north carolina aquarium at pine knoll shores

This aquarium was packed on a rainy Saturday, but it still managed to please. We have been to it multiple times and always enjoy it. Love the otters!

Great visit, displays are very well done, staff is very friendly and helpful. Great place to spend several hours on a chilly winter day! Lots of kid activities and exhibits to keep everyone interested.

I was quite surprised to learn that there is a North Carolina Aquarium in little out-of-the-way Pine Knoll Shores. Apparently it's one of several. With nothing planned for the day, the folks who we were visiting suggested that we pay the aquarium a visit. We spent several hours there and found it both enjoyable and educational.As you might expect, the aquarium focuses on the creatures that inhabit the waters of North Carolina. It's not just fish, there are alligators, turtles and snakes, and even a few mammals such as otters. The otters were much fun to watch as they gracefully raced back and forth in their tank, apparently having a good time.There are knowledgeable staff to answer question and explain things, and each exhibit has educational information posted. There are programs that offer hands-on experiences, and there is an experience called "Sleep with the Fishes". There is no danger of drowning; it involves sleeping in your sleeping bag in front of the 300,000 gallon Living Shipwreck exhibit, and offers food, instruction, movies and craft supplies. Breakfast is provided in the morning.There are nature walks behind the aquarium building, but on the day of our visit the weather wasn't ideal for a hike in the woods.The aquarium is open 9 'til 5 daily. Tickets cost $8.95 for ages 3-12, $10.95 for ages 13-61, and $9.95 for 62 and older.There's plenty of parking.

The Aquarium focuses on North Carolina and gives a nice quick overview. Easy to navigate and with very helpful staff, it is clean, easy to get to, with parking. Take time to walk outside and enjoy the location.

The aquarium is a little on the small side, but it is very enjoyable. All of the features were well done and easily accessible with lots of engaging information. You should definitely go out on the nature walks. The ones close to the aquarium give the best view of the wildlife. The circular trail that goes out further does not have as much in the way of wildlife, but it is still pretty to see. On the way back you have to cross a "floating" footbridge. It does not float nearly as well as it should. Plan on getting a little wet. Our family tried it fast and slow. We all got wet shoes. It is not too bad, and you will not get soak, but it will freak you out!Just a little extra excitement to the end of the day.

We love this aquarium. They've made some incredible improvements and renovations. The aquarium gets really busy during lunch-early afternoon times, so I would suggest going as early in the morning as possible. The animals all seem very well taken care of and their enrichment programs are a lot of fun!

We took our 5 year old son because he absolutely loves animals. The albino alligator was beautiful. But while we were there a bad little kid tried to poke it with a stick through the fencing, but I stopped him before he could. The employee that was there also said something to him after I had brought attention to it. we will be going back

Beautiful displays and state of the art facility. The shark exhibit is fantastic. I also love the sea horses and jelly fish.

My husband and I took our 15 year old autistic son to this location and we had a wonderful experience. We went in December and the aquarium was nicely decorated for the holidays. Frequently we go to exhibits and our son looses interest fast. We were able to spend 2 hour at this aquarium! What a miracle. The exhibits were large with plenty of glass space for kids to watch the fishes. We stayed for the feeding time and to see the sea turtle. It was all very well done. Far surpassed our expectations. Would highly recommend a trip here.

We went to the aquarium during a rainy afternoon while on our Christmas break. It was a very nice time. My daughters (22 and 15) enjoyed petting the sting rays, playing with the crabs and other sea animals and we stayed for the dive show. The exhibits are not huge, but they have some really cool sea creatures and we got a ton of great pictures! The facility is very nice and it wasn't crowded since it was off-season. They also have an onsite Dairy Queen, but it was closed since it was off-season.

Excellent place, always learn something new and my 5 year old grandson love to keep going back over and over again. They even do parties for children. Well worth it money .

Staying at Emerald Isle with family out driving and ran across the aquarium neat little surprise we enjoyed walking and looking even got to see the divers

We have visited the aquarium several times and have enjoyed each trip. There are several interactive exhibits and shows. Our children love petting the sting rays and touching the hermet crabs and other sea creatures. We have enjoyed the bird show and shart feeding exhibits as well. Though the aquarium is rather small it is a very good place to take your family and friends. We hihly encourage this attraction.

The state of North Carolina operates three aquariums scattered along the coast, I have visited all three over the years and personally find the one at Pine Knoll Shores to be the best of the three. This aquarium uses the theme of from the mountains to the sea to display a variety of fish and other water wildlife all of which are native to or at least found in North Carolina. The first displays provide a look at the animals found in the mountains and lakes, they have several aquariums including a display with several very large fresh water fish. We were particularly fond of the river otter display. We could have watched them play for hours. There are also several tanks displaying life found in the coastal marshes and the sound region of the state. Then there are several tanks including a couple of very very large tanks displaying wildlife from the coast and open sea. The largest of these tanks houses several large sharks (over 8 feet long) a sea turtle and a school of large Jacks, tarpons, and other huge fish. We spent three hours at the aquarium and enjoyed every minute of it. This is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon and is a great value for the money.

Not a huge aquarium like you'd see in a larger city but it has a bit of everything even sharks. Not crowded or expensive. Has some to look at both in and outside. There's even a walking trail. Get your picture taken in front of a green screen and have them add fun backdrops. Nice for younger kids. There's a Dairy Queen outside the back as well as a gift shop.