Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum
Post Office Box 191
Hatteras, NC 27943-0191
P: (252) 986-2995
F: (252) 986-1212
MUSEUM HOURS
Monday – Saturday
10 am – 4 pm
(10 am to 5 pm
April through October)
Free Admission to the Public
Donations Appreciated
Visit the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum
Historic Travel Sites
About the Graveyard of the Atlantic
The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum is a public, non-profit, educational institution. The Museum is dedicated to the preservation, advancement and presentation of the maritime history and shipwrecks of the North Carolina Outer Banks from the earliest periods of exploration and/or colonization to the present day, with particular emphasis in the periods from 1524 to 1945. The Museum preserves, researches, exhibits and interprets its collections for the benefit of the general public and specialized audiences.
The Museum serves its diverse audiences in order to inspire appreciation, encourage discovery, and promote and an active, responsible understanding of the maritime heritage of the Outer Banks itself and in relation to that of the United States and the broader history of seafaring.
The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum is located in Hatteras Village, the southern most community on Hatteras Island. Access to the Museum is from Highway 12 near the NC DOT ferry terminal on Coast Guard Road.
The design of the Museum building is unique. The Entrance Court is reminiscent of the timbers of the many shipwrecks that once were so common along the treacherous Hatteras coast.
The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras is named in honor of the thousands of shipwrecks that litter North Carolina’s coast, and is dedicated to the preservation and presentation of the state’s coastal and shipwreck history, with emphasis on the years 1524 through 1945. Shipwrecks associated with piracy, the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, and World Wars I and II are the subject of changing exhibits. The museum has remnants of the earliest known shipwreck found in North Carolina waters, dating to 1650.