The Cape Fear Museum of History and Science will be temporarily closing later this month in preparation for opening its new facility in downtown Wilmington.

The museum’s Market Street location will close to the public beginning at 5 p.m. on Dec. 31 to allow staff to safely prepare and relocate more than 400 artifacts to be displayed at the new building at 230 Grace St.

“This process, including the move of items and installation of new exhibits, will take approximately seven months to complete, with an anticipated opening in July 2026,” according to a release. “Once open, this downtown block will be anchored by the Museum and Public Library, creating a cultural hub for residents and visitors.”

The new facility will accommodate permanent exhibitions, classrooms, an outdoor terrace, 60-seat planetarium, play spaces, hands-on exhibits and gallery, outdoor learning gallery, traveling exhibition gallery, and more.

The museum’s current home at 814 Market St. will function as a dedicated research facility, exhibition design and fabrication workshop, and collections and management complex once the new building opens.

“The museum team has spent years developing exhibition content to bring a modern, state-of-the-art cultural amenity to New Hanover County,” museum Director Kate Baillon said in a release. “Cape Fear Museum’s facility in the Grace District will offer a dynamic and immersive educational experience that celebrates our region’s history, science, and cultures. We look forward to welcoming visitors in summer 2026.”

The museum is open 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1-5 p.m. on Sunday. It will be closed Dec. 24-26 for the Christmas holiday.

A traveling exhibit on the Revolutionary War will be featured later this month in the Cape Fear Museum of History and Science in Wilmington.

On display from Dec. 11-29, “The American Revolution Experience” includes display panels and interactive digital kiosks that rely on “storytelling, illustration, technology and primary accounts to connect modern audiences with the people and places that shaped the birth of our nation,” organizers said.

“The traveling exhibit includes 12 panels highlighting thematic connections between profiled individuals and three interactive kiosks that connect to the full digital biographies, provide documentary context on the Revolutionary War and offer information on how to visit the places tied to these individuals today,” organizers continued.

The American Battlefield Trust, a land preservation and education organization, and the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution collaborated on the exhibit.

An opening reception is scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 11. Cricket Crigler with the Daughters of the American Revolution will speak about the project to develop the exhibit with the American Battlefield Trust. After the reception, guests are invited to view the panel exhibition. This is a free event and light refreshments will be served.

Cape Fear Museum of History and Science, a Smithsonian Affiliate, is located at 814 Market Street and is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors, students, and military with valid ID, and $5 for ages 6-17. There is no charge for free for children 5 and under and for museum members.

Cape Fear Museum of History and Science is joining this weekend in the worldwide celebration of lunar science and exploration.

International Observe the Moon Night is from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday at the museum in Wilmington.

Plans include hands-on activities, exhibit explorations, moon observation, themed story time and more at the event being held rain or shine and at no charge.

Museum Educator Jameson McDermott expressed in a statement that the museum staff is excited to host the free event.

“It’s an evening to welcome the community to the Museum and come together with fellow Moon enthusiasts to learn about lunar science, exploration and discovery,” McDermott said.

Attendees can view the moon and other celestial objects from the museum par using telescopes provided by Cape Fear Astronomical Society.

Activities include building and launching a stomp rocket, learning about the supermoon expected on Wednesday and creating a supermoon superhero, coloring a space helmet and interactive stories.

Visitors can also check out the interactive Space Place exhibit, and learn more about the video game industry at the traveling Game Changers exhibit.

A scale model of the Hubble Space Telescope and its contributions to the exploration of planets, stars, galaxies and the universe make up a hands-on experience on display through June 23 at Cape Fear Museum of History and Science in Wilmington.

“Hubble Space Telescope: New Views of the Universe” is a traveling exhibit through National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA. Hubble, a space-based observatory launched and deployed by the space shuttle Discovery in 1990, orbits 326 miles above the Earth, according to NASA.

The exhibit features the telescope’s various instruments and the role that each one plays in providing new images and discoveries, and showcases Hubble’s images and data of planets, galaxies, regions around black holes, and many other fascinating cosmic entities.

Visitors also get a glimpse of the various hurdles Hubble faced in its career and discover the role that astronauts played in repairing and servicing the observatory, and be introduced to the James Webb Space Telescope launched Dec. 25, 2021.

Cape Fear Museum at 814 Market St. is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Standard admission prices are $8 for adults; $7 for seniors, students and military with valid ID; $5 for children 6-17; and free for children 5 and under and for museum members.

The Cape Fear Museum of History and Science’s newest traveling exhibition, “Dinosaurs Take Flight: The Art of the Archaeopteryx,” combines original artwork with fossils, replica skeletons, hands-on activities, and interactive media to tell the story of the evolution of flight.

There are more than 50 pieces of original artwork, murals, sculptures, research grade replicas of Archaeopteryx, a collection of real fossils representing German flora and fauna, video interviews, interactive components and more making up the exhibit on display until May 14, 2023.

A single fossil feather of a Archaeopteryx, pronounced ahr-kee-OP-tuh-riks, was unearthed in 1861 in a dusty limestone quarry in southern Germany. That find would be among the first to reveal birds’ origins as the descendants of dinosaurs. In the time since, the Archaeopteryx has been an integral part of the discussion of evolution, the origin of birds, and the origin of flight and provides a critical bridge between dinosaurs and birds, according to the museum.

“We are excited to open this new exhibition to the public,” museum director Wayne LaBar said in a statement. “Dinosaurs Take Flight excites the sense of wonder we all have about the natural world, and explores the evidence showing that the birds we live amongst are direct descendants of dinosaurs.”

Dinosaurs Take Flight is a traveling exhibition organized by Silver Plume Exhibitions and the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History.

The museum is a Smithsonian affiliate, located at 814 Market St., Wilmington. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday.

Standard admission prices are $8 for adults; $7 for seniors, students, and military with valid ID; $5 for children 6-17; and free for 5 and under and museum members.

New Hanover County residents’ free day is the first Sunday of each month. Cape Fear Museum is a partner of Museums for All and offers free admission to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefit recipients when they present an electronic benefits transfer, or EBT, card.

A collection of marked jars that show the names of victims of the massacre and coup that took place Nov. 10, 1898, in Wilmington will be on display until Nov. 20 at the Cape Fear Museum of History and Science.

The jars were filled Nov. 6, 2021, during a ceremony in the 1898 Memorial Park and are housed in a wooden display case created by Kids Making It, a Wilmington nonprofit organization.

The jars were supplied by the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama, where a duplicate set of jars are displayed in their Legacy Museum.

There will be a free panel presentation 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, in the Williston Auditorium at the museum where the public can learn about the New Hanover County Community Remembrance Project, the organization presenting the exhibit.

The New Hanover County Community Remembrance Project was established to memorialize victims of the massacre that occurred in Wilmington in 1898. The project is a coalition of individuals and organizations, including the New Hanover County NAACP, LINC Inc., Third Person Project, Cape Fear Collective, Coming To The Table, Sokoto House, and the Restorative Justice Collaborative at University of North Carolina Wilmington.

“Our work is to provide truth about what led to the massacre and the damage done to the Black community as a result. We will work toward future reconciliation,” the group states on its Facebook page.

More information about the Equal Justice Initiative is available at https://museumandmemorial.eji.org/museum and the New Hanover County Community Remembrance Project has a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/nhccrp/.

Cape Fear Museum of History and Science is hosting a rain-or-shine event for International Observe the Moon Night Saturday.

The event from 6 to 8 p.m. is part of a worldwide celebration of lunar science and exploration that occurs in early fall when the moon is in its first quarter.

The museum at 814 Market St. in Wilmington is hosting hands-on activities, exhibit explorations, moon observation and a themed story time. Participants can also explore Space Place, an interactive exhibit inspired by and modeled after the International Space Station.

Learn more at capefearmuseum.com.

As part of Smithsonian magazine’s 17^th annual Museum Day Saturday, Cape Fear Museum of History and Science in Wilmington will welcome visitors with Museum Day tickets free of charge.

A national celebration of “boundless curiosity,” museums joining in Museum Day open their doors for free, like the Smithsonian Institution’s Washington D.C.-based museums. Download Museum Day tickets at bit.ly/CFMMuseumDay2021. This year’s event is sponsored by The Quaker Oats Co.

Museum Day “acts as a springboard to empower and help advance the hopes and ambitions of the public, particularly school-aged children and those in underrepresented communities. It represents a national commitment to access, equity and inclusion,” according to the museum.

“Museum Day is a great way for us to reach out to our community, encourage people to explore the Museum and engage with visitors that might not normally visit,” said Museum Director Wayne LaBar in a statement.

With many public spaces being shut down for a year or more, Museum Day 2021 celebrates the reopening of museums after long closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year’s theme, Experience America, represents the return to, and resurgence of, our country’s diverse cultural experiences, in the safest possible way.

While tickets will be free of charge, participating museums will have safety precautions in place for this year’s event so guests can safely and comfortably enjoy their experience.

Cape Fear Museum’s current exhibitions include the following:

• Cape Fear Stories: an overview of the region’s history, cultures and related science from prehistory through the end of the 20th century (ongoing).
• Space Place: a space-themed, interactive learning center exploring STEM concepts (ongoing).
• Michael Jordan Discovery Gallery: Explore the ecosystems of the Cape Fear region (ongoing).
• H2O Today: Explore the beauty and essential nature of water, our planet’s lifeblood, which was organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and on view through Aug. 28, 2022.
• Sun, Earth, Universe: an interactive museum exhibition about Earth and space science for family audiences, created by NISE Network and on view through Oct. 24.

Visitors who present a Museum Day ticket will gain free entrance for two Saturday at Cape Fear Museum. One ticket is permitted per email address.

A list of participating museums, which will be continually updated as more museums continue to register, can be found at Smithsonianmag.com/MuseumDay.

An interactive museum exhibition about Earth and space science is opening up at Cape Fear Museum of History and Science in Wilmington.

The “Sun, Earth, Universe” exhibition was created in collaboration with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

The exhibition is about planet Earth, the solar system and the universe and the big questions NASA is trying to answer about each and will be on display at Cape Fear Museum through Oct. 24 as part of a nationwide effort designed to engage audiences in the fields of Earth and space science.

Packed with hands-on interactive exhibits and imagery, officials said the exhibition will connect visitors with current NASA science research and launch them on a journey to explore the universe.

“We are excited to host this bilingual science exhibition at the Museum,” stated science content developer, Dr. Darcie Roten in a statement. “The fun interactive nature of the exhibit invites visitors to use creativity and problem-solving skills to understand more about the process of exploring Earth and space.”

The “Sun, Earth, Universe” exhibit includes the following interactive activities:

• Follow the design-build-test cycle of engineering and build a model spacecraft for a mission to space.
• Spin a tumbler of 10,000 beads, representing all the stars seen from Earth to search for the unique one that represents the sun.
• Reveal hidden images using the same tools NASA scientists employ to explore the otherwise invisible forces and energy of the universe.
• Take a break in the seating area and play the Your Mission to Space board game.
• Assist younger visitors pilot rovers across the Mars landscape play table.

These activities share NASA research in the fields of heliophysics, planetary science, and astrophysics and encourage discovery of what the future of Earth and space science might hold.

The exhibition was developed by a team led by the Science Museum of Minnesota, and 52 copies will be fabricated and distributed nationwide by the National Informal STEM Education Network.

The National Informal STEM Education Network is a national community of informal educators and scientists dedicated to fostering public awareness, engagement, and understanding of current science, technology, engineering, and math.

WILMINGTON — A temporary panel exhibit about the travel experience of African Americans during the legal racial segregation era will be on display in Cape Fear Museum of History and Science starting Friday through Aug. 29.

“Navigating Jim Crow: The Green Book and Oasis Spaces in North Carolina” traveling exhibit was created by the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission, a division of the state Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

The exhibit explores sites from “The Negro Motorist Green Book,” published between 1936 and 1966. The travel guide included more than 300 businesses in the state from restaurants and hotels to tourist homes, nightclubs and beauty salons, in the three decades that it was published. More than 50 of the sites were in Wilmington.

The exhibit highlights a statewide network of business owners and sites that allowed African American communities to thrive, and that created “oasis spaces” for a variety of African American travelers, according to the museum.

The eight vibrant panels form the traveling display feature images of business owners, travelers, and historic and present-day images of Green Book sites in the state. The words of African American travelers and descendants of Green Book site owners are featured prominently in the exhibit. Each of the stories are from oral histories the African American Heritage Commission collected in 2018 and 2019.

Two identical versions of the exhibit are touring the state’s African American cultural centers, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, history museums, historic sites and libraries.

The next stop on the coast for the traveling exhibit is the Museum of the Albemarle. The panels will be on display Sept. 6-Oct. 29 at the Elizabeth City museum. For more tour dates across the state, visit https://aahc.nc.gov/green-book-project.

Also on the website there is an online exhibit that explores North Carolina’s Green Book Project, as well as details on the Green Book Project, listings, a project map and more educational resources.

The exhibit was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Cape Fear Museum of History and Science is featuring a new exhibit looking at women’s history in the United States.

Organized by the National Archives, the exhibit, “One Half of the People: Advancing Equality for Women,” will be on view through May 25 in the Wilmington museum. The exhibit opened Friday.

“One Half of the People helps us explore how women and their allies worked to secure more equal access to legal and citizenship rights, as well as employment opportunities,” Museum Historian Jan Davidson said in a release. “We are delighted to be able to bring this story of an important part of our country’s history to the community.”

Women’s roles were rigidly defined and women were generally excluded from political and, in many ways, public life at the founding of our country. Enslaved women were excluded entirely. Considered under the protection and authority of their husbands long into the 19^th century, most women could not vote, own property, make contracts, go to court, or control any money they earned, according to the museum.

“From the decades-long campaign for voting rights to expanding social and economic equality through legislation, and being recognized as citizens, One Half of the People explores how those before us obtained the rights and privileges of citizenship promised to women today, the museum said.

The museum provided the following information about the exhibit, which is divided into three sections:

• Securing the Vote: Suffragists celebrated a constitutional victory when the 19^th Amendment was ratified on Aug. 18, 1920. The 19^th Amendment changed the electorate, sending more people to the polls than ever before. However, it was one milestone in a long road to full voting rights for all women. Millions of women remained unable to vote for reasons other than their gender.
• Beyond the Vote: Once women had the right to vote they were citizens. Or were they? After the 19^th Amendment was ratified in 1920, women continued to demand equal rights guaranteed by the Constitution. First proposing an Equal Rights Amendment, or ERA, in 1923, Congress proposed it every session until it was passed in 1972. Although the ERA ultimately failed to achieve ratification in 1982, legal victories in the areas of finance, education, and employment gave women greater social and economic equality.
• Redefining Roles: Explore the stories of 11 women who pushed the limits of what was expected and accepted of them, including Sarah Emma Edmonds Seelye, Harriet Tubman, Annie Oakley, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Marie Louise Bottineau Baldwin, Willa Brown, Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks, Shirley Chisholm, Sandra Day O’Connor and Ellen Ochoa.

One Half of the People: Advancing Equality for Women was created by the National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C., and is traveled by the National Archives Traveling Exhibits Service, or NATES. It is presented in part by Unilever, Pivotal Ventures, Carl M. Freeman Foundation in honor of Virginia Allen Freeman, AARP, and the National Archives Foundation. Additional support provided by AT&T, Facebook, and FedEx. For more information on this exhibit and companion projects at the National Archives, visit: www.archives.gov/women.

WILMINGTON — In celebration of Women’s History Month, Cape Fear Museum of History and Science and Smithsonian Affiliations will present a monthlong Women’s History Virtual Scholar Talk Series.

Five talks are scheduled for each Wednesday evening during March. There is no cost to participate in the virtual scholar talks but attendees must register online.

“We are excited to partner with Smithsonian Affiliations on this important history series,” Museum Historian Jan Davidson said in a release. “In addition to these scholar talks, the Museum will also be featuring stories and artifacts from local women and their contributions to the Lower Cape Fear on our social media channels.”

The following are the topics for each week of the series:

• African American Activism in Historical Perspective — 7 p.m. Wednesday. This talk highlights objects related to African American women’s history in the Smithsonian collections as well as focuses on African American women’s activism and contributions from an historical perspective. Each speaker will explore an aspect of African American women’s activism through an extended discussion of one or two objects.
• Lena Richard and Julia Child – Two Women Who Changed Culinary History — 7 p.m. March 10. Through their cookbooks, teaching and television programs, these women inspired generations of people to take cooking seriously. They challenged perceptions and stereotypes of women in their respective eras and made lasting contributions to culinary history. Their stories, reflective of their very different backgrounds, reveal insights about women, race, food and culture in 20^th-century America.
• Women in Aerospace – Stories from the Smithsonian Collection — 5 p.m. March 17. Margaret Weitekamp has researched and written about the groundswell of support that helped create a Lego set representing women’s contributions to aerospace. Join the museum for a discussion of how women have worked from the very beginning of aviation to innovate, and how museums have documented their stories.
• Ancient Worlds Contemporary Selves – Smithsonian Scholars Explore Intersectionality — 7 p.m. March 24. Scholars from the National Museum of the American Indian, Asian Pacific American Center and Smithsonian American Art Museum will explore how artists integrate the ancient world within their contemporary artistic practice.
• Women Artists Respond to Place  — 5 p.m. March 31.  The significance of landscapes, places and narratives of all kinds will be examined through the works of contemporary women artists in Smithsonian collections.

All talks support the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative, designed to create, disseminate, and amplify the historical record of the accomplishments of American women. Cape Fear Museum of History and Science is a proud Smithsonian Affiliate.

WILMINGTON — A traveling Smithsonian exhibit now at the Cape Fear Museum of History and Science examines the diversity of challenges associated with global water sources.

The exhibit, “H20 Today,” investigates the effects of climate change, population growth and pollution on the water cycle and weather patterns and how people around the world are dealing with the challenges of water shortages and pollution. The exhibit will be on display here until Aug. 28, 2022.

“As a community surrounded by water, we understand the importance of protecting our rivers and ocean,” science content developer Darcie Cook said in a statement. “We are excited for the opening of H20 Today and invite visitors to explore the beauty and essential nature of water, our planet’s lifeblood.”

Cape Fear Museum has developed area-specific content that addresses where New Hanover County’s water comes from and threats to the Cape Fear River. Visitors will have an opportunity to reflect on the water story, make it “rain” while exploring the water cycle, and use leg or hand power to water a vegetable garden.

The Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, or SITES organized the exhibit, a part of the Smithsonian’s Think Water Initiative to raise awareness of water as a critical resource for life through exhibitions, educational resources and public programs. The public can participate in the conversation on social media at #ThinkWater.

“H20 Today” was adapted from an exhibition organized by the American Museum of Natural History in New York City and the Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul in collaboration with Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland; The Field Museum in Chicago; Instituto Sangari in Sao Paulo; National Museum of Australia in Canberra; Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada; San Diego Natural History Museum; and Science Centre Singapore with PUB Singapore.

SITES has been sharing Smithsonian collections and research programs with millions of people outside Washington, D.C., for 65 years. For exhibition description and tour schedules, visit sites.si.edu.

Cape Fear Museum of History and Science and the Battleship North Carolina in Wilmington are featuring exhibits that look at the impact of World War II on the city, named on Sept. 2 the first World War II Heritage City in the country.

Cape Fear Museum is hosting an exhibition from the National World War II Museum, “Fighting for the Right to Fight: African American Experiences in World War II.” The exhibit features artifacts, photographs and oral histories highlighting achievements and challenges of African Americans during World War II.

There will be a virtual scholar talk at noon Nov. 4 with Krewasky A. Salter. He will share history, insights and thoughts on the African American military experience. Salter, a retired Army colonel, is currently serving as executive director of the First Division Museum. Salter has over seven years of academic teaching experience and was the military subject matter expert at the Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of African American History and Culture. Join the conversation via Zoom.

The Battleship North Carolina, a National Historic Landmark moored across the river from downtown Wilmington, is an authentically restored World War II battleship. During the war, 2,000 men called the USS North Carolina home, including African American steward’s mates and messmen.

“We are fortunate to have two museums in downtown Wilmington that highlight the rich history of the area,” said Cape Fear Museum director Sheryl Mays. “We encourage everyone to visit and take time to explore and understand the region’s contributions to the war effort.

A new online resource allows the public to explore the context and history of the 1898 massacre and coup that took place in Wilmington.

A collaborative effort of the New Hanover County’s Cape Fear Museum of History and Science, Public Library and Information Technology Department, the resource features a detailed map of events and important landmarks of the time as well as a timeline that starts with emancipation and ends when the first Black city council member since the coup was appointed in 1972, the county announced Monday.

The new online tool may be accessed at bit.ly/NHC1898MapTimeline.

The resource was written and created by Jan Davidson, historian at Cape Fear Museum, and evolved out of a project to digitize three late 19^th century and early 20^th century city directories, which were transcribed, mapped and made searchable to provide a way to view the city’s population at the time.

It was designed as part of the museum’s continuing efforts to provide inclusive information that addresses African American experiences in the Lower Cape Fear, according to the museum.

“This resource is an accessible and engaging way to explore the history of Wilmington’s white supremacist massacre and coup d’etat. We’re happy to provide it to people at this time, when the subject matter is so relevant, and people cannot visit the Museum in person or see our exhibition on the topic,” Davidson said in a statement. “We can all learn important lessons from the history of 1898 about the role of democracy in our society, and about the deep, longstanding, and violent effects that racism can have on a community.”

In addition to the map and timeline, the New Hanover County Public Library digitized three Wilmington city directories that provide information about the people and businesses in the city in 1897, 1900 and 1902, accessible at bit.ly/NHCLibWilmDirect.

New Hanover County’s IT Department also created a set of demographic maps that show where the African American population of Wilmington was concentrated in the late 1890s and early 1900s, accessible at bit.ly/NHCLibDemoMaps.

These tools are all resources to help people better understand Black history and an important moment in the region and state’s history.

The Cape Fear Museum of History and Science is looking for objects, photographs and documents that illustrate the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the lives of people in the Lower Cape Fear.

“The current coronavirus pandemic is an important event in history and residents are encouraged to save items that tell the COVID-19 story and would be a good contribution to the museum’s collection. Cape Fear Museum will preserve artifacts so that future generations will be able to learn about what is happening today,” according to the release.

All items must have a connection to the Lower Cape Fear, which is defined as a 50-mile radius around Wilmington, and may include life during stay-at-home orders, including working and schooling from home; closures of businesses, schools, restaurants and institutions; frontline workers, including medical personnel, grocery store employees and delivery drivers;social distancing and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for being in public; and  any other aspects of life during the pandemic.

To donate an item for potential inclusion in the museum’s collection, the following information is required:

• What is the item?
• Who used or made the item?
• Where was the item used or made?
• How does this item relate to the pandemic?
• Is there a photograph of the item being used or made?

To make a donation, ask questions or receive additional information, contact curator Heather Yenco at hyenco@nhcgov.com or 910-798-4359, who will compile the collection.

There is no deadline for donations as many items may not be available now. The museum is temporarily closed and will resume physical collections operations upon reopening. More information may also be found at www.capefearmuseum.com.

WILMINGTON — Discover, explore and learn more about fossils and geologic history during the North Carolina Fossil Fair 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 2 at Cape Fear Museum of History and Science.

Organized by the North Carolina Fossil Club, the fair each year brings together fossil enthusiasts to share with the public their passion and knowledge of paleontology. Club members will exhibit fossils from personal collections found in North Carolina and beyond.

Fossil Fair is included with museum admission, which can be purchased online or at the door the day of Fossil Fair. Admission is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors, college students and military, $5 for ages 6 to 17 and free for under 5 years old.

Activities include the following:

• Fossil identification by Smithsonian paleontologists, Dave Bohaska and Bob Purdy.
• Speak with experts about fossil displays and how to start a fossil collection.
• Fossils on display include giant shark teeth, whale bone, sea urchins, shells and more.
• Search for fossils and find small treasures.
• Hourly Megalodon tooth raffle.
• Interact with Cape Fear Museum’s Science Cycle and measure dinosaurs.
• Make a fossil ornament out of clay to take home.
• Hands-on paleo with Appalachian State University.

Cape Fear Museum’s newest exhibit, Dinosaur Discovery, explores the world of modern paleontology and the discoveries that reveal how dinosaurs lived, moved and behaved. The interactive activities in the exhibit include a scavenger hunt, dinosaur puzzles, books and toys, paleontologist dress up area and more. The exhibit was developed by the Virginia Museum of Natural History.

The North Carolina Fossil Club, a nonprofit corporation founded in 1977 and based in Raleigh, was formed to engage in and support the study, enjoyment and collection of fossils.

Cape Fear Museum of History and Science, a Smithsonian Affiliate, is at 814 Market St.  New Hanover County are admitted free the first Sunday of each month. Learn more on the museum website.

WILMINGTON — Cape Fear Museum of History and Science has been designated as a Smithsonian Affiliate.

Smithsonian Affiliations is a national outreach program created to make Smithsonian collections and resources available as well as connect other affiliates. Cape Fear Museum joins the more than 200 affiliated organizations in the nation, seven of which are in the state of North Carolina.

The museum and New Hanover County commemorated the designation with a ceremony Monday during the board of commissioners meeting.

“We are excited and honored to begin this new Affiliate relationship,” said  Sheryl Kingery Mays, the museum director, in the press release. “We look forward to partnering with Smithsonian Affiliations to expand and strengthen our ongoing education and exhibition programs and gain greater access to Smithsonian’s resources and artifacts so we may better serve county residents, especially those living in our surrounding neighborhoods.”

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and 1-4 p.m. Sunday, the museum will celebrate with refreshments and introduce residents to the perks of Smithsonian national membership. Membership through Smithsonian Affiliations allows members of Cape Fear Museum to also become members of the Smithsonian for a $125 annual sponsorship.

The museum also will screen a Smithsonian Channel film, “Earth From Outer Space” at 11 a.m. Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Weekend events and Museum admission are free until further notice.

“The Cape Fear Museum truly is the ideal partner for Smithsonian Affiliations,” Myriam Springuel, director of Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and Smithsonian Affiliations, said in a statement. “The museum is a cornerstone of the Lower Cape Fear creating exceptional exhibits and programs. The Museum has hosted a number of Smithsonian traveling exhibitions in the past, and we are happy to expand our relationship. Its resilient spirit and service to the community is an inspiration.”

Established in 1996, Smithsonian Affiliations is designed to facilitate a two-way relationship among Smithsonian Affiliates and the Smithsonian to increase discovery and inspire lifelong learning in communities across America.