Discover Summer: Beneath the Surface
August 7–August 13
From mountain rivers to coastal reefs, you’re never far from a body of water in North Carolina. This week we are learning about the peoples, places, and critters connected to North Carolina’s aquatic history. During this week of our Discover Summer Challenge, we’re sharing seven things you can do to dive beneath the surface of North Carolina’s coastal and aquatic history!
- MAKE A TIDE POOL
This is an easy activity from Buggyandbuddy.com where people of all ages can explore what happens in high and low tide. Reconstruct your favorite North Carolina beach or use your creativity to build something from your own imagination. This Tide Pool Science Experiment guide will walk you through building your own tide pool sensory box. Don’t forget to share your creations with us on social media using #DiscoverSummerNC.
2. GET A SEA TURTLE’S VIEW
The North Carolina Maritime Museum at Southport collaborated with the Bald Head Island Conservancy to make this remarkable video showing North Carolina beaches from a sea turtle hatchling’s perspective! North Carolina’s oceans are home to five of the seven types of sea turtles in the world. BHI Conservancy works hard to protect our shelled friends. In this video, you can learn about the life cycle of sea turtles and all of the simple steps you can take to help them.
3. SPEND SOME TIME ON OR NEAR THE WATER
From Lake Norman to Wrightsville Beach, there are so many places to sit back and enjoy the water. We suggest fishing at Jennette’s Pier, surfing in southeastern NC, or canoeing at Falls Lake State Park!
4. DISCOVER NC AQUARIUMS AND JENNETTE’S PIER
North Carolina’s ocean, estuaries, rivers, streams and other aquatic environments are home to diverse wildlife and helped create our state’s unique culture.
The North Carolina Aquariums in Kure Beach, Manteo and Pine Knoll Shores, and Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head give you and your family the chance to explore this unique environment by touching stingrays, watching river otters play or looking a shark in the eye.
Our aquariums are the perfect thing to do during a rainy day at the beach or when you need a break from the sun, and no visit to the Outer Banks is complete without visiting one (or all) of them.
These facilities are also dedicated to conservation and research, with special emphasis on threatened and endangered species in North Carolina. Learn more about these efforts and the special aquatic species.
5. LEARN NC SURFING HISTORY/GET READY FOR SURFALORUS
Recreational surfing and surf culture in North Carolina has been around for quite a while! Learn more in this Our State article tracing more than a century of surfing in North Carolina. The North Carolina Maritime Museum at Beaufort has also created an in-depth documentation of surfing in our state called Surfing NC: A Timeline of the History of the Sport of Surfing in North Carolina. After this deep dive, you’ll be ready for the Surfalorus Film Festival in September!
6. EXPLORE NORTH CAROLINA MARITIME MUSEUMS
North Carolina has a wealth of fascinating maritime history. If you are at or near the coast, see what you can discover at one of our state’s three maritime museums: Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, North Carolina Maritime Museum at Beaufort, and North Carolina Maritime Museum at Southport.
If you can’t make it to one of the museums, explore NC coastal history at home!
- Learn cool history facts about the Outer Banks and Graveyard of the Atlantic from the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum Did You Know? page.
- The museum comes to you with the NC Maritime Museum at Beaufort Museum at Home page! With virtual tours, kids activities and educational videos, this page has everything you need to turn your home into a museum.
- The NC Maritime Museum at Southport’s Maritime at Home page features videos with kid crafts, plus educational videos for both kids and adults.
7. AQUATIC ANIMAL ACTIVITIES FROM NC AQUARIUMS
The North Carolina Aquariums have an assortment of activities for kids to learn about aquatic animals at home.
- On the NC Aquarium at Roanoke Island Fun and Learning page, you’ll find downloadable coloring sheets, puzzles, instructions for how to draw animals, and a library of virtual titles to check out. (If you draw an otter, PLEASE show us on social with #DiscoverSummerNC …pretty please?)
- On the NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores Fun and Learning page, you’ll find a virtual library, plus information and activities updated monthly related to learning about and helping animals. Super fun!
- On the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher Fun and Learning page, you’ll find a virtual library, videos and printable activity sheets. Be sure to check out the alligator scrubbing video…those gators do love a good scrubbin’.
