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North Carolina Estuarium
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Tuesdays - Saturdays
10:30 am - 4:00 pm
*last entry at 3:30pm​
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Visit the world’s first Estuarium, one of North Carolina’s most innovative environmental centers.
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See more than 200 exhibits that describe our vital estuaries and coastal rivers, including:
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Aquariums with crabs and other estuarine life
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Fun and fascinating artworks
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Hands-on, interactive displays
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Artifacts from life on the Pamlico River
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Explorations of hurricanes and sea level rise
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Pamlico River boat tours
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Special programs on natural and cultural heritage.
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$5 Adults
$3 Children K-12
Free for children under 5 (unless with group)​​​​
River Roving
​The North Carolina Estuarium is proud to offer a 1.5 hour educational pontoon boat ride on the Tar-Pamlico River, which leaves right from our dock at our facility along the river.
There is no charge for the boat trip, but you MUST call in advance to reserve your spot.
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Tours may be booked up anywhere from two weeks to a month in advance, especially in the peak summer time. It is a very popular program that is run by a volunteer effort, which can only take 10 people at a time. SO PLEASE CALL EARLY!
Children must be 6 and older to tour.
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The River Roving tours are run on donations. Your donation keeps our boat program running as well as helps fund our environmental education mission!
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Reservations: (252) 948-0000
The 2024 Tours run April 3rd through November 2nd.
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Wednesday-Friday:
10 am and 12 pm
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Saturday: 10 am
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Each tour is an hour and a half! So for the 10 AM boat ride, it will get back around 11:30 AM and the 12 PM boat ride will get back around 1:30 PM.
DAY OF Instructions for River Rovers: Please meet at our green & blue picnic table that is located on our wrap around back porch, facing the Pamlico River, at 9:45 AM for the 10 AM boat ride or 11:45 AM for the 12 PM boat ride. There will be a bright yellow sign on our picnic table instructing you to wait there. Please do not wait by the boat at the dock. A staff member will come out to meet you at the picnic table to get you checked in at these times. Then we can let you into our facility to use the restroom before we get on the boat! It confuses our wonderful volunteers at the front desk when you walk in through the front door as they are not expecting you.
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Please do not hesitate to call us if you have questions regarding our world famous River Roving educational boat rides, we would love to have you!
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The Estuarium is located at:
223 E. Water St.,
Washington, NC 27889
ART OF THE ESTUARY!
We have a featured artist in our gallery space in our exhibit hall every season of the year,
so we will have four artists on exhibit a year.
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Our rotating gallery currently features the works of "The Tuesday Painter's Club"! This is a local group of women who have been painting together every Tuesday since 2013. It has a variety of paintings using different mediums, the theme being water & oceans! They will be featured in our gallery until Winter!
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Call us at (252) 948-0000, or stop by, to discuss displaying your own pieces at the Estuarium! You can also email our curator, Katie McCullough, at curator@partnershipforthesounds.net,
for more information on our
"Art of the Estuary" program.
Volunteer
Do you love water, nature, and giving back to the community? Then come volunteer with us! Our volunteers assist in our mission of showcasing the uniqueness of the estuary and educating our visitors on what they can do to help preserve this important ecosystem.
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Contact us at 252-948-0000 or click the button below to complete our volunteer inquiry.
BOOK YOUR NEXT EVENT
From weddings to parties to meetings, we have the beautiful space with gorgeous views to fit your needs.
Contact us at 252-948-0000 for rates and details.
SUPPORT LOCAL
People, plants, and animals all depend on our estuaries. Your generous gift helps us preserve the waterways that are a way of life in Eastern North Carolina. We are a small operation, so every little bit goes a long way.
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Thank you for your help!
