Cape Fear Museum prepares to open new downtown Wilmington location

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Cape Fear Museum is just days away from opening the doors to its new home in downtown Wilmington.

The new museum, located at 230 Grace Street, is more than twice the size of its former location and is designed to give visitors more ways to explore the history and science of the Cape Fear region.

The space features a full floor of interactive science exhibits, a new planetarium, and galleries focused on the history, science, and stories of the region.

“There’s something for everyone here. Moving here, we’ve more than doubled our size; we are able to be a resource for the community for research but also, you know, as a space to come and bring their families, learn about the area,” said museum director Kate Baillon.

Baillon says the additional space creates more opportunities for visitors of all ages, including a new area called Port City Play that is designed for younger guests.

“Takes the themes from all of the galleries and makes them accessible for the younger audience as well,” said Baillon.

The new location also includes more room for student groups and community programs, along with a changing gallery that will feature rotating exhibits.

Baillon said the larger space also allows the museum to offer a more immersive, hands-on learning experience.

“That’s the way people learn; that’s the way people engage is by doing, and so, by giving people a way to interact with the information, they learn, they hold onto it longer. We had been working towards that in the other location and did that with many of our temporary exhibits and introduced that into some of the updates we did in that facility, but we’re able to do so much more in this space,” said Baillon.

After years of planning and work, Baillon said the museum is ready to welcome the community into its new home.

“We are just so excited to be able to welcome the public in so they can see their new Cape Fear Museum. I hope that they learn something about themselves, something about our region, and that they want to come back and they want to bring more people,” said Baillon.

The Cape Fear Museum is scheduled to open to the public Tuesday, August 18.