What's Happening?
ecoBLAST: Green & Wild
The Cowan Museum and the North Carolina Science Festival present:
ecoBLAST: Green & Wild
Saturday, April 11, 2026
10 AM - 2 PM
Join us at the Cowan Museum for our annual ecoBLAST, as part of the North Carolina Science Festival. This year, we'll celebrate our green (plants) and wild (animals) friends who live in North Carolina.
There will be fun educational activities, live animals, a plant sale, prizes, food, and ice cream!
This event is free to the public and welcomes people of all ages.
For information about the NC Science Festival, please click here:
America250: North Carolina First in Freedom Passport Program
Explore Southeastern North Carolina with the First in Freedom Passport Program!
Discover the rich history, natural beauty, and vibrant culture of Southeastern North Carolina in 2026. Your adventure begins with the First in Freedom Passport Program, designed to make exploring our region even more rewarding.
How It Works
- Get a FREE NC First in Freedom Festival passport booklet from any of the locations listed in the booklet.
- Visit historic sites, state parks, and attractions across Southeastern North Carolina.
- Collect colored stamps for each site you visit in your passport booklet.
When you visit your first site in a county, you’ll receive:
- A cancellation stamp for that county.
- A signature for that county.
- For every additional site in the same county, a staff member or volunteer will sign and validate your booklet for that site.
Earn Rewards as You Explore
The more sites you visit, the more exclusive swag you can earn:
- 8 sites – Receive a commemorative pin.
- 16 sites – Receive a magnet.
- One site in each county – Earn a coffee mug.
- All participating sites – Get a unique First in Freedom T-shirt
Submitting Your Passport
Once you’ve completed your visits:
- Option 1: Scan your completed pages and submit them through the Contact Us page on the North Carolina First in Freedom website.
- Option 2: Mail your completed booklet to:
Moores Creek National Battlefield
40 Patriots Hall Dr.
Currie, NC 28435
Please include which reward level you achieved.
All prizes will be issued after December 31, 2026.
Information provided by:
Stories from ANNE'S COLLECTIONS
Stories from ANNE'S COLLECTIONS
Stories from ANNE'S COLLECTIONS
Stories from ANNE'S COLLECTIONS
Wednesday, February 18, 2026
Begins at 11 AM
*Limited Space
Registration ends on February 11, 2026. Please call Battista Bennett at
(910) 296-2149 or email at battista.bennett@duplinnc.gov
Retired Museum STEM Educator Anne Skinner, returns to discuss her items on display in the Cowan Museum's Rock Room Gallery. Selections from Skinner's vast collection that are on exhibit include specimens which are donated and on loan, such as a Triceratops frill fossil, a "volcanic bomb" found in Arizona, and several coiled, iridescent Ammonoid fossils!
NC Bird Count
Stories from ANNE'S COLLECTIONS
Stories from ANNE'S COLLECTIONS
NC Bird Count
February 13–16, 2026
10 AM - 4 PM
The Cowan Museum of History of Science will participate in the North Carolina Bird Count, part of the Great Backyard Bird Count, by offering a self-guided opportunity for visitors to observe and count birds on museum grounds.
Participants may bird anywhere on the museum grounds for at least 15 minutes and submit their observations using the free eBird app or website. Basic bird identification resources and information about using the eBird and Merlin Bird ID apps will be available inside the museum on Friday and Saturday during open hours.
On Sunday and Monday, when the museum is closed, visitors may still independently count birds on the grounds.
Participants who complete at least three 15-minute checklists during the Bird Count weekend may qualify to earn a North Carolina Bird Count badge or sticker through Science Across NC.
This program aligns with ecoEXPLORE’s Ornithology Season and supports community science participation. Free. No registration is required. All ages welcome.
For more information, please call
Battista Bennett, STEM Educator, at
(910) 296-2149 or email her at battista.bennett@duplinnc.gov
Ongoing
ecoEXPLORE
The Joann Cowan Brown Botanical Garden is a HotSpot in the ecoEXPLORE program!
ecoEXPLORE (Experiences Promoting Learning Outdoors for Research and Education) is an incentive-based citizen science program for children in grades K-8. Developed by The North Carolina Arboretum, this innovative program combines science exploration with kid-fr
The Joann Cowan Brown Botanical Garden is a HotSpot in the ecoEXPLORE program!
ecoEXPLORE (Experiences Promoting Learning Outdoors for Research and Education) is an incentive-based citizen science program for children in grades K-8. Developed by The North Carolina Arboretum, this innovative program combines science exploration with kid-friendly technology to foster a fun learning environment for children while encouraging them to explore the outdoors and participate in citizen science.
It's Botany Season!
(March & April)
Botany is the
study of plants.
Fun Fact:
The North Carolina state tree is the longleaf pine and the state flower is the flowering dogwood.
Source: https://www.ecoexplore.net/
Currently in our Rock Room Gallery
A Journey Through Deep Time:
Dinosaur Bones, Rocks, and Fossils
In our renovated "Rock Room" gallery, see some of the fossils in the museum's collection and loaned specimens, such as an Allosaurus bone, Triceratops frill, and an American mastodon tusk.
We are Part of the North Carolina Science Trail
The North Carolina Science Trail (NCST) is a STEM collection of about 60 partners across the state of North Carolina. The mission of the NC Science Trail is to inspire exploration of NC’s varied science landscape all year long. NCST aims to build awareness of science processes, cultivate appreciation for the role of science in our everyda
The North Carolina Science Trail (NCST) is a STEM collection of about 60 partners across the state of North Carolina. The mission of the NC Science Trail is to inspire exploration of NC’s varied science landscape all year long. NCST aims to build awareness of science processes, cultivate appreciation for the role of science in our everyday lives, and encourage care for the natural world.
We have an Apiary on the Museum Grounds
The Duplin County Beekeepers Association has an apiary with two beehives located near our tobacco barn. The hives are not close to the main outbuildings or the botanical garden.
However, the bees are certainly busy with all the flowers we have on the grounds, so please be aware of their presence and that they are doing important work as pollinators.