[2] The Beaufort museum focuses on North Carolina's cultural maritime heritage, coastal environment and natural history.

Exhibit displays include shells from over 100 countries,[3] fish models, shipwrecks, ship equipment, types of watercraft historically used in North Carolina, whaling, oyster catching, waterfowl hunting equipment and duck decoys, and venomous snakes found in North Carolina.

Exhibits include ship models, nautical instruments, shipwrecks, pirates, American Civil War history, Fort Johnston (North Carolina), commercial and sport fishing, shells and hurricanes.

Named after a nickname for North Carolina's treacherous coast, the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras tells the story of the more than 2,000 shipwrecks that lie off the Outer Banks.

Exhibits explore some of the region's major wrecks, including those of the USS Monitor, U-85, USS Huron and Blackbeard's Queen Anne’s Revenge, and highlight the area's culture of SCUBA diving and fishing.