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    Cape Fear Museum

    3.8 (26 reviews)
    Open 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

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    John B.

    This museum devoted to the surrounding region. To non-locals, "Southeastern North Carolina" probably sounds kind of ridiculous; the only direction you're missing in there is west. But the region is distinctive culturally and ecologically and has an interesting history. The museum is a Smithsonian affiliate (there's more of these than you'd think), and there is an admission charge with a small discount for pretty much anything you'd expect a discount for. There are two floors and while it isn't giant, I spent more than an hour and rushed. The exhibitions are very interactive, and while this is kid-friendly, there are a lot of things an adult will get something out of. Topics covered include the colonial history of the era, the Civil War, environmental issues, and more. A video running ten minutes or so describes in somewhat nauseating fashion the history of Reconstruction-era Wilmington, including an armed white supremacist coup d'etat. Most visitors won't have my itinerary, but going from the conciliatory tone at Appomattox to here was jarring. Overall the exhibitions were detailed enough to be of interest. I didn't immediately kick myself for not visiting on prior trips to Wilmington, but on the lousy weather day I was here, I was satisfied with my decision to come and left with more questions to look into and a sense of nostalgia for the area.

    Never too old for guitar hero!
    DawnMarie H.

    Such a great gem of a museum! I thought the first floor was super, but when we got upstairs to the history of video games, and all of the interactive games, I was hooked! Will definitely come here again with the littles!

    Rebecca M.

    The Cape Fear Museum is located in Downtown Wilmington. It also offers free parking in its parking lot. The museum has reciprocity with other museums so your admission fee may be waived. Admission is reasonable if not. The Cape Fear Museum is both a history and science museum. They did a good job with showcasing the Cape Fear area's history. The water exhibit was very informative as well. The museum's exhibits are designed to appeal to all ages.

    Fun Fact I bet you didn't know!
    Breann E.

    During a rainy day while on vacation, I mentioned this place to my fiancé. I thought it would be a nice way to get through an overall dreary day. Parking is free but is quite a distance from any of the entrances, so we had to make a run for it. Entrances are located at Dock Street between 8th and 9th Streets and the other at the corner of 9th and Dock Streets. As quoted from the official website, the Cape Fear Museum of History and Science in Wilmington "collects, preserves, and interprets objects to the history, science, and cultures of the Lower Cape Fear." Just inside the entrance is a well-known and advertised replica display of a giant ground sloth, one of Wilmington's oldest residents. Just around the corner from this is the front counter, where guests are greeted and pay for admission. One really nice offering that I would like to mention is that EBT card recipients are admitted to the Museum free of charge, so financial hardship will not prevent you from enjoying this wonderful contribution to the local preservation of history and science. Admission is otherwise $8 for Adults; $7 for Seniors, college students, or military; $5 for youth ages 6-17; and free of charge for children ages 5 and under. Additionally, the first Sunday of every month is free for New Hanover County residents. Please take note that masks are also currently required during the entire duration of your stay, as of September 2021. The Museum provided hours of exploration with featured exhibits including MacMillan: Artist as Solider, H2O Today, Collection Selections: Filming Wilmington, Cape Fear Stories, Giant Ground Sloth, Space Place, Michael Jordan Discovery Gallery, Michael Jordan: Achieving Success, and the Williston Auditorium. We enjoyed letting ourselves be kids again by allowing the exhibits to captivate our inner child. It can also catch you off guard and make you feel incredibly old when you recognize some pieces on display in your very own childhood memories. It's hard to believe that children these days will not know the joy of finding the start of your favorite song on a cassette tape and waiting for the tape to rewind so that you can hear it again... Joy was brought forth by all the simple things in life back then. Explore the things you may recognize or even things you may have missed out on but your parents can still remember. Learn new tid-bits of science, space, and history. There's even display items that were found in the Piedmont Triad of all places... Come learn about World War II through the eyes of Cape Fear and experience the horror of the Wilmington Massacre of 1898. They say, "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." I say, if it's a rainy day, why not go educate yourself, explore, and allow your inner child to take over for a few hours. Immerse yourself in the exhibits that the Cape Fear Museum of History and Science has to offer. It'll be the best thing a few dollars can buy in the area and will even make that rainy day seem a little less dreary afterall.

    *cue Jurassic Park theme here* Behold...THE GIANT LAND SLOTH!!!
    Noelle H.

    This was more AND less than what I was expecting, but me and my little family enjoyed our experience. The historic information is sporadic in terms of theme, but interesting since a good portion is interactive (involves the pushing of a button, the opening of a drawer, the turning of a crank, etc). My kids loved the beaver exhibit (which you can climb in and through), there are all kinds of puzzles (which was really nice, since we actually had time to absorb some information while they were occupied), and a pretty frickin' cool GIANT SLOTH. There's also a gift-store. It's small, but the merchandise is affordable (a shocker, for most museums) and carries a little bit of everything: artsy handmade pottery, books, stuffed animals, pop guns, crystals, fossils, instruments, pinwheels, etc. If you have a young family (ages 3-9), this is a great museum to go to!

    Kids discovery exhibit.

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    14 years ago

    Small museum, nothing really exciting. We happened to go when there was a seashell show, which was an interesting activity.

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    Review Highlights - Cape Fear Museum

    The Michael Jordan discovery exhibit is a little dated but has lots of hands on exhibits for kids to touch.

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

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    Museum of the Bizarre - Mini Mirror Maze

    Museum of the Bizarre

    3.8(76 reviews)
    0.6 mi

    Photography by 3Spade7Star @3Spade7Star_photography…read moreJanuary 25, 2026 - Sunday One of the quirkiest & pleasant things to do in Wilmington, North Carolina is to visit the Museum of the Bizarre. It is like a smaller version of Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum with a few surprise twists. The staff was friendly and helpful in answering all my questions. Museum fee is $3. If you want to explore the mirror maze of labyrinths, the ticket for both events is $5 . I was told that the museum was from a private collector, who owned the museum and collected all the artifacts in it. Most of the exhibits are not to be photographed unless you see a sign by the exhibit saying you can photograph it. Each exhibit has a scan code you can scan and find a link to - providing you info about the exhibit. I got permission to photograph the link info of each exhibit before proceeding further into the museum. A surprise highlight is the live performance of the sword swallower in the museum. Very fun and reminiscent of a circus performance. The kids loved it, and I liked the optimism of the performer. At the end of the museum visit, we explored the mirror maze labyrinth - very trippy. They make you wear plastic gloves to prevent smears on the mirror. Inside is a gigantic Minotaur at the end of the maze. This is a place to explore the weird and wonderful in Wilmington, North Carolina.

    Unusual? Absolutely. And at $3 per person, it's a curious little detour that doesn't break the…read morebudget. We spent under an hour browsing their compact but densely packed collection of macabre, peculiar, and downright strange artifacts. Among the exhibits: letters penned by convicted serial killers, graphic crime scene photographs, purported human and animal remains, theatrical masks and vintage clothing, plus a lock of Alexander Hamilton's hair, Houdini's Ouija board, and a plaster cast of what's claimed to be a Bigfoot footprint. There were also a few movie props scattered throughout, adding a pop culture twist to the mix. Photography is off-limits except in clearly marked zones, so don't expect to document everything. We passed on the mirror maze this time around. Are all of this items authentic and real? Are they fabricated and fake? It hovers somewhere in that murky middle but it's compelling either way. And for the price, it's hard to argue. I'm not sure how much of this is appropriate for younger eyes, so parents should keep that in mind. [Review 1348 of 2025 - 4467 in North Carolina - 24900 overall]

    Photos
    Museum of the Bizarre - Added maze, an additional cost to the museum.

    Added maze, an additional cost to the museum.

    Museum of the Bizarre - Mirror maze

    Mirror maze

    Museum of the Bizarre - Museum of the Bizarre, Wilmington

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    Museum of the Bizarre, Wilmington

    Battleship North Carolina - Deck on USS North Carolina

    Battleship North Carolina

    4.7(267 reviews)
    0.9 mi

    I visited in the early 2000's, went back on 2026-04-11, and had a great time on the self-guided…read moretour (~2 hours). Be prepared for a lot of walking and climbing steps. Most areas are kind of confined, some more than others! The ladders can be a little challenging but just take it easier. I found it easiest to go down ladders (aka stairs) backwards, facing the steps. The signage could use improvement. Sometimes it was hard to know which way to go or how to exit. It's a little like a maze! More photos at https://postimg.cc/gallery/SqN0YdB

    This is my 2nd time on this amazing ship and I was just as amazed this time around as I was the…read morefirst time. Just to know that this boat was active once upon a time is amazing! The ship has been well maintained and preserved. The amount of how much of this ship history that has been preserved in simply astounding. From the sick recovery rooms, where surges were perform, the communications center, dining area, ship store, divers, laundry room, shower room, the ship is massive. Appreciating each and every person who served, appreciating those that have preserved this ship. The price was super affordable, staff were very friendly and informative. My son and I covered a great amount of the ship in two hours and u found rooms on the ship that I didn't see the first time around. Plenty of free parking and a nice gift shop as well.

    Photos
    Battleship North Carolina - On USS North Carolina

    On USS North Carolina

    Battleship North Carolina - On board Battleship North Carolina

    On board Battleship North Carolina

    Battleship North Carolina - Battleship North Carolina (2025)

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    Battleship North Carolina (2025)

    Wilmington Railroad Museum

    Wilmington Railroad Museum

    4.6(41 reviews)
    0.8 mi

    It's a very cool railroad museum. Located right in downtown Wilmington. They do have parking but…read moreonly a few spots. Cost is reasonable. Kids under 2 are free. They do add 3% to the price if you use a credit card. From what I can tell from their website, you can't purchase tickets in advance. Just have to purchase at the front desk. There are two parts, inside and outside. Outside has a train engine and a caboose. You can go inside both. These two don't take long to see. Inside has a lot more, including large running model train sets. Kids can interact with the train sets by pushing buttons to start trains, control bridges and other things on the set. There is also a play area where kids can put on different hats and vests, and play with train themed toys. The model train sets span two different rooms. There is also a museum section showing historic railroad items, including discussing the railroad history in the Cape Fear region. It's differently worth a visit. Kids will love it.

    We visited the Wilmington Railroad Museum recently, and we found it to be a nice place to visit,…read moreand to learn about the history of the railroad industry in the Wilmington area. Tip: The museum offers limited free parking, but there are only a few spots. The venue is located in downtown Wilmington. There are exhibits here to potentially interest people of all ages. There's also a pretty nice area where kids can play with toy trains. Even if you're not particularly interested in trains, there's some fascinating history to be learned here; it's totally worth a visit!

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    Wilmington Railroad Museum
    Wilmington Railroad Museum
    Wilmington Railroad Museum

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    Latimer House

    Latimer House

    4.1(9 reviews)
    0.5 mi

    After doing a "gaslighting" night tour which was interesting and informative we were instructed to…read moreexit by the front door. The long stairway was not well lit. I was not able to clearly see the last few steps and feel down them landing on my hands and knees. I suffered severe abrasions to my knees and hands. Beware if your tour is at night. The staff provided basic first aid. when I contacted the management they referred me to the board president. It took over a week for him to contact me back.

    The Latimer House is located in Downtown Wilmington. Guided tours run on the hour and if you arrive…read moreearlier you can sit in the courtyard. This was my favorite of the three houses. It shows how the upper class lived with opulence. The house is not handicap accessible as the it was built in the 1852. The house was built by Zebulon Latimer and has three stories with a basement although not all areas are on the tour. The house is symmetrical as there are the same number of windows on each side. Three generations of the Latimers lived in the house before it became a museum and where the Cape Fear Historical Society is based. The iron water fountain in the garden used to be in a park in the middle of the road. The house has 14 rooms around 600 original items such as furniture, dishes, sculptures in fantastic shape as they had never been taken out of the shipping containers. The family tree was unique on the wall. You can even see where the original carpet was worn away. The house has a Victorian style decor with the marble fireplace, velvet curtains, and the intricate chandeliers. The walls in the foyer are painted to look like wallpaper. I enjoyed seeing all the photos. My docent was knowledgeable and friendly. She provided the stories of who lived in the house with empathy as some of the stories are sad. I highly recommend taking a tour of the Latimer House.

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    Latimer House
    Latimer House
    Latimer House

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    Cape Fear Museum - museums - Updated May 2026

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