can easily follow the self-guided tour throughout the twelve designated stations and on-site Research Library.
Read Gentleman Pirate Stede Bonnet’s touching pleas for clemency, before he was hanged, or test your knowledge for pertinent trivia from a nautical jeopardy board. Great fun for children of all ages. Make sure to see artifacts from the important colonial port of Brunswick.
Enjoy the extensive collection of delicate ship models. They also house a vast collection of North Carolina shells, as well as white and black coral, shark’s teeth, a loggerhead turtle skull and an overhead 8′ whale jaw bone.
The research library classroom provides an abundance of material for study and program presentations. Learn about hurricanes and listen to the weather forecast on a marine radio; when storms are present in the Atlantic, we will be tracking them on a hurricane chart. We will guide you through our maritime history, from the earliest settlers to modern sailors.
Visit our gift shop for a variety of small toys, souvenirs, and postcards, and rest on an antique bench used in the old Brunswick County Courthouse. The expansive Research Library can provide hours of study and entertainment.
