About the Museum

The Museum of Coastal Carolina at Ocean Isle Beach is a natural history museum. Programs include educational programs for school groups, an outstanding monthly lecture series, and outdoor classroom activities on the island in fall, spring, and summer. The Museum is often the first stop for familes on their summer vacations. Summer programs include afternoon children & family programs for geocaching, ocean reef residents, surf & sand smarts and the firetruck, megabites, touch tank feeding & shell identification. Evening programs include Discovery after Dark and Snakes Alive.

The Museum has seven themed galleries including Changing Tides, Waterways, Green Swamp, Sea Shore, Ocean Reef, Barrier Island, and Coastal Plain. Each gallery has exhibits and hands-on activities that relate to its theme. The Museum is well known for its dioramas depicting coastal creatures and their habitats. The Ocean Reef Gallery, a walk-through exhibit complete with life-size models of turtles, sharks and sea creatures, represents the ocean several miles offshore. The Green Swamp diorama depicts fresh water wetland and forest and features dozens of species including alligators, bobcats, and foxes. All species of ducks and geese of the Carolinas are displayed in the Waterfowl diorama in the Coastal Plain Gallery. The Touch Tank contains live sea creatures that live along the coast, marsh, and tide pools. Live non-poisonous snakes and a bird aviary complete the live animal habitats.

The Museum also boasts a Native American collection with pottery, projectile points, dugout canoes, and reproductions of ancient tools. Of special interest are some underwater archaeological Civil War relics.

Ingram Planetarium has an 85 seat domed theater. The theater programs provide learning experiences for school groups and the general public about astronomy, energy, navigation, and space exploration. The Paul Dennis Science Hall exhibits and displays feature math and science activities to engage children and adults. Sky event programs, telescope viewing, and holiday laser music programs round out the Planetarium’s activities.

For educational and entertaining gifts and toys, visit Nature’s Treasures Gift Shop at the Museum or Galaxy Gifts at the Planetarium.

History

What kind of fish is that, mister?" a small boy asked. Thus began Stuart Ingram's vision to share his knowledge of nature and science through a museum. The Museum of Coastal Carolina opened on May 25, 1991. During World War II, a young Stuart Ingram navigated his plane by the stars. On summer nights in later years, he pointed out the constellations and planets to his family and friends. The night sky pointed the way to the dream of a planetarium. In May, 2002 Ingram Planetarium opened as a sister facility to the Museum of Coastal Carolina. With the first donation from his mother-in-law, the encouragement from a steering committee, the generosity of numerous friends, and the support of citizens and the business community in Brunswick County, Stuart Ingram's vision of the Museum of Coastal Carolina and Ingram Planetarium is a reality today.

Our Staff

Scott Kucera, Executive Director
Ocean Isle Museum Foundation, Inc.
Museum of Coastal Carolina
Ingram Planetarium
Email: scott@museumofcc.org
Phone: 579-1016

Mark Jankowski, Senior Planetarium Technician
Ingram Planetarium
Email: mark@ingramplanetarium
Phone: 575-0033

Elizabeth Campbell, Associate Director
Museum of Coastal Carolina
Email: elizabeth@museumofcc.org
Phone 579-1016

Allison Smith, Educational Services Coordinator
Museum of Coastal Carolina
Email: allison@museumofcc.org
Phone 579-1016

Deb Boyce, Membership Services
Museum of Coastal Carolina
Email: deb@museumofcc.org
Phone 579-1016

Lynn Wiedman, Gift Shops Manager
Nature's Treasures and Galaxy Gifts
Email: lynn@museumofcc.org
Phone 579-1016

Laura Frye, Volunteer Coordinator
Museum of Coastal Carolina and Ingram Planetarium

Email: laura@museumofcc.org
Phone 579-1016

910-579-1016
21 East Second Street
Ocean Isle Beach, NC 28467

For more information: info@museumofcc.org