Photo by William Russ 



A view inside the N.C. stingrays. For a glimpse of a gentler breed, see 

 Maritime Museum in the 49-foot replica of a living humpback whale 

 Beaufort named Salt. 



Last year the centers attracted over 1 million 

 visitors. This year, they hope to educate even 

 more people about North Carolina's marine 

 resources as they celebrate their 10th anniver- 

 sary in September. The centers are open year- 

 round Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 

 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. 

 Admission is free. 



For more information, contact the Roanoke 

 Island center at P.O. Box 967, Manteo, N.C. 

 27954 (919/473-3493); the Pine Knoll Shores 

 center at P.O. Box 580, Atlantic Beach, N.C. 

 28512 (919/247-4003); the Fort Fisher center at 

 Box 130, Kure Beach, N.C. 28449 (919/458- 

 8257); or the Office of Marine Affairs, 417 N. 

 Blount St., Raleigh, N.C. 27601 (919/733-2290). 



The North Carolina Maritime Museum, 

 Beaufort. The N.C. Maritime Museum has 

 opened the hatches on a new home. Last year 

 the museum gathered up its collections and 

 moved to a larger building. Outside, the wood- 

 en building blends 19th-century Beaufort 

 architecture with that of the early U.S. Lifesav- 

 ing Service stations. It even features a widow's 

 walk, or observation platform, that provides a 

 panoramic view of the area. 



Inside, you enter a pseudo ship's hold as you 

 view exhibits of coastal bird, fish and mammal 



specimens; marine fossils; worldwide and 

 North Carolina shell collections; maritime arti- 

 facts; saltwater aquariums; decoys and indi- 

 genous small craft. 



Across Turner Street at the Watercraft Cen- 

 ter, museum staff teach the art of building 

 small wooden boats. Visitors can tour the cen- 

 ter and watch the craftsmen. 



The museum also sponsors many programs, 

 field trips and special events. During the sum- 

 mer, youngsters in grades 1 to 8 can attend a 

 week-long summer science school that moves 

 the classroom outdoors. Or for folks of all ages, 

 the museum offers the Spring Gathering of 

 Small Wooden Boats (June 7 to 8) and the 

 Strange Seafood Exhibition (August 21). 



For more information about the museum 

 and its programs and events, write the N.C. 

 Maritime Museum, 315 Front Street, Beaufort, 

 N.C. 28516. Or call 919/728-7317. Admission is 

 free. The hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, 

 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 2 to 5 p.m. 

 Sunday. 



Aurora Fossil Museum, Aurora. For a look 

 back at the coastal plain's geologic history, visit 

 the Aurora Fossil Museum. View the museum's 

 main fossil exhibit, and see the backbones of 

 prehistoric whales, the teeth of a 55-foot great 

 white shark and a collection of ancient sea- 

 shells. Huge wall murals depict creatures that 

 lived in the ocean that covered eastern North 

 Carolina 5 to 15 million years ago. 



The museum is presently undergoing reno- 

 vation. It should reopen in June. For a schedule 

 of its hours, write P.O. Box 48, Aurora, N.C. 

 27806. 



New Hanover County Museum, Wilming- 

 ton. The Cape Fear region is rich in history — 

 history that is brought to life through the ex- 

 hibits of the New Hanover County Museum, 

 located at 814 Market Street in Wilmington. 

 You'll see Confederate artifacts, 

 items brought to Wilmington aboard blockade 

 runners, Indian dugout canoes and a diorama 

 of the Wilmington waterfront during the Civil 

 War. Or attend one of the museum's weekly 

 programs or special classes. 



Admission is free, and museum hours are 9 

 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 2 

 to 5 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call 

 919/763-0852. 



St. John's Art Gallery, Wilmington. For an 

 education in art, stop by St. John's Art Gallery, 

 located at 114 Orange Street in Wilmington. 

 Outside, study the design of the gallery's 19th- 

 century architecture. The building was built in 

 1802 as the home of St. John's Lodge No. 1, the 

 oldest masonic lodge in North Carolina. 



Inside, see the preserved mural of masonic 

 symbols and any of the changing exhibitions of 

 North Carolina and southern art. In addition, 



