Wonderful and educational experience! The treasures are real and unbelievable Dale Clifton is a very knowledgeable man. Ask him anything and he will enlighten you. Would go again cause although a smaller space it is full of items and I probably missed something! read more

Discoversea Shipwreck Museum - Brochure - Museums Near Me - Fenwick Island, Delaware

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Such a Gem! I'm amazed at the history and collection at the museum. Worth a visit, for young and old alike. They do not charge admission so please leave a donation if you enjoy your experience like we did. read more

Located on the 2nd floor of a gift/shell shop. Free. Some parking in front. Glass cases of many found items, from different shipwrecks. Just enough to keep my attention and interest (but not for everybody, so I sent part of our group ahead to check out the shop downstairs). read more

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This is a fantastic museum for kids and adults of all ages! This is the museum director's personal collection and was gathered by him through his dives to different shipwrecks. There is a very large collection of titanic shipwreck pieces and other notable shipwrecks. The pieces in his collection are stunning and extremely interesting! The museum is also free to everyone with recommended donations of $3 per adult. We will definitely be back again! read more

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What an amazing Surprise!!!!! ABSOLUTELY WELL WORTH SEEING. My daughter and I happened to find this beautiful museum. Ming China and gold. Thank you so much for showing us around and giving my little girl and I a memory we won't forget. Laura Jean Heizer and audryanna laurajeanheizer55@gmail.com read more

A little hard to find. It's in the upstairs of a sea shell shop. The shop is unique and big! The museum is upstairs and very cool. There are so many things to look at and displayed. Very neat and educational! read more

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If you like history and are interested in shipwrecks this cute little museum is for you! Unfortunately I had my small children w me and couldn't entirely listen to the owner of the museum but his stories seemed fascinating. Appears very knowledgeable and passionate about the topics. Very cool artifacts. Would like to go again when I can dedicate more time. It's on the second floor of a gift shop and is free. read more

Went to this museum in Fenwick Island in June 2019. Another one of those "not worth getting your kids and maybe even yourself out of the car for especially if it is BLAZING HOT. This is listed as one of the "best things to do in Fenwick Island, DE: and I guess they mean if you have a kid WAY into pirates or an adult child WAY into pirates. They also seemed annoyed we were there with little kids. read more

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Great museum full of artifacts from a variety of shipwrecks both local and faraway. Definitely worth the look. Absolutely wonderful assortment of things from the rms Republic. read more

I've been to many museums around the world and this one is excellent. It has a terrific amount of shipwreck artifacts on display. You would not expect this on the second floor of a shell shop. We were greeted at the door by a staffer offering to answer any questions that we might have. Certainly worth a visit. Did I mention that it is FREE? read more

Nice collection of shipwreck finds. A nice way to break in the day for a free activity. An opportunity to see and learn history.

Wow, what a unique and wonderful find. I had no idea such a privately owned, amazingly high quality museum was in Delaware. We found the museum listed in an article about 10 best things to do in Fenwick Island, which we read because we were in OCMD for vacation and had selected a Fenwick Island restaurant for dinner. We needed some place of interest to while away the afternoon. Dale W. Clifton, owner/proprietor and treasure finder of most of the shipwreck artifacts displayed here, was at the museum when my sister and I visited today. He gave generously of his time answering questions about the artifacts displayed, telling us that this museum contained only about 10% of the treasure and artifacts he has discovered over the years. This is a small museum located over top a shell and souvenir shop. You might miss it if you're in the shop--very nice in its own right-- so look sharp and don't fail to follow the signs to the museum. Highly recommended. read more

Absolutely amazing place to visit. It's a quaint little museum that it upstairs sitting on top of shell city. Dale is the most knowledgeable person I have ever met when it comes to metal detecting on land and water. Everything in this museum of his was found under the sea at different shipwreck sites he has found all up and down the East coast. There are shells, silver, fine China, gold, silver, coins, weapons, and all kinds of neat things he has found while discovering new shipwrecks. I could talk to that man for hours and he has stories to last for days. He told us stories of multiple shipwrecks he found, having to fight to keep the treasure, and the process of bringing the treasure to life after being under water for hundreds of years. Most of the items in the museum are any where from the 1600 to 1800s. It was so good to talk to someone who is so passionate about what he does and hear all of his stories. If you are in the area make sure to stop by and Dale will give you a run down of all his treasures and answer any and all questions you have. This has been favorite museum I have ever been too and he has items he has found in museums all over the world. read more

My family and I went in and it was really nice that the museum was free. They had a lot of fun artifacts, but the workers were rude to me and my Grandma. The woman in the museum was standing there with her eyes closed and you could tell she did not want to be at work today. L read more

My teenage sons and I really loved this museum. It's a little place on top of the shop - many might miss it. But it is truly a first class collection of shipwreck items. Very well displayed, incredible stories, lovely ambiance. We were all fascinated. I highly recommend a visit! read more

It rained. Despite our already having applied sunscreen. Did the weather not get our memo? But maybe God/fate/Buddha was having a little joke because we ended up (again) at the DiscoverSea museum, which is about the best not-very-known gem in the area. It's above a shop-o-tat (y'know; seashells for 50c each; painted hermit crabs you can buy in bags; cigarette lighters with "Light me up in Fenwick!" written on them) and, for my money, the two should switch places so the museum can take good advantage of the extra space. The museum is run by a chap who researches and then dives to retrieve objects from sunken ships. The items on display are fantastic -- everything from Titanic plates and bottles to ornate Chinese sculpted seashells, and *real* buried treasure from the 1600s to chamber pots from sunken immigrant ships. The best part? The whole museum is free. As in gratis. As in "nothing, thanks, we just have this kooky little display upstairs that you can enjoy at no cost. Honest." Our kids had a hoot looking at the gold coins, daggers, cannons, and models of ships. And the grown-ups also learned a lot, too. Apparently someone passed a law requiring that a Ripley's Believe It Or Not be constructed anywhere that a tourist may pass. (How else do you explain their presence in these places? It can't be because people like them.... Please, God, tell me that's not true.) Well, whoever did legislate that disastrous edict needs to visit DiscoverSea and see what a really interesting museum can be like, run on a small budget but with a clear passion and purpose by its Director. Bravo, sir! read more

This place was something to see while on Fenwick. Upstairs is an enormous amount of stuff you'll probably never need (besides the pressed penny machines) but downstairs was AMAZING! So much pirate stuff dug up from the ocean floor and the guy will tell you a pretty well-rehearsed series of stories about millions of dollars and stolen treasures. Look for the Penis Syringe! And find out what "two-bits" actually means! read more

Wow.....from the tackiest of tackiness in the retail shop; Sea Shell City, to an amazing high quality Shipwreck Museum with incredible artifacts and information. The staff up here (2nd floor) was extremely knowledgeable and very helpful. This is a must see for the curious. read more

Discoversea Shipwreck Museum - view from the parking lot - Museums Near Me - Fenwick Island, Delaware

awesome museum with a lot of great artifacts. Not attaching any photos to spoil the surprise.. you will just have to go and check it out for yourself!! you will not be disappointed!! read more

I make my living running the world's largest pirate store. I have been here twice n' it's the best shipwreck museum fer pirate loving souls like me. Dale shares his extensive knowledge of diving, shipwrecks n pirates quiet freely. If he is around, ask him some questions. He has some wonderful stories to share, arrrrgh! read more

This is seriously one of the coolest little museums you'll ever find. It's a little tricky to locate, as it's upstairs in a seashell store. There's free admission, but they do have a donation box where you can put in a few bucks. It has artifacts from shipwrecks around the mid-Atlantic coast. It had bottles of wine from a 1909 shipwreck, plates, syringes, coins...it was just really cool to see. It's not a large museum, but absolutely worth a stop. read more

Surprisingly well-done museum on top of a souvenir shop. Only a few minutes outside of Ocean City, it is a great way to learn about shipwrecks and history. Lots of artifacts, good information, and well-displayed. read more

This is truly worth the stop! A friend of mine that lives in the area says that the locals go here a lot. The museum shows about 10% of all the diving that Dale W. Clifton Jr. has done. Dale has been featured in tons of TV shows and magazines but he would never tell you that. There is things from approximately 10 - 15 ship wrecks. The museum is not gimmick and trying to get you to give money or buy things. Dale himself seems to be their a lot and for free will give you a tour of all the artifacts. Dale is amazing with my kids 5 and 7 and had them laughing and doing magic tricks. How could you not drop a few bucks in the jar. It's on the second floor of sea shell city and easily missed read more

Perfect spot to kill some time on a rainy day. The exhibit is upstairs and is free. $3 suggested donation for adults but completely voluntary. There is a lot of treasure to be seen. Gold, silver, gems, and all sorts of other things found on their adventures. No videos allowed inside the exhibit. Well worth the trip. read more

They ask for a $3 donation, we have $10 between us. This place is amazing! There are so many amazing artifacts and history to be seen in this place. You can tell that the man that runs this place has a true love for history and for preserving history. There are bottles of wine from a wreck that still have wine in them, items from the titanic, items from some local pirate wrecks, lots of great things to see. read more

Must see - I have probably been there 10 times and find it amazing each time. Incredible high quality museum in the most unlikely spot. Extremely informative and the owner Dale is the nicest person you can meet. He enjoys telling visitors his treasure hunting stories. read more

Since moving to the west coast we MISS going to Discoversea Shipwreck Museum at Fenwick Island, Delaware. The owner is a Super Friendly and Kind Man who relished getting kids and adults interested in history and treasure seeking as a wholesome activity. His displays are wonderful and informative. It is really exciting to go there and have him tell stories of his diving adventures on the Atocha and SS Central America as well as other interesting wrecks that are accessible only by diving. Salutes to him and his staff for stimulating and educational times at Sea Shell City. read more

Very well exhibited. Lots of artifacts to look at. Very interesting!

What a great place. We brought our 2 girls (ages 6 and 8) on a rainy day and what a pleasant surprise!! Real treasures found by Dale Clifton. Dale was there and talked of his dives and put a 10.5 feet gold necklace from 1622 on my daughter worth $800K. He couldn't have been more interesting or friendly. What a fantastic place to visit. Just a donation for a fun, interesting couple of hours looking at Titanic and other shipwreck treasures. Highly recommend to people of any age. read more