HEART OF THE COMMUNITY,

SOUL OF A CULTURE

It is a gathering place that welcomes newcomers and travelers with the same warm embrace as the locals whose families planted their roots on the Eastern Shore centuries ago; a space where artists and entrepreneurs celebrate the bounty and beauty of this coastal region alongside watermen and farmers.
It is a creative educator, grounding rural and small-town children in history and the arts, while kids visiting from more urban areas can savor a taste of Eastern Shore country life.
It is a museum that preserves yesterday’s culture of the islanders through artful, immersive galleries that encourage you to linger and imagine or relax and be drawn into beautiful films depicting the struggles and triumphs of this rural lifestyle.

The Barrier Islands Center is, most of all, a storyteller, safeguarding the wisdom of our past for the sake of the Eastern Shore’s future.

MISSIOn

The mission of the Barrier Islands Center (BIC) is to preserve and perpetuate the unique culture and history of Virginia’s Barrier Islands through education and the collection and interpretation of artifacts.