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    Aurora Fossil Museum

    4.8 (23 reviews)
    Closed 9:30 am - 4:00 pm
    Updated 1 month ago

    Aurora Fossil Museum Photos

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    Shark teeth found in the pits at Aurora Fossil Museum.
    Josh J.

    We had a fantastic time at Aurora Fossil Museum. This place is off the beaten path so it wasn't overly crowded. The museum is very interesting and a great opportunity to learn about the fossils of the area. The folks operating the museum are very polite and knowledgeable. It was amazing getting to dig in the pits and find numerous shark teeth. We found some really nice ones as did others. If you go, make sure to check the guidelines and bring a sifter with no larger than 1/4 inch screen and a small shovel less than 36". They do have sifters for sale should you need one but they will run 10 bucks or so. If you do find a nice tooth they are happy to wrap it and make it into a necklace for you!

    So many fossils
    Melissa G.

    This is an out of the way place, but if you love sharks and fossils then it's worth going out of your way. They have two huge fossil digging spots and people are very serious about searching for fossils. They have a nice picnic area, ports johns, and hand washing stations. They also h e a bathroom inside the museum. Their gift shop is full of goodies abs fun things! Their small museum is packed with fossils and cool things to look at. It's worth the trip.

    Sifting for fossils in the pit.
    Vanessa W.

    I can't believe this place is free! We are into fossil hunting as a hobby and learned about this place on YouTube. Aurora is truly a teeny tiny town and we had to drive an hour out of way to get there but we are very glad we did. There is one giant fossil pit (3 really) where you can sift for fossils and sharks teeth for free. They pull shark Megs out of here fairly frequently. The museum itself is small but impressive with the amount of things in their collection. It is also free. Be sure to make a donation or purchase in the gift shop.

    Teeth found in the pits
    Ashley S.

    Since we moved to NC in 2015, we quickly became obsessed with fossils and finding shark teeth. We discovered this pace by accident. It's in a very small town, that looks like a ghost town. The museum is free. They only ask that you sign in so they can continue getting funding through grants. A couple times a year the get new dirt for the piles out front. They post this on Facebook. So we've always tracked the deliveries. That's the biggest opportunity to find the bigger teeth. You keep whatever you find. The piles are open 24/7, even when the museum is closed. This is a great activity for adults, kids, families, & anyone really. It's about 35 min from New Bern, so we always stop there for lunch or dinner.

    Courtney G.

    A really cute little pace off beaten path where you can search fossil piles for shark teeth. Did I mention there's no charge.. it's all free. Bring a small shovel and small sifter from home or you can buy or rent sifter from gift shop. There are 2 decent sized dig spots for people of all ages. One is shaded and ones out in sun.. bring sunscreen for sure if you wanna spend time . Your guaranteed to find some if you look closely. I found small ones but kids dug and found some decent sized ones. We also brought a picnic lunch because they have tables in the shade where you can stop grab your water and snack and eat. Gift store has few snacks like chips and drinks for charge but we brought coolers. There's a small museum on site where you go to check in. You can walk through and see all kinds of info on different sharks and different size teeth on display. When you walk in there is display cases of different sharks teeth and a wide variety of things to purchase. We went home with tye dye shirts to commemorate our visit. The shirts were only $16 for adult sizes. You can even buy bag of fossils do you can do your own dig at home! Great place for family to enjoy without having to spend a lot of money. We really enjoyed going and have plan to visit again once weather cools down in the fall.

    Russell D.

    Really cool place!!! The exhibits were great and those that didn't mind getting dirty absolutely loved digging for sharks teeth. They were easy to find... even some larger ones. The staff was super friendly and the shovels and sieves were reasonably priced.

    Jeff R.

    Had a great time at the museum (it's pretty remote, close to the coast of NC) it's a small place but has some cool sharks teeth including a large collection of meglodon teeth as well as other fossils and finds from a local Phosphate Mine. The coolest thing and where I spent most of the day was a dig site across the road from the museum, the local mine brings in truck loads of dirt each year and I mean huge truck loads so those coming to Aurora can sift for shark's teeth and other fossils in the soil from the mine. Take a look at the pics for a little more about what the museum has to offer as well as what I found in about 2 hours digging for teeth and fossils. I can't wait to go back this summer!

    Amazing place !!!' You and your kids will love it!! 100% Covid compliant. Can't say enough about this place. So interesting and fun!! Staff is friendly and informative. And you get to dig across the street. Love love love!!!

    melinda s.

    We came to this museum with not much knowledge of what to expect- what a treasure! Hands on history for area fossils and you can dig for your own! The learning center has beautiful gems from around the world. The gift shop has fossils you can buy or buckets of dirt to take home to sift through on your own and they will ship it to you in bags. Well worth a visit especially in a lovely day you can dig outside. These were my finds this afternoon. Oh -and excellent reasonable food at Frank and Shirley's restaurant in the same parking lot as Dollar General.

    Museum Entrance
    Daniel C.

    We visited here during their annual Fossil Festival held each Memorial Day. This is a small but nice museum that is free of charge. They have a lot of fossils on display here including big Megalodon teeth. Directly across the street they have a big pit where you can search for your own sharks teeth that comes from the local PCS Phosphate mine close by. You can find a whole lot of them here. If you spend 5-6 hours, you can probably find 100-150 sharks teeth (predominately small but there are definitely decently-sized ones. If you happen to go by this area, definitely stop by. Worth a trip there at some point.

    Extinct sharks teeth

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    9 years ago

    Such a cool experience for kids and families. I would suggest going into the museum before so you understand what you are truly digging for!

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    Review Highlights - Aurora Fossil Museum

    The big fun was in the digging of shark teeth in the outdoor pit just across the street kids loved it.

    Mentioned in 6 reviews

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    North Carolina Estuarium - Ducks and turtles and fish

    North Carolina Estuarium

    4.4(12 reviews)
    22.1 mi

    What great place to tour and staff was so nice.. once we paid and started tour the gentleman put a…read moreball up a tube that went into this cool artistic display of how a rain drop forms and the lifecycle.. it went into a cloud around room which simulated atmosphere and into rivers and big bodies of water it was cool. Then we sat in on 12 min film on estuaries.. then self guided tour .. for $5 it's worth price of admission . Lots of rooms to go thru.. live animals like snake , crab, alligator to see.. and you can walk outside on the deck see beauty of the waterfront area. Enjoyed my visit and highly recommend to anyone in area.

    The North Carolina Estuarium is located in Downtown Washington, NC. It is the first estuarium in…read morethe world and focuses on the environment. The NC Estuarium offers ferry rides on the Tar and Pamlico Rivers at various times during the year. I really enjoy the rides as you might see some wildlife besides the plant life. The captain provide fun facts along the way too. The museum is 12,500 square foot and serves as an education center. It provides a great overview of the estuaries and coastal rivers which are an important part of the ecosystem where fresh water and salt water mix. 90% of NC seafood comes from estuaries. We need to keep these waterways clean. In the lobby the display is large and shows the different parts of North Carolina. The NC Esturium is part museum and part aquarium. The aquarium focuses just on estuary species. It has over 200 exhibits and a lot are hands on. The part about the hurricanes was informative and showed the damage done from the rising sea levels. I highly recommend visiting this unique museum.

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    North Carolina Estuarium
    North Carolina Estuarium
    North Carolina Estuarium

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    Queen Anne's Revenge Conservation Labratory

    Queen Anne's Revenge Conservation Labratory

    5.0(4 reviews)
    45.3 mi

    The Queen Anne's Revenge Conservation Lab is located in Greenville, NC. Once a month, on the first…read moreTuesday of the month, the lab is opened to the public for tours. Reservations are required for the free tours but it is easy to make a reservation on their website. In 1996, Queen Anne's Revenge which had been named La Concorde as it was a French slave ship was found off of the Beaufort inlet. The boat was 103 foot with 40 cannons and sunk on the Beaufort sandbar in 1718. In 2003, QAR Conservation Lab was formed in Greenville as they needed a bigger facility to work. Archaeologists work at the facility to uncover; preserve; clean; identify and catalog the artifacts. This is a very long process. Some of the artifacts took 9 years from when they started until it could be displayed at the museum. The artifacts are covered with concretion which is a mixture of shells, sand and debris that latch on. So they start with xrays to see what is inside. The artifacts need to soak in a tank to keep them wet. Then archaeologists have to use air scribes (it reminded me of a dentist drill) to remove the the concretion. The artifacts then need to soak to desalinate and this can take many years. Electronic reduction is used to help stop corrosion. Anodes get attached to artifacts to help the process. The warehouse has some parts of the hull structure; a 12 foot anchor that weighs over 2000 pounds; cannons; cannon balls; and much more. Some of the small artifacts were found in the sand. So far, 30 of the cannons have been recovered among the hundreds of thousands of artifacts. I had no idea how much was involved in getting items from the sea to the point they are ready for the museum. I have much respect for these archaeologists preserving history. I highly recommend taking a tour at QAR Conservation Lab as it is a unique experience.

    I highly recommend I toured this museum when bi was a little girl and hageva picture on the…read moreoriginal Queen Anne Pirate Ship. Greenville has alot of historical places and history no one knows about.

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    Queen Anne's Revenge Conservation Labratory
    Queen Anne's Revenge Conservation Labratory - The ship was about the size of this building in length and height

    The ship was about the size of this building in length and height

    Queen Anne's Revenge Conservation Labratory

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    North Carolina Maritime Museum - Coast guard life boat

    North Carolina Maritime Museum

    4.3(40 reviews)
    41.1 mi

    The North Carolina Maritime Museum has free admission. You need to find parking somewhere in town…read moreas there is not a parking lot for visitors. It was really busy on my last visit likely because people were seeking the air conditioning. My main focus was to see the additions from the conservation lab in Greenville to the Queen Anne's Revenge exhibit. I know how long of a process it is to recover and preserve the remnants. Beaufort's location on the coast has a lot of history, besides learning about the pirates, you can learn about the shipwrecks and life-saving stations, lighthouses and the Fresnel lens, the Rachel Carson Reserve, commercial fishing, whales, surfing and other recreational activities. The museum does a great job showcasing the town's history with the interactive displays. They even have a scavenger hunt sheet for the children. The library was closed to the public on my visit. If you are in Beaufort or nearby, the museum is worth a visit.

    A must visit when in Beaufort, super friendly staff and a wonderful place to learn about the area…read morefrom marine life to pirates. A scavenger hunt makes it interesting for the whole family, from kids to adults. Mr. Myers (front desk) was awesome and really made the visit fun & informative. The exhibits are well done, informative, and interesting for the whole family. Take some time to cool off, learn something, and enjoy some super clean restrooms. If all that is not enough to entice you, it is FREE !!!

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    North Carolina Maritime Museum
    North Carolina Maritime Museum - A pirate

    A pirate

    North Carolina Maritime Museum

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    Aurora Fossil Museum - museums - Updated May 2026

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