No trip to Little Washington, North Carolina is complete without a stop to the North Carolina Estuarium. An estuary is where a river meets the sea and they are vital ecosystems for many reasons, including the fact that over 90% of seafood species caught by fishermen spend at least part of their lives in estuaries. Did you know that North Carolina holds more estuarine water than any other state on the East Coast?
This is the world’s first Estuarium and one of North Carolina’s most innovative environmental centers. It contains over 200 exhibits. There are fun and fascinating artwork and videos, hands-on interactive displays, artifacts from life on the Pamlico River, explorations of hurricanes, stewardship, and estuary health, and a gift shop on the way out. Joaquín loves anything having to do with the water, so we knew this would definitely be a highlight of the trip for him. Also, a big bonus is that kids under the age of five can enter for free!
It took us about an hour to explore the entire premise. We basically let Joaquín lead the way. One of the quotes painted onto the wall really stuck with me even after we left. Benjamin Franklin once said, “When the well is dry, we know the worth of the water.” Unfortunately, I think a lot of us are now seeing the environmental effects of what humans have done over the past centuries and we are paying a huge price. It is time to come together and change for our future generations and places like the North Carolina Estuarium play a vital role in mass education.
Then we decided to go for a stroll on the Little Washington waterfront boardwalk, which was just steps away. . .
I love how kids are given a free entry, just like an encouragement for them to see and learn new things. Seems like a an awesome trip to have with your kids. I’m going to add it to the list. Thank you.
I agree, the free until five is AWESOME!!! We really did have a great short weekend getaway to a place that never existed to us until now. 🙂
Wow! What an amazing idea! I love it! It’s looks like a lot of fun! Going on trips great way to help kids learn more instead of just reading boring text-books.
It was so much fun! And I agree, traveling is the best way to learn. 🙂