The North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores

The aquarium takes visitors on a tour of North Carolina’s amazing aquatic life "from the mountains to the sea." The journey is arranged in five galleries: Mountain, Piedmont, Coastal Plain, Tidal Waters and Ocean. Among the 38 innovative exhibits are re-created shipwrecks that showcase the diverse marine life attracted to these sunken vessels. The 306,000-gallon Living Shipwreck display in the Ocean Gallery features a three-quarter-size replica of a German U-boat that was sunk off Cape Lookout in World War II. The Queen Anne’s Revenge duplicates the 18th century artifacts in Beaufort Inlet thought to be the wreckage of the pirate Blackbeard’s flagship. Visitors also get a view of a pair of playful river otters, a roaring mountain waterfall, a sea turtle rehabilitation area, and a jellyfish gallery. Touch pools allow personal contact with stingrays, hermit crabs, whelks and other creatures. The Aquarium offers an array of activities and field trips, and has facilities for weddings, celebrations and meetings. Visitors also will find a large gift shop and a snack bar.

• museum
• outdoors
• viewpoint
• family

Address

1 Roosevelt Blvd

Website

ncaquariums.com (opens in a new tab)