Paid programs are sponsored by the Friends of the Maritime Museum in Beaufort.

Registration and Refund Policy:

Registration costs, less a 10% fee, are refunded when the museum receives cancellation notice at least 48 hours before the start of a program. There is no refund within 48 hours of the start of a program, and tickets cannot be transferred to a later program date within that 48 hour timeframe. Due to material costs and supply, Harvey W. Smith Watercraft Center Courses require a 2-week notification for cancellations; only the course fee is refunded if cancellation occurs prior to 2 weeks. The Museum reserves the right to cancel any program that does not meet the minimum participant requirement up to one week before the program is scheduled. In the event of cancellation due to low enrollment, participants who have submitted a fee will receive a full refund. If a program is canceled due to inclement weather and unable to be rescheduled for another date, the participants will receive a full refund.

North Carolina’s Oyster Boom

North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort 315 Front St., Beaufort, NC, United States
Hybrid Hybrid Event

For generations, North Carolina’s oyster industry was underdeveloped. This changed in the late 19th century when North Carolina oyster beds attracted attention following overharvesting in the Chesapeake Bay and the nation’s insatiable appetite for oysters. By the late 1880s, North Carolina oystermen and fish dealers...

Free

Maritime Heritage Series: By Hook or By Crook

North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort 315 Front St., Beaufort, NC, United States
Hybrid Hybrid Event

Ranked amongst the fiercest pirates from the “Golden age of Piracy,” Anne Bonny and Mary Read’s stories are ones that daytime TV series wish they could write. Join Associate Museum Curator Christine Brin for a free, informal lecture that shares their scandalous stories. Due to...

Free

Book launch: ‘Drought, Drought, Torrential’

North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort 315 Front St., Beaufort, NC, United States

Join Susan Schmidt, PhD, in the museum auditorium for the launch of her newest book, “Drought, Drought, Torrential.” The program will feature Schmidt reading some of the poems from her latest work, as well as a discussion of the poetry from this publication and her previous...

Recurring

MARITIME HERITAGE SERIES: The Oyster Patrol: Early Enforcement of North Carolina’s Oyster Laws

North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort 315 Front St., Beaufort, NC, United States
Hybrid Hybrid Event

In 1891, North Carolina created the Shell Fish Commission with the purpose of promoting and protecting North Carolina's most valuable fishery: oysters. To enforce the state's oyster laws, North Carolina leased several vessels to patrol the sounds until it purchased Lily, the state's first official...

Free

Maritime Heritage Series: Getting to Know Beaufort’s Dolphins

North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort 315 Front St., Beaufort, NC, United States
Hybrid Hybrid Event

Museum Natural Science Curator Keith Rittmaster will discuss the biology and behavior of the bottlenose dolphins that frequent the waters around Beaufort. He will also cover the conservation issues that affect these marine mammals.  Bottlenose dolphins occur in Beaufort year-round, but they are not the...

Free

Bonehenge Whale Center Open House

Bonehenge Whale Center 275 W Beaufort Rd Ext, Beaufort

Come explore Bonehenge Whale Center at Gallants Channel during its annual free Open House. Work conducted at this facility includes research on marine mammals, stranded specimen collection, skeletal rearticulation, education, and conservation of North Carolina whales (including dolphins and porpoise). The Center operates as a partnership between the North Carolina Department...

Free

Behind the Scenes Tour: Bonehenge Whale Center

Bonehenge Whale Center 275 W Beaufort Rd Ext, Beaufort

Learn about local whaling history, whale anatomy, rearticulation of whale skeletons and conservation of marine mammals during this 40-minute tour of Bonehenge Whale Center. This program will include opportunities to view current projects underway and previously prepared specimens. Participants must be 12 years of age...

$10.00

Maritime Heritage Series: Whale Skeleton Procurement in North Carolina, circa 1900

North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort 315 Front St., Beaufort, NC, United States
Hybrid Hybrid Event

Join Education Curator Benjamin Wunderly in the museum auditorium as he reveals the final resting place for the skeletal remains of several whales that were hunted from the shores of North Carolina. The informal lecture also covers some of the historic shore based whaling practices...

Free
Recurring

Spring First Fridays

North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort 315 Front St., Beaufort, NC, United States

Join us for the continuing"First Friday" art events. During the months of March, April and May, we will host artists at the Port of Call Museum Store with a reception and presentation of their work. The receptions are free and open to the public. The...

Free

America’s Boating Club of the Crystal Coast seminar

North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort 315 Front St., Beaufort, NC, United States

Join America's Boating Club of the Crystal Coast to learn some key boating tips in their free seminar series, held in the museum auditorium.

Free

Re-evaluating the Origins of the North Carolina Menhaden Industry

North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort 315 Front St., Beaufort, NC, United States
Hybrid Hybrid Event

The menhaden industry of North Carolina, which began in 1865 and ended in 2005, is one of the State’s most thoroughly documented fisheries. Unfortunately, the industry’s origins have never been thoroughly explored. Due to a reliance on two primary sources, scholars have assumed that there...

Free

Maritime Heritage Series: ‘Lightships to Light Towers: The North Carolina Capes’

North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort 315 Front St., Beaufort, NC, United States
Hybrid Hybrid Event

Shortly after the construction of several coastal lighthouses in North Carolina it was apparent that some locations would require additional warning lights. The dangerous shoals of Diamond, Lookout and Frying Pan proved difficult to navigate for many seafaring captains. Join Education Curator Benjamin Wunderly to...

Free

Registration and Refund Policy:

Registration costs, less a 10% fee, are refunded when the museum receives cancellation notice at least 48 hours before the start of a program. There is no refund within 48 hours of the start of a program, and tickets cannot be transferred to a later program date within that 48 hour timeframe. Due to material costs and supply, Harvey W. Smith Watercraft Center Courses require a 2-week notification for cancellations; only the course fee is refunded if cancellation occurs prior to 2 weeks. The Museum reserves the right to cancel any program that does not meet the minimum participant requirement up to one week before the program is scheduled. In the event of cancellation due to low enrollment, participants who have submitted a fee will receive a full refund. If a program is canceled due to inclement weather and unable to be rescheduled for another date, the participants will receive a full refund.