A place of rich history, the Outer Banks pays homage to its past through more than a dozen fascinating museums and attractions retelling stories of colonial exploration, maritime history, war, aviation, storms and more.
One of the most special and meaningful Outer Banks museums is found off the beaten path, way down Hatteras Island in the tiny village of Frisco. The Frisco Native American Museum explores the history of the earliest inhabitants of Hatteras Island, the Native Americans, as well as the history and culture of Native American tribes from across the United States.
If you have never explored this museum, you need to go. And if it’s been a while since you’ve been, there is always something new to see. It looks small from the road, but the doors open up into a huge, fascinating world of Native American culture. You are guaranteed to learn something you didn't know before.
Nature trails wind through maritime forest behind the museum building in Frisco. There is no admission charge to enjoy the trails, which are open seven days a week year round.
A Hatteras Island treasure for almost 40 years now, the museum has been a grassroots effort from the start. Its beginnings date back nearly 70 years when founder Carl Bornfriend was a young boy with an appreciation for Native American cultures. He became a lifelong keeper of the Native American heritage and began to assemble his collections into a museum after he moved to Hatteras Island. He met his wife, Joyce, both of them educators and lovers of historic preservation, on the island, and together they created the museum. While teaching full time, Carl acquired a 100-year-old building in Frisco and spent every spare minute developing exhibits for a museum, which he and Joyce opened in 1985. It started very small but with dedication and the help of lots of donors and volunteers, over the years the museum has seen the addition of paid staff members, nature trails, building additions, new indoor and outdoor exhibits and programs.
“We’ve grown by little inches and we’ve come such a long way,” says Joyce Bornfriend.
Exhibits in the museum contain artifacts and educational information about Native American culture.
Inside the main museum, visitors can explore a huge exhibit gallery housing thousands of artifacts from Native cultures across the country, with a gallery dedicated to local tribes. Outside, nature trails wind through several acres of maritime forest, with two bridges that cross a stream and overlook to a pond that connects to the sound. An outdoor pavilion overlooking salt marsh is where they hold special workshops and programs.
New at the Museum
In 2023 Frisco Native American Museum opened the Locals Room, which contains a reproduction of a Native American longhouse, a dugout canoe, exhibits about the Hatteras tribes, and a mannequin that tells a story. The museum calls in the WOW room because all day long they hear people say “Wow!” as they pass by the 3-D muraled walls on the way into the room.
A new exhibit in 2024 is a collection of more than 300 labeled stone artifacts and arrowheads. John Collins Howell started this collection in the 1960s and later his son, David Howell, began collecting artifacts with his father. The two collected for more than 30 years in Wilson, Nash and Edgecomb counties. David and his wife, Barbara, donated the collection to the museum.
Also new in 2024 is the Natural History Center, found outdoors along the nature trails. Thanks to a grant from Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, the center has been expanded and is used for weekly classes and special events. The interior is impressive with murals that make it feel like you’re outdoors in the woods.
Jeannie and Mike Cranford, dressed in full regalia, will offer special programs at the museum on August 21 and 22.
Upcoming Special Events
Longtime museum supporters Jeannie and Mike Cranford, Tsalagi (Cherokee), will present programs on August 21 and 22. These programs are free with paid museum admission.
Wednesday, August 21
11 to 11:45 a.m. and 2 to 2:45 p.m. Primitive Weapons Demo
Thursday, August 22
11 to 11:45 a.m. and 2 to 2:45 p.m. Smudging, Herbs, Directions, Animals
Weekly Classes
On Fridays the museums hosts classes for a modest fee. Examples include drum making, making clay animals, feather painting and wrapping. Check the website for class details.
Friday, August 8, 2 p.m. The Earth’s Heartbeat - music and drumming
Friday, August 16, 2 p.m. Making Animals in Clay
Friday, August 30, 2 p.m. Making Animals in Clay
A few examples of the pottery for sale in the museum's large gift shop.
Gift Shop
The highlights of the museum's gift shops are pottery and jewelry, but there are tons of treasures to be found here, including soaps, toys, artwork, baskets, yaupon tea and books.
Volunteer
Joyce says the museum is what it is today because of its volunteers and donors. If you have free time and want to share it, you can help in the gift shop, with sorting and labeling artifacts, with classes or with maintaining plants and the nature trails.
Want to go?
Whether you’re helping or visiting, Frisco Native American Museum is a fun, educational and eye-opening place to be. It’s always worth the drive to Frisco to visit the museum, whether you’re on Hatteras Island or driving down from the northern beaches. And it’s only about 5 miles north of the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, so making a visit to both museums in the same day is highly recommended
Frisco Native American Museum & Natural History Center
53536 N.C. Highway 12, Frisco
(252) 995-4440
Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday
Off-season (January to Easter) it’s open Saturday and Sunday only
Admission is $5 for youth and seniors and $8 for individuals or $20 per household
About the Author Molly Harrison
Molly Harrison is managing editor at OneBoat, publisher of OuterBanksThisWeek.com. She moved to Nags Head in 1994 and since then has made her living writing articles and creating publications about the people, places and culture of the Outer Banks.
