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To see news and images from the Aurora Fossil Festival, visit the Events... page. The Aurora Fossil Museum, founded in 1976, is a non-profit fossil education resource center. Our museum’s mission is to increase knowledge of the geology and paleontology of the coastal plains of North Carolina. We accomplish this task through exhibits, outreach programs and field studies. Our own fossil pile, affectionately dubbed the 'Pit of the Pungo', is an unlimited source of Miocene age fossils donated by our local phosphate mine. In these fossil rich soils, one may find the remains of ancient sharks, whales, bony fish, corals, shells and other invertebrates. Our staff will willingly provide personal assistance and other resources to help you identify your finds. Bring a garden trowel or sifter and plastic bags, spend the day collecting with us, and take home a piece of the past. 
The museum has a wide variety of Pleistocene, Pliocene and Miocene marine fossils on display. Most displays feature specimens collected from the local PCS Phosphate Mine (formerly referred to as Lee Creek). This world famous mine has been called the most important source of Pliocene and Miocene fossils in the world. Fossil flipper bones are mounted on this mural of modern baleen whales. 
As part of our annual Fossil Festival activities, the museum offers a large Carcharocles megalodon tooth for raffle each year.This year's tooth was from a blackwater river in South Carolina. 
Visit the Events... page to read more about Fossil Festival-2009. Bring Your Group! We welcome school groups and are happy to provide free fossil material and educational information for classroom use. By scheduling your group of 10 or more in advance of a visit, we will be better able to serve you. If your school is unable to make a trip to our museum, contact us and see if we can come to you. Our presentation includes an exhibit of local fossils,free fossil material and educational resources suitable for grades 3-8. Hours of operation: Monday through Saturday, 9 am until 4:30 pm. In addition to regular hours, from March 1st through Labor Day, the museum will also be open on Sunday from 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm. The fossil Pit of the Pungo will remain open for collecting from sun-up to sun-down. Admission is free but donations are gladly accepted. Ample free parking is provided. Find us |
Mr. George's keen eye for shark teeth makes him a real hit with future paleontologists. 
Our gazebo is always a popular place for lunch and a shady break after a day of collecting. 
These two budding scientists have decided teamwork is best. 
Sun worshipers may prefer to bring a blanket and enjoy a picnic on the lawn. 
Bryce lives near the shore of a very popular Florida "shark river", but looks forward to his yearly trip to the museum. This years' Pit of the Pungo bounty included a very large sand shark tooth. 
Digger's Gift Shop offers a wide variety of merchandise including shark teeth necklaces, AFM logo T-shirts, locally found fossils, natural history and paleontology books and other neat items. Our in-house jewelry desgners have begun two new lines of jewelry-one featuring semi-precious stones. Stop in or give us a call to meet all your gift needs.
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