Cape Fear Museum of History and Science is a museum located at 814 Market Street in downtown Wilmington in southeastern North Carolina. Founded in 1898, it is the oldest history museum in the state.
The Cape Fear Museum was founded in 1898 by the local chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy to preserve artifacts relating to the Civil War. Today, it is owned and operated by New Hanover County New Hanover, North Carolina. The Museum moved to its current location in 1970. The Museum's building is a combination of an historic structure—a 1930s Works Progress Administration armory—and a 1990s expansion.
The museum has a collection of more than fifty two thousand artifacts, the vast majority of which are in storage. The Museum currently collects artifacts relating to the history, science, and cultures of the Lower Cape Fear, defined as a 50-mile radius around the city of Wilmington. In addition to New Hanover, the adjacent counties are Brunswick and Pender. The extended region encompasses portions of Columbus, Bladen, Sampson, Duplin, and Onslow counties. Plan trip to Wilmington with our itinerary maker to find out where to go and what to do.
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Cape Fear Museum reviews
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My children and I really enjoyed this museum. The prices were fair for the visit. Typically when visisting either myself or the kids would get bored depending on the type of museum, but this one kept.... more
My children and I really enjoyed this museum. The prices were fair for the visit. Typically when visisting either myself or the kids would get bored depending on the type of museum, but this one kept.... more »
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The museum does an excellent job of presenting the history of the region in an interesting and accessible manner.
The museum does an excellent job of presenting the history of the region in an interesting and accessible manner. more »
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This place is so fun! My kids love every exhibit they encountered. A very good mix of activities for kids and all learning types and abilities, but older kids/pre-teens may get bored. I do wish there was more about recycling and pollution.
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Went with kids ages 6, 7, and 8 and they loved it! There are so many hands on exhibits: building your own space station and lunar rover, completing circuits to turn on a light bulb, crafts, puppets, and lots of buttons to make things light up. We spent 3 hours here and the kids had fun the whole time! Plenty of interesting information for the adults too. Great museum!
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