Museums and Exhibits | NC State Parks

Exhibits in the Visitor Center at Gorges State Park

Museums and Exhibits

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Most state parks have museums or exhibits in their visitor centers, and some have classrooms and discovery centers with hands-on exhibits.

Ranger-led events, self-guided events, and exhibits engage people in hands-on experiences that promote appreciation and understanding of our state's great cultural and natural resources. Check the Events Calendar to learn more.

Parks with museums or exhibit halls are listed below:

Carolina Beach State Park

Located in New Hanover County, 10 miles south of Wilmington, Carolina Beach State Park offers a marina, campgrounds for tents, trailers, RVs and groups, camper cabins and picnic area. There are nine trails offering 9 miles of hiking and 1 mile of biking, as well as two wheelchair-accessible trails. Don't miss Sugarloaf Dune, a navigational marker since 1663 that offers a great view of the Cape Fear River, and the rare Venus flytrap, one of the most unique species of carnivorous plants.

1010 State Park Road, Carolina Beach, NC 28428 (Directions)
Phone: 910-458-8206

Crowders Mountain State Park

Companion peaks at Crowders Mountain State Park—The Pinnacle and Crowders Mountain—offer challenging hikes, towering cliffs and 25-mile views of the surrounding piedmont.

Dismal Swamp State Park

Dismal Swamp State Park allows a unique wilderness experience in a landscape that has been witness to American Indian hunting parties, exploration by George Washington and the story of the Undergro

Fort Fisher State Recreation Area

Alternate between nearly six miles of pristine beach and trails through salt marsh brimming with wildlife at Fort Fisher State Recreation Area, a park touching both the Atlantic Ocean and the Cape

Fort Macon State Park

Fort Macon State Park has multiple personalities as the site of a perfectly restored Civil War-era fort, a museum-quality coastal education center and an unspoiled shoreline for swimming, surf fish

Goose Creek State Park

The eight miles of trails at Goose Creek State Park lead visitors through a broad range of coastal experiences—live oaks draped in Spanish moss, wetlands along the Pamlico Sound and a cypress swamp

Gorges State Park

Gorges State Park is set in the midst of plunging waterfalls, rugged river gorges, sheer rock walls and a high concentration of rare species, and exploration of this unique environment often begins

Hanging Rock State Park

Since its creation as a 1930s Civilian Conservation Corps project, Hanging Rock State Park has offered the best of a traditional outdoor experience with 73-site campground, picnic grounds, stocked

Jockey's Ridge State Park

The tallest living sand dune on the Atlantic coast is a premier location for kites, sightseeing and sunsets, with a view arcing from the ocean to Roanoke Sound.

Jones Lake State Park

Jones Lake State Park has long been a community destination for lazy picnics under the shade of tall pines and swimming in the lake’s shallow, warm waters.