The Story of North Carolina 360° Student Tour

The Story of North Carolina closes in October 2024 as the North Carolina Museum of History undergoes renovation and reimagining. Still, you can explore the “stuff” and stories from the exhibit with these interactive tours.

Navigate through each tour by clicking on the white circles to advance. Look in all directions by clicking and holding, as you maneuver your mouse. Or you can move simply by using your keyboard’s arrow keys. Click on the small blue and white circles to watch videos, look at artifacts in 360°, see photos, and “meet” some of the people who shaped our state. Zoom in, spin around, and take a closer look. Reach the end of one tour? Go back and start the next one!

Want to see the whole exhibit at once? Visit The Story of North Carolina 360˚ Virtual Tour to stroll through the entire 20,000 square-foot exhibit. (Please note, this version does not contain enhanced content.)

North Carolina's Earliest Peoples and European Contact

North Carolina before it was North Carolina, 12,000 BCE to 1600 AD.

The Carolina Colony

Lords Proprietors, early settlers, and pirates, oh my! North Carolina, 1660s to 1720s.

Colonial North Carolina

People in Colonial North Carolina, 1700s.

Revolutionary North Carolina

From royal colony to independence. North Carolina, 1760s to early 1780s.

North Carolina in a New Nation

Statehood and yeoman farmers, North Carolina, 1780s to 1850s.

North Carolina Before the Civil War

Making a living, forming community, going to war. North Carolina, 1800s to 1861.

North Carolina and the Civil War

Fighting for freedom, fighting for home. North Carolina, 1861 to 1865.

From Reconstruction to Jim Crow

Opportunities and Backlash. North Carolina 1865 to 1900.

North Carolina in a New Century

The Big 3, First Flight, and more. North Carolina, 1880s to 1920s.

North Carolina and World War I

North Carolina, 1917 to 1920s.

The Great Depression in North Carolina

Hard times, creative people. North Carolina, 1930s.

North Carolina and World War II

At battle and at home during World War II. North Carolina, 1941 to 1945.

The Civil Rights Movement in North Carolina

Sparking a movement, North Carolina 1950s-1960s.