The Ingram Planetarium

The stars shine brighter at Ingram Planetarium (5 minutes from Ocean Isle) with the recent installation of the world’s third SciDome HD Digital projection system.

Relax in the Sky Theater’s seats as you zoom through space to Jupiter and look back toward Earth.

After the Planetarium staff point out the constellations and planets on the Sky Theater dome, locate them on your evening beachwalk. Ingram Planetarium has great star shows, laser music shows, and programs about astronomy, science, and space exploration.

Programs and schedules change seasonally. The SciDome HD Digital Sky Theater simulates a perfectly dark, starry night and it is unsafe to move around during the shows. Late arrivals are not admitted to the theater. Groups should call for reservations and instructions.

During the busy summer season The Planetarium offers fun family activities on various topics.

What visitors have enjoyed in the past included:
Assembling space shuttle replicas
Building & launching rockets
Lessons on Solar Energy
Putting together a Rainbow Maker
Making a real Comet
Lesson with Solar Furnace
Using our Solar Telescope
Shadow Drawings

In the Paul Dennis Science Hall they offer projects to challenge children of all ages as well:

Building solar cars was a favorite last summer

Located at:
The Village at Sunset Beach
7625 High Market Street
Sunset Beach, NC 28468

http://www.ingramplanetarium.org

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Resort Makes Top Spot On List!

An Ocean Isle Beach resort is #1 on list of Top 10 North Carolina Beach Resorts compiled by ResortsandLodges.com. The Winds Resort Beach Club was selected as the number one beach resort in the entire State of North Carolina!

The Winds Resort Beach Club

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Roberto’s Ristorante

Roberto’s Ristorante offers fine dining in a casual atmosphere with full service bar.

The menu features steaks, seafood and traditional italian dishes as well as fantastic pizzas and pasta.

Robertos has been family owned and operated at Ocean Isle Beach since 1985.

Roberto’s Ristorante, 6737 Beach Drive Ocean Isle Beach, NC 28469
http://www.robertosnc.com Business:(910) 579-6999

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Sugar Shack – Jamaican Dining

Make your “tropical escape” to Ocean Isle Beach complete with a trip to The Sugar Shack Read more

Museum of Coastal Carolina

If you think museums are stuffy, quiet places that people visit for research, contemplation, or when there’s nothing else to do, then you haven’t visited North Carolina’s only natural history museum on a barrier island. New exterior murals predict some of the things you’ll see inside the Museum of Coastal Carolina at nearby Ocean Isle Beach (15 minutes from Sunset Beach, NC).

Happy, interactive voices are encouraged! One might hear toddlers calling out “Boat, Daddy, boat!” as they climb into the wooden strip boat made here in Brunswick County. Staff and volunteers often hear “Whoa!” when visitors approach the shark jaw exhibit. Carolina residents track their local rivers to the sea and parents teach their young children to keep the beach clean and protect the animals from trash as they pass the Litterbug Hall of Shame.

Imagine getting up close to the area wildlife on display in the Green Swamp diorama. Then touch or hold a sea star, an urchin, or a hermit crab at the touch tank. Learn the inside story of shells at the newly updated Carolina Shells and Fossils exhibit. Don’t forget to bring your beach treasures to identify.

Hear “oohs and aahs” as you take a walk through the Ocean Reef Gallery that depicts a reef habitat about 65 miles off the coast of North Carolina. The toddler area in the Barrier Island Gallery has puppets, toy ocean animals, puzzles, and lots of happy noise. Then there’s silent awe at the Legacy of the Loggerhead sea turtle exhibit’s short video filmed on Ocean Isle Beach about the life cycle of the loggerhead turtle that includes a mother turtle laying eggs and the hatchlings crawling to the sea.

In the Coastal Plain, visitors exclaim “Wow!” when they see the American bald eagle up close and eye-to-eye. Identify the shorebirds you saw on Brunswick beaches. Children like to pretend they are a coyote or a bear with the pelts thrown over their shoulders. Fisherman are heard to exclaim that they learned to fish with a bamboo rod just like the one in the antique fishing equipment exhibit.

A visit to the Museum of Coastal Carolina is a treat for the young and the young at heart. Many vacationers include it as a multi-generational activity for the whole family. Local residents know that it is one of Brunswick County’s best family activities.

Summer afternoon family programs are held at 3:30 p.m. on Monday—Friday from June 14 through August 20. The programs include Know Your Knots on Monday, “What Kinda Fish Is That, Mister?” on Tuesday, Seven Steps to Shoreline Safety & the Firetruck on Wednesday, Megabites! on Thursday, and Touch Tank Feeding and Shell ID on Friday.

Evening programs are Ghost Lore and Legend Walk on Wednesday at 7 p.m. and Snakes Alive! on Thursday at 7 p.m. Come early to tour the Museum before the program. Family vacation passes with unlimited Museum visits for one week are available for $49. (Family vacation passes are for a family that resides together year-round, not multi-generational families vacationing together. The Plus membership may be a better value for multi-generational families.) Annual memberships are also available.

The Museum of Coastal Carolina is located at 21 East Second Street, Ocean Isle Beach beside the playground and just a block from the beach and the pier. Enjoy coastal natural history . . . for the fun of it! Summer hours are June 1—September 4 on Monday, Tuesday, Friday & Saturday from 10—5, Wednesday and Thursday from 10—8:30 and closed Sunday. All-day admission includes programs. $8 for adults, $6 for senior adults 60 & over, $6 students K-12 & College ID, and $4 Preschool ages 3-5, Ages 2 & under are free. Check www.museumofcc.org or call 910.579.1016 for further information.
For educational and entertaining gifts and toys, visit Nature’s Treasures Gift Shop at the Museum or Galaxy Gifts at the Planetarium.

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