Wrap up your summer at the beach

By Lisa Snedeker
Correspondent
Published: August 28, 2008

OCEAN ISLE – If you want to skip the sand in your shorts and crowds at the Carolina beaches this Labor Day weekend but still want to visit the ocean, you may want to head to the Museum of Coastal Carolina.
This hidden gem is to the left of the bridge that leads vacationers and locals to Ocean Isle, one of the state’s barrier islands just north of Myrtle Beach, S.C. The museum, which is privately funded, is the only natural history museum on a barrier island in the Carolinas. It’s also a great way to learn something while on vacation or a holiday weekend.
Scott Kucera is executive director of the maritime museum that has something to offer kids of all ages. One of the most popular exhibits is the touch tank. Just don’t try to touch the fish. “The fish have a protective coat that will rub off and they’ll get diseases,” he explained. “You can touch the sea urchins or sea stars.”
Fans of Nickelodeon’s hit cartoon “SpongeBob SquarePants” can tell you that SpongeBob’s best friend Patrick Star is just that, a sea star, not a star fish, which is a misnomer, according to Kucera. That’s just one thing that some 30,000 annual visitors to the museum learn.
“We rely on rainy days,” Kucera said with a laugh. “Nine times out of 10, first-time visitors say they didn’t realize what we have here.”
There are displays of animals and snakes, which are indigenous to the area, as well as shells. If you find an unusual shell on the beach, bring it to the museum for identification. “We encourage beach-goers to bring what they find on the beach, and on Fridays we identify shells,” Kucera said.
The museum only has three full-time employees, which means the 150 some volunteers are the lifeblood of the place.
Bev Phieffer, who lives at Sea Trail in Sunset Beach, has been volunteering in the museum’s gift shop for about two years. “It’s a great place to volunteer, and my grandkids love it,” she said. “They come here whenever they come to visit.”
Jennifer Marlowe and her sons Ryan and Nick of Penhook, Va., took a break from the beach to visit the museum earlier this summer and sneak in a little education while on vacation.
“This is really cool,” Ryan Marlowe said while checking out the touch tank.
While the museum is closed Sundays, it is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Labor Day.
Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and students K-college and $4 children ages 3-5. For more information, visit http://www.museumofcc.org.
If you don’t mind crowds, there are a number of inexpensive options in Myrtle Beach and Wilmington for family entertainment this holiday weekend:
Check out the Beach Boogie and BBQ Festival today and Saturday in Myrtle Beach. Admission is free and the festival includes live music, South Carolina’s official barbeque competition, arts and crafts vendors, giveaways, boat rides, a Kids Zone and a car show. Country music crooner John Michael Montgomery will perform Friday at 8 p.m. The festival is at the former Air Force Base at Valor Park. Visit http://www.sunfunfestival.com/beachboogiebbq/ for more information.
The Hard Rock Park, which offers discounts on admission for N.C. residents, is celebrating its first Labor Day weekend with a live concert by KC and the Sunshine Band on Saturday at 9 p.m. The concert is free with park admission, which is $39 for Carolina residents, through Aug. 31. Kids 3 and younger arre free. Visit http://www.hardrockpark.com for more information.
Got a membership to The National Science Center in Greensboro? Then you can visit any N.C. Aquarium for free. Visit http://www.ncacquariums.com for more information. Ditto for the Children’s Museum in Wilmington if you bring your membership card. On Saturday, kids can make a rocket. But don’t try to go on Monday, the museum will be closed. Visit http://www.playwilmington.org to plan your visit.

Lisa Snedeker is a freelance writer who lives in Madison.