Delmarva Discovery Museum
The Delmarva Discovery Center on the Pocomoke River serves as a source of learning and discovery for the public through the preservation and interpretation of its cultural and natural heritage. Located on the Pocomoke River in downtown Pocomoke City, the Delmarva Discovery Center (DDC) is a living museum, a place for learning and discovery for visitors of all ages. The entire center will be expanded in early 2020 to showcase Delmarva Agriculture.
The immersive and engaging exhibits take visitors on a timeless journey through Delmarva and through the Cypress Swamp. The exhibits focus on the river ecology and the human history of the Pocomoke River and Delmarva. The DDC offers a regular schedule of programs, tours, and presentations to families, school classes, youth groups, and other visitors.
Enter Your Location
Related Trip Ideas
- Top Places to Explore American Indian History
- Delmarva Discovery Center & Museum: An “Otter” Gem Hidden in the Eastern Shore’s Friendliest Town
Nearby Places
At the Site
Activities to do
Facilities/Amenities available
Hours
We are open Monday through Saturday from 10am until 4pm and Sundays from 12pm until 4pm.
CLOSED – New Years Day, Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day.
(Note: Many places fill to capacity on busy, nice weather days, especially holiday weekends. Please call ahead or visit the official website to get the most up-to-date information before visiting.)
Fees
- Adult (18 and over): $10.00
- Senior (60 and over): $8.00
- Student (with ID): $8.00
- Child (4-17): $5.00
- DDC Members: Free
Group rates available with advanced booking.
All children must be accompanied by an adult. Tour guides are only guaranteed to be available with advanced booking.
Activities
The Discovery Center offers tours for group of all ages. A variety of art classes, lectures and programs are offered throughout the year. A new 6,000 gallon freshwater aquarium tank designed to look like the underwater world of the Pocomoke River was installed . April through October a visit to the Delmarva Discovery Center's exhibits can be paired with a guided cruise on the Pocomoke River with the Bay Queen. The Bay Queen leaves the Pocomoke Docks at 1:00pm Thursday through Sunday.
The exhibits include Native American culture, river ecology, an aquarium, touch tanks, early trade, the Steamship era, shipbuilding, market hunting, the history of commercial fishing on the bay, decoy carving and sailing. The Delmarva Discovery Center continues to add to its unique collection, offering return visitors something new to discover each time they visit.
History
The Americans Indians that inhabited the area near the Pocomoke River at the time of Captain John Smith’s voyages were known as the Wighcocomoco.
However, the English colonists referred to them as Pocomoke. The Pocomoke River was the tribe’s primary travel and trade route.
Early colonists who moved further inland also relied on the river, which originates in the Great Cypress Swamp in Delaware and flows southwesterly into the Pocomoke Sound before ending in the Chesapeake Bay.
During his first voyage, Smith explored the mouth of the Pocomoke River when he traveled north along the Eastern Shore. He was searching for fresh water after a destructive storm that tore off his boat’s mast and sail.
Weather
