Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum

59200 Museum Dr, Hatteras, NC 27943, USA

Address:	59200 Museum Dr, Hatteras, NC 27943, USA
Phone:	+1 252-986-2995
Site:	graveyardoftheatlantic.com
Rating:	4
Working:	10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM Closed

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 12

olde leprechaun

Id wanted to visit Hatteras Light for many years and last week I finally got there. Also stopped by the Graveyard museum on the same trip. My wife and I really enjoyed it. I dont understand the complaints here about the lighting, since many museums keep lighting slightly subdued. We spent about three hours there viewing the exhibits. Id read reviews here before going, and frankly, I wasnt sure what to expect. I learned there was far more U-boat activity on the Carolina coast than Id realized, and Im a history buff. I was also curious about the comment here regarding an exhibit featuring items about RMS Titanic, which I think should be addressed. On the night of Titanics sinking when their "wireless" operators began sending messages, the first shore station to receive their message was Hatteras. The operator at Hatteras then sent a message to New York advising them of the disaster. An operator in New York replied and accused Hatteras of hoaxing, but a short time later Hatteras received a message from RMS Carpathia. Thats when the news was taken seriously. So actually yes, the Titanic display has a legitimate place in a museum in North Carolina. Oh, and the original light was on display as well. If youre willing to make the drive, the Graveyard Museum is an interesting place to spend two or three hours. They have a gift shop with quite a nice selection of books about the Outer Banks, a knowledgeable (volunteer) staff, and free admission. But no food, so pack a lunch. We plan on visiting again, since the displays and exhibits are improving as more items come light.

Michael Arnold

I visited the museum last week and have to agree with the experiences others had that, all in all, this was a pretty slack show. The Good News: While theres not much to see as in "shipwrecks" theres a whole lot of everything else, maritime wise. Very interesting & I stayed nearly an hour and a half. The Bad News (IMO): It was too dark. Good grief! I could hardly read some of the graphics, and there was so MUCH text. There was an old, musty smell as well. A lot of the signage was faded, torn or damaged and simply showing its age. IMO: This is an interesting building with lots of cool stuff & stories to tell. In a perfect world, Id gut it & upgrade the exhibits to 21st century standards. I think it might have the potential to be a destination of choice instead of simply being a place to hang out on a rainy day. (Maybe a shuttle over to the ferry staging area to entice more folks to come?) Finally: I tried to strike up a little conversation in the gift shop only to be met with someone who wasnt very approachable. Really a cool place, but too many negatives. I hope the right people see the value of this museum and will bring it up to speed.

Carl Gelderloos

Nice building with a lot of potential, but the displays are pretty static, focusing on text-heavy placards rather than artifacts, interesting visuals, or interaction. The museum, despite its name, lacks a unifying concept, choosing instead to feature snapshots of various topics - a shipwreck, some diving equipment, the history of recreational fishing in the Outer Banks - that vaguely have something to do with the area. It all feels provisionally and hastily assembled, and doesnt really reflect the areas rich maritime or social histories as well as it could. Unfortunately Id say its not worth going out of your way to visit.

Alby Va

I was expecting to see more stuff about the numerous ships that sank off the outer banks coast. Instead what I found was stuff about Lighthouses, the Civil War, U-Boats, and Scuba Gear. I did like seeing the upgraded 4 rotor enigma machine and details about the civil war, but in all honesty this museum is sub par. Lucky its free, cause Id be pissed if you had to pay for it. If you arent far from Hatteras, visiting it is a nice change from Tshirts shops and such. But if you are thinking of driving from points north of Avon, save your time and money. They should rename this museum to "The Outer Banks History Museum".

Myche Tician

A well built structure houses an inconsistent and chaotic group of b-list exhibits. I applaud this place as an attraction that is in its early stages of evolution, but it has a ways to go and needs a curator that will provide a consistent and meaningful array of interesting items that relate to each other and not merely a disparite group of novelties. The museum has yet to find its wow-factor. A collection of sixties era scuba Regulators, a bag of Doritos that washed ashore and various shipwreck items indistinguishable from yard sale junk isnt enough.

Jeff Rice

For a museum that boasts about its displays of shipwrecks of the coast of NC, I was extremely disappointed in their exhibit. The majority of the exhibits focused on the CSS Monitor. Other minor displays included retro diving equipment from US Divers, and DACOR. A small case or 2 talking about the Titanic (which is no where near the NC coast), commercial fishing equipment (rods/reels, fish finders, etc) and finally miscellaneous "stuff" that washed ashore. Its a total waste of time.

Brad Paradis

Pretty nice little museum. It has a lobby area , an education room and one main museum room. If youre in the area I would definitely suggest stopping I wouldnt travel 100 miles to see it or anything but its worth the stop. They do a little scavenger hunt sheet for kids to keep them occupied while youre reading the information. Its also free admission with the suggestion of the donation. Stop by and support the museum.

Jolynnae Robert

I was underwhelmed. The museum is free (donations encouraged) but even for free, I expected more. I thought maybe there would be information about pirate ships, ancient ships, ships sunk by storms and hurricanes. It is mostly about the USS Monitor from the Civil War and ships sunk by U-boats in WWII. There is a LOT of reading and very little hands-on demonstrations. I think most kids would be bored.

Josh Harrison

Admission is free, with donations suggested. Museum focuses mostly on Civil War and historical shipwrecks. However it does touch on a lot of maritime topics. Displays are text heavy but have Has small artifacts and videos that describe the retrieval and preservation of recovered materials. Takes only about 45-60 minutes to walk through all of the displays. Good for a rainy day on vacation.

A Private User

Despite being free there are actually a lot of great displays and interesting information. They have the original Hatteras lighthouse lens, a civil war display, a Titanic display, a pirate display, and much more. Definitely a place to check out whether you only want to spend a few minutes or over an hour!

Tom Dreyer

This is a great little museum to go to while in the area, free and doesnt take much time. It has a lot of interesting artifacts and stories that go with them and you are sure to learn something new. It is free so dont expect the greatest museum of all time but it is still well worth the stop.

Joseph Landis

I dont get where the comment about it being too dark came from. Lighting wasnt the issue. It had neat things, lots of potential. I actually found a good bit of gifts at the shop. You cant really expect to spend more than a half hour there, but its a good stop after coming over on the ferry.