North Carolina Maritime Museum

A haven for the unconventional history of the Crystal Coast, the museum is the official repository for all of the artifacts discovered on the Queen Anne’s Revenge, the ship captained by Blackbeard the infamous pirate. With an impressive display of seashells from around the world with 5,000 specimens from more than 100 countries, the museum is also home to an interesting contraption known as the “Life Car,” a mini-submarine used to rescue mariners stranded at sea.

Just across the street from the museum is the Watercraft Center where volunteers actively build and restore boats in an effort to preserve the Crystal Coast’s tradition of “backyard boat-building.” The Watercraft Center also is home to the “Boat in a Day” program, an opportunity for families to build and take home a six-foot boat, known locally as a Harkers Island skiff.

North Carolina Maritime Museum

Blackbeard and more! Visit the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort for a taste of coastal cultures and maritime history. Exhibits feature the state’s rich seafood industry, life-saving stations and lighthouses, and sailboats and motorboats....