Cape Fear Museum, Wilmington

4.7

History Museum · Museum

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Cape Fear Museum of History and Science is a museum located at 814 Market Street in downtown Wilmington in southeastern North Carolina. Founded in 1898, it is the oldest history museum in the state.
The Cape Fear Museum was founded in 1898 by the local chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy to preserve artifacts relating to the Civil War. Today, it is owned and operated by New Hanover County New Hanover, North Carolina. The Museum moved to its current location in 1970. The Museum's building is a combination of an historic structure—a 1930s Works Progress Administration armory—and a 1990s expansion.
The museum has a collection of more than fifty two thousand artifacts, the vast majority of which are in storage. The Museum currently collects artifacts relating to the history, science, and cultures of the Lower Cape Fear, defined as a 50-mile radius around the city of Wilmington. In addition to New Hanover, the adjacent counties are Brunswick and Pender. The extended region encompasses portions of Columbus, Bladen, Sampson, Duplin, and Onslow counties.

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Cape Fear Museum reviews

TripAdvisor traveler rating

236 reviews

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4.8

By Lisa B

We loved learning the history of Wilmington and surrounding areas. I had no idea that so much happened in this part of the country! The museum is clean, well organized, and had a lot of interactive.... more

We loved learning the history of Wilmington and surrounding areas. I had no idea that so much happened in this part of the country! The museum is clean, well organized, and had a lot of interactive.... more »
By 892christis

We had a rainy day on our beach trip and this museum was a perfect activity for the whole family. Our kids are 1, 3, and 4 and they had a great time. Lots of hands-on exhibits for them to explore. It.... more

We had a rainy day on our beach trip and this museum was a perfect activity for the whole family. Our kids are 1, 3, and 4 and they had a great time. Lots of hands-on exhibits for them to explore. It.... more »
By nashtonA1

I enjoyed this museum more than I thought I would. The diorama of the city was lots of fun and the section on the International Space Station was very informative and great info. The special fire...

I enjoyed this museum more than I thought I would. The diorama of the city was lots of fun and the section on the International Space Station was very informative and great info. The special fire... more »

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By James Nellis

My wife and I relocated to Wilmington several months ago and had the opportunity to go to the museum today. We had visited a few years ago and we very pleased to see the great renovations done. What a great way to learn more about our new hometown! I would encourage everyone young and old to visit this gem in town!

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By Deidra

Super cool museum. The workers are nice. We took our time and explored every exhibit. Around each and every corner something magnificent awaited us!

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By Chad Parker

It was fun and informative we had a blast. We spent hours there. If I had one piece of constructive criticism is too put more hand sanitizing stations at the exhibits where you touch things.

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By E. A.

Wow wow wow. We spent 3 hours at the Cape Fear Museum of History and Science and still feel like it wasn't enough, so we will go back again in a week. My kids (3 and 6) had so much fun exploring the hands-on exhibits, their favorite was the space room with different types of activities related to the solar system. I have never seen them being this excited before. Even my husband had a great time in the Space Place, usually he is not the type to enjoy museums. The outdoor activities were a huge hit, my kids didn't want to leave. I definitely recommend visiting this museum, especially if you have kids.

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By Daniel Hood (DHood90)

Never heard of this museum until we came on vacation and were looking for things to do. Was pleased with the format where it guides you naturally from the pre-Columbian history of the area to colonial times through Civil War up to today. Also liked the fire exhibit although I wish it was more focused on the actual local fire events than just about general fire facts.

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