Tips Phillips Island is in the Newport River just north of the N.C. State Port in Morehead City. From the high-rise bridge passing by the port, it is the most visible of several local islands leased by the National Audubon Society for the protection of nesting colonial water birds. A brick chimney on the island is all that remains of a defunct fish processing facility. Both the N.C. Aquarium and the N.C. Maritime Museum schedule guided tours focused on specific ecological environments of the Crystal Coast.
Quarterly calendars are available at each facility for making trip plans.
All trips require reservations. Expansion plans for both the N.C. Aquarium and the N.C. Maritime Museum promise big changes. These tourist attractions promise to be tourist destinations in the 21st century.