The Experiences

Shell Island

Wrightsville Beach Historical Presentation

This presentation explores the early history of Wrightsville Beach through the story of Shell Island, a once-thriving Black resort destination in the 1920s. Guests learn how Black entrepreneurs created a vibrant coastal leisure space during segregation—and how those stories were nearly erased as the shoreline evolved.

Experience highlights:

• Origins of Wrightsville Beach

• The rise and fall of the Shell Island resort

• Black coastal leisure during Jim Crow

• Historical visuals and storytelling

Duration: Approximately 45–60 minutes

Seabreeze

Carolina Beach Historical Presentation

Seabreeze tells the story of North Carolina’s historic Black beach, founded and owned by the Freeman family—whose descendants still own beachfront land today. This presentation centers Black land ownership, cultural preservation, and the enduring legacy of Seabreeze as a place of freedom, joy, and resistance.

Experience highlights:

• The founding of Seabreeze

• Black land ownership on the coast

• Cultural life at North Carolina’s Black beach

• Living history and family legacy

Duration: Approximately 60-75 minutes