Museum and Planetarium Mark Anniversaries
Celebrating 35 Years of Sea and 25 Years of Sky
Ocean Isle Beach and Sunset Beach, NC – The Museum of Coastal Carolina and Ingram Planetarium will celebrate 35 and 25 years respectively in May with a look back at decades of providing fun science education to southeastern North Carolina.
Celebrating 35 Years of Sea and 25 Years of Sky, the Museum and Planetarium have planned events all month long with special activities May 23 through 26.
Even though the Museum and Planetarium are located four miles apart, they were both founded by Stuart and Louis Ingram. The Museum opened to the public on May 25,1991 and Planetarium opened the same week in May, 10 years later. They operate together under the umbrella of the Ocean Isle Museum Foundation.
While the focus of the two facilities is different, they share a mission to provide educational experiences that are fun and interactive.
Here’s a look at what guests who visit that week can expect:
The fun begins with the Ocean Isle Museum Golf Classic and Auction on May 1. The event sold out rapidly with the proceeds benefiting Elevating Access, a project to make the Museum of Coastal Carolina more accessible to people with varying physical abilities. It includes the construction of an addition and elevator to provide access from the main level to the Barrier Island Gallery and the Hayden O’Neil Learning Center, which are currently only accessible by stairs.
In addition to photo exhibits from years gone by, the Museum and the Planetarium will have small parts of their old collections and exhibits on display. The Museum will feature activities based on original exhibits starting May 18, leading up to our big celebrations May 23-26.
The 
will have a star party birthday party at the Planetarium on May 23 from 6-8:30 p.m.
It will include telescopes to view celestial objects and activities in the Science Hall.
Admission is free and so is the birthday cake!
The Museum will have a birthday party on May 25 with special activities.
Celebrate the Museum’s 35th Anniversary by making birthday hats and birthday cards, playing “Pin the Fin on the Shark” and more. Of course, we’ll also have cake at noon.
These activities are free with Museum admission.
The Museum’s longest running program, the Sandbar Lecture Series will feature a special presentation on May 26 at 5:30 p.m. Mayor Debbie Smith, whose family was the first year-round residents of Ocean Isle Beach following the devastating Hurricane Hazel in 1954, will discuss her fondest memories from then until now.
The Ocean Isle Museum Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that operates the Museum of Coastal Carolina and Ingram Planetarium, and its mission is to inspire curiosity about our unique coastal environment, history and broader natural universe through interactive, fun, and science-based experiences.
The Museum of Coastal Carolina, located at 21 East Second Street in Ocean Isle Beach, features a live touch tank, saltwater aquariums, interactive exhibits, lectures and family programs.
The Ingram Planetarium, located at 7625 High Market Street in Sunset Beach, includes an 84-seat theater with a 40-foot domed screen where guests enjoy educational films on a variety of topics, traditional star shows, and entertaining music laser shows.
For more information, call 910-579-1016 or visit: www.museumplanetarium.
