Weekdays: 9am - 5pm
Saturdays: 10am - 5pm
Sundays: 1pm - 5pm
Just 30 minutes from Emerald Isle, the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort, documents, collects and preserves the maritime history of coastal North Carolina. Enjoy exhibits on shells, boats, marine life, shipwrecks and more at the North Carolina Maritime Museum.
The museum is home to Queen Anne’s Revenge, which was Blackbeard’s famous pirate ship. The ship ran aground near Beaufort in 1718. For more than 270 years the ship was hidden in the waters by sand but was recovered in 1996. Now you can see the ship and its artifacts live!
The North Carolina Maritime Museum offers a variety of environmental and educational programs throughout the year, in addition to boatbuilding. The Harvey W. Smith Watercraft Center sits on Taylor Creek, across from the museum in Beaufort, and offers boatbuilding courses and workshops for all skills and ages.
Each year in May, the museum hosts the annual Beaufort Wooden Boat Show where visitors can see dozens of boat displays at the watercraft center, take a sailboat ride and enjoy all the family friendly activities that are offered.
The N.C. Maritime Museum and the Harvey W. Smith Watercraft Center are both located on Front Street in downtown Beaufort, North Carolina, just 30 minutes from Emerald Isle. The watercraft center sits directly across from the museum on Taylor Creek.
Both the N.C. Maritime Museum and the Harvey W. Smith Watercraft Center are open year-round on the same schedule.
Museum Hours:
Monday – Friday: 9am to 5pm
Saturday: 10am to 5pm
Sunday: 1pm to 5pm
Museum closed on:
Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28;
Christmas Holiday, Dec. 24, 25 and 26; and
New Year’s Day, Jan. 1
Admission to both sites is FREE. Donations are appreciated.
View more Emerald Isle attractions for your upcoming vacation!
