North Carolina Aquariums
Have you have gotten a little too much sun and need an indoor activity? Try visiting one of North Carolina's aquariums. Established in 1976, the aquariums are a division of the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources. There are three aquariums located along the coast, so no matter where you are enjoying your vacation, there is one near you. If you are staying along the Outer Banks on the northern coast of North Carolina, there is an aquarium located on Roanoke Island. If you are staying in the Crystal Coast, the area of North Carolina's central coastline, there is an aquarium located in Pine Knoll Shores. If you are staying on the southern coast of North Carolina in New Hanover County or Brunswick County, there is an aquarium located in Fort Fisher, which is at the southern end of New Hanover County and just a short ferry ride away from Brunswick County.
The aquariums were established to promote an awareness and understanding of nature along the North Carolina coast. Along with this mission, aquarium employees also hope to raise awareness of the need for conservation of our natural and cultural resources along the streams, rivers and aquatic environments in North Carolina.
Throughout the years, the aquariums have been renovated and improved. All three locations have been expanded and are currently double their original sizes. The most recent location to undergo renovation was the Pine Knoll Shores Aquarium, which reopened in May 2007. When they first opened, the aquariums had fewer than 200,000 annual visitors. Today, if you visit one of these three sites, you will be among the 1 million visitors who visit annually. In 2006, the three aquariums were the most visited of North Carolina's 385 museums and historic attractions.
Planning a visit to one of these aquariums? It will be hard to decide which aquarium to visit first! Since all of them contain about 3,000 inhabitants from over 250 different species, why not pick the location closest to where you are or better yet, make the rounds to all of them and see how different they are. Let's start with the northernmost site and work our way down the coast.
The North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island
The first stop will be the The North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island. This site is located on Airport Road, approximately 3 miles north of Manteo. The aquarium is adjacent to the Dare County Airport and the Croatan Sound. The facility is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., year round. There are only three days that it is closed, which are Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Martin Luther King Day and Veteran's Day are free days for all visitors. Otherwise, admission is $8.00 for adults, $7.00 for seniors and $6.00 for children ages 6-17. Children 5 and younger are free. Also, if you are a member of the North Carolina Aquarium Society, your admission is free. School groups that register in advance during the school year are also given free admission, as well as their chaperones and bus drivers. Admission fees help support maintenance, operations and the development of new exhibits. All facilities and exhibits are wheelchair accessible. The aquarium also has two wheelchairs available for free visitor use. Outside food is not permitted in the aquarium, but there are snack and soft drink machines outside by exit doors. During the summer, staffed concessions are available. The North Carolina Aquarium Society operates the gift shop. Visitors can purchase posters, games, books, field guides, CDs, T-shirts, jewelry and unique items. They accept Visa, American Express, Discover, Master Card and personal checks. Shop proceeds are used to support the aquarium programs. All types of photography are permitted in the aquarium.
There are many thrilling exhibits to experience in the North Carolina Aquarium at Roanoke Island. Upon entering the aquarium, you will pass through the "Coastal Freshwaters" exhibit. In this exhibit, you will see a wide variety of animals that live in the nearby freshwater streams, ponds and creeks. You can watch river otters play in a replica of their natural environment. Try and count all of the turtles you see as you pass through this wonderful, indoor nature preserve.
The next stop in your adventure will be "Wetlands on the Edge." Here, you will stroll through an indoor marsh and see the alligators lazing around in the sun. You will feel as though you are outside as you wonder through the atrium enclosed in glass which allows plenty of trees and grasses to grow. Watch the endless number of fish swim in ten different tanks that take you from ankle deep ocean waters to the Gulf Stream.
One of the most interesting exhibits in this aquarium is the "Graveyard of the Atlantic." This is a huge tank filled with 285,000 gallons of saltwater with a scaled down model of replica of the USS Monitor, which actually lies just off the Cape Hatteras coastline but is located 210 feet under water. In this tank, large sharks, sea turtles and hundreds of other fish, all native to the waters off the coast, can be viewed by aquarium visitors. All of these wonderful and amazing creatures swim behind 5.5 inches of acrylic window, which is 35 feet long and 14 feet tall. The window wraps over your head and offers you an overhead view of the tank's inhabitants.
While you are strolling through all of these exhibits, take notice of the signs that state feeding times. Each day, different animals and tanks are fed at varying times, making it possible for visitors to catch at least one feeding. Other daily programs include videos on marine life, live animal programs and more. A touch tank for the children allows them to experience the wonders of the wild up close and personal. If you have any questions, one of the knowledgeable staff members or volunteers is ready and willing to answer any of your questions. Don't forget to visit the gift shop, where a selection of Roanoke Island gifts and souvenirs are available for sale.
The North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores
Located in the middle of the North Carolina coastline is the Crystal Coast. The North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores is located here, just north of Emerald Isle in Pine Knoll Shores. At the front of the aquarium is a bronze sculpture of a school of fish playing in the seaweed. They will be happy to pose with you for your family photo, or you can have an aquarium staff member take your picture in front of this beautiful backdrop. The first gallery in this aquarium is the "Mountains Gallery," with its wonderful waterfall. This waterfall represents the waterfalls in North Carolina - nearly 300 of them throughout the state! Stroll past displays of live fish from different creeks in the mountain section of North Carolina. One of two different display boards in this gallery gives information about the snakes, lizards, turtles, frogs, toads and salamanders that make their home in the mountains. The other display board has a list of endangered species that call our great state home. Don't miss the large rainbow trout swimming around in this gallery.
Next, you will meander through the "Piedmont Gallery." About 65% of the residents of the state of North Carolina live in the Piedmont region of the state. They have a large influence on everything from the wildlife to the water supply. The stars of this gallery are the two river otters that live there. They have a wonderful habitat where they can play and swim and will definitely provide entertainment. (Stay and watch for a while, but don't forget there is much more to see!)
Because much of this aquarium is enclosed and dark, it is nice when you enter the "Coastal Plains Gallery" and can go outside. There is a boardwalk that will take you out to the marsh, where fiddler crabs run across the mud and different birds look for their next meal. Look carefully and you might catch a glimpse of a heron or egret hiding in the long grass trying to spear a fish. Down the path is the snake house where you can see native snakes. Upon re-entering the building, you will be able to observe small alligators in one showcase and then touch a replica of one. This replica statue of an alligator was made from one that was caught locally. It is over 10 feet long, which for Carolina alligators is considered quite big. If you want to see bigger alligators, the Fort Fisher Aquarium is where you will want to visit next.
The next gallery is the "Tidal Waters Gallery." In here, there is a ray tank where you can touch the sting rays as they swim past you. Also, you can touch a horseshoe crab in another tank. One interesting fact that you can learn in this section is exactly what causes that "marsh smell" that you often hear people referring to - the smell is caused by tiny bacteria in the mud that emit hydrogen sulfide gas. Another display in this gallery is a large loggerhead turtle skeleton in a glass case - you can actually see the bones in its flippers and how the upper and lower plates of its shell fit together. Right beside this display there is a "turtle nursery." The aquarium rehabilitates three baby turtles every two years, which are hatchlings that probably would not have made it to the sea when leaving the nest. The aquarium keeps them in tanks, each separate so they don't hurt each other, and then when they are about 2 years old, they release them into the Gulf Stream.
The final gallery in the Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores is the "Ocean Gallery." Here, you will learn much about the shipwrecks off the coast. North Carolina is one of the world's top wreck diving locations. The waters are clear and warm throughout most of the year and there are many sunken ships from various time periods on the ocean bottom. One map shows the multitude of wrecks and where they are located. It is amazing to see so many spots marked for sunken vessels. The most amazing display in this gallery and probably the whole aquarium is the "Living Shipwreck," which is a display that contains a 3/4 size replica of a sunken U-boat made out of fiberglass. The wreck is in 306,000 gallons of water that is 16 feet deep and weighs 2.5 million pounds. The windows are 65 feet long, 10 feet high and 8.25 inches thick. They are made out of acrylic that was made in Colorado and shipped here. The water for this is pumped in from the Bogue Sound, which is located behind the aquarium. So as not to spoil any more of the details about the concrete pillars that are under this to hold it up, you can read more facts about this display when you visit the aquarium. The inhabitants of this display range from a loggerhead turtle to nurse sharks. The fish are incredible in size and eat 100 pounds of food each week. After you have finished gazing at this enormous tank, turn your attention to the smaller tank in the middle of the room. It holds venomous lionfish. These fish were native to the Indo-Pacific waters but in 2000, were found in the Gulf Stream between New York and Florida. No need to worry if they will hurt you when you are swimming, as they like to be in at least 80 feet of water. Scientists are still wondering how they got to this part of the world. The theory is that they either came in ballast water of ocean liners or from releases of aquarium hobbyists. Since they seem to be thriving, they are now being studied to see what impact they will have on the pre-existing inhabitants of the area.
When you are finished enjoying the fish inside, take yourself out onto the porch, sit in the sun and admire the nice landscape of the aquarium. You will then want to go back inside and visit the gift shop for a souvenir to remind you of your visit.
The North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher
The last stop on the aquarium tour is at the southern end of New Hanover County, nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and the Cape Fear River. The North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher is found here, just south of Carolina Beach at Fort Fisher. Coming from Brunswick County, take a relaxing ride across the river on the Southport-Fort Fisher ferry. The aquarium is less than 5 minutes north of the ferry terminal. As you walk up to the aquarium, your first stop for a family photo will be in front of another bronze sculpture of a school of fish. The aquarium will be your backdrop and a perfect way to take home a memory.
Upon entering this aquarium, you will stroll through a fresh water exhibit, this one called the "Cape Fear Conservatory." It is also an atrium with live trees and grasses, and the tanks are opened at the top so you can look through the glass or peer over the top and look down through the water. The fish in these tanks are from the surrounding Carolina bays of fresh water and the exhibit includes a small waterfall, along with a few free roaming ducks. Again, you will pass by the alligators, much larger than you have seen at the other two aquariums, as they lay in wait for their Saturday afternoon feeding. Be at this location before 3:00 p.m. if you want to get up close to watch. This area is small and gets crowded quickly.
Next, you will enter the "Coastal Waters" displays. Here, you will learn about the marsh lands that make up so much of the North Carolina coastline. Upon reading the display boards, you will learn interesting facts; for example, that the marshes are our first line of defense when a hurricane hits. They absorb some of the winds and slow down the water surges that can cause so much damage. You will also find interesting information such as the fact that 90% of all commercially important fish species spend at least part of their life in the salt marsh. Also in this section of the building, there is a touch tank with sting rays and horseshoe crabs. Visitors will find themselves coming face to face with pre-historic crabs that still live in today's coastal waters.
Another exhibit is an enormous tank, this time featuring the "Cape Fear Shoal." Inside this 235,000 gallon tank is a replica of the coral formations found 20 miles off the coast. The tank holds approximately 180 different animals from 37 different species. As you watch the tank's inhabitants swim past you, television monitors show pictures of the fish and identify them so you know exactly what you are looking at. The monitors also give interesting facts about the operation of the tank. Learn things such as: the tank contains 35 tons of raw salt and that all the water is filtered constantly at a rate of 2,000 gallons per minute. These 180 some fish will eat 167 pounds of food every week. Also, daily, two scuba divers go into the tank and talk to the audience. They tell facts about the fish in the tank and then take audience questions. Children of all ages will enjoy being part of this daily activity.
Wander away from this large tank and find yourself entering the "Ocean Gallery." In the entrance, you will feel as though you are underwater and looking up to find a school of mackerel swimming around you. This beautiful sculpture of the fish is stationary, but gives the impression that the fish actually swimming, as the fish in the sculpture are in an S formation. Their coloring gives the observer the sense that the sun is reflecting off the fish, even though there are no windows in this section of the aquarium. Inside this exhibit, one can view fish that are seldom seen, including an octopus. In another tank, there is a replica of a sunken blockade runner vessel. The actual ship is located on the bottom of the Atlantic less than a mile off the coast where the aquarium is located.
Probably the second most fascinating exhibit in this aquarium is the life size sculpture of a humpback whale and her baby. Salt, the mother, is the most photographed whale in the wild. She passes by the aquarium twice a year on her journey from the Caribbean to the coast of Maine and back. Salt is 47 feet long and her baby, Salsa, is about 5 months old and 16 feet long. The display boards under this sculpture allow the observer to follow Salt's movements through out the year, season by season.
If sharks are what interest you, all you need to do is turn around and you will be face to face with multiple shark jaws. These replicas show you the teeth and jaws of sharks such as the bull shark, nurse shark, mako shark and more. Upon leaving the aquarium, you can head over the dunes on the pathway and test your memory of the different types of shark's teeth you saw by searching for your own in the sand along the water's edge. The difference, remember, is the teeth that you find will be black because they have fallen out of the shark's mouth and "died," so they are no longer white. The jaws and teeth in the aquarium are reproductions so they will always be white.
If you are not up for the short walk to the beach but want some fresh air before hitting the gift shop, you can walk along the boardwalk through the gardens. There are also picnic tables outside where you can sit and enjoy a cool drink or quick rest. Of course, don't forget to visit the gift shop. You may want to purchase a postcard that shows the different types of shark's teeth so you can show your friends the teeth you found and tell them what type of shark it came from.
Aquarium Volunteer and Job Opportunities
The North Carolina Aquariums offer more than just a few hours of gazing at incredible fish and other animals. If you live close enough to one of these three locations and have at least four hours a week of time to give, you could become a volunteer. As a year round volunteer, you could assist the staff in many different operations of the aquarium. Volunteer jobs are available in all areas so there is one just for you. If you enjoy talking to the public, you could be an education volunteer. They assist the staff with everything from the touch tanks to making small presentations. The aquarium provides all the training needed. If you are more interested in plants, the aquarium is always looking for volunteers in the horticultural department. You must be willing to get wet and/or dirty though, and a basic knowledge of plants and a willingness to learn is required. Perhaps you are a certified diver and just want to get in the water more. All three locations can use you to help with everything from cleaning the tanks from the inside, to assisting the main diver during their dive talks in main tanks. If you just have a general love for the animals but don't want to talk to the public, the aquarists can use you to help them with general maintenance of the filter systems or prepare food for the exhibits. Volunteers should be 18 years of age or older, but there are also positions for junior volunteers. Volunteers get a free shirt, free admission to the aquarium, a pin and a discount at the gift shop. If you are interested, you can go to the aquarium website and download an application.
The aquariums also offer a summer internship program through the state. This position pays an hourly wage for working 40 hours a week for 12 to 14 weeks. Applications for this are taken through the state. Internists will perform a wide range of activities from taking care of the animals to working at summer camps.
Aquarium Programs & Activities
Perhaps you are just interested in more programs the aquariums have to offer. Their website has an interactive calendar of events for daily programs for all aquariums. Some sample activities and programs from the three aquariums are highlighted below.
Perhaps you would like to be an aquarist apprentice for the day. You can find out what it is like to help care for the aquarium critters by joining the staff for a behind the scenes tour. You will help prepare foods and participate in some of the daily care and maintenance. This program costs $20 per person and is open to ages 10 and up, with children 10-14 needing to be accompanied by an adult.
Maybe you would like to join the fish for breakfast one morning. Feed yourself with goodies provided by the aquarium and then feed the inhabitants their breakfasts. You are welcome to stay all morning and the $15 fee ($7 for members) includes your admission.
Crafts are always a popular activity and the aquarium would like to teach you some crafts you can do with shells. You can register to make a picture frame or a shell wreath. Both of these activities cost $8 for supplies and do not include admission to the aquarium. You could also learn the ancient art form of Japanese fish printing called Gyotaku. In this class, you will learn the history behind the art form and then make a t-shirt to take home with you. The fee for this class is $8 or $7.20 for members.
How about some outside activities instead? If you are in the Fort Fisher area, a 3-hour exploration of Zeke's Island is offered to those who will canoe to it. You might try your hand at crabbing, clamming, seining or bird watching while with the staff. Participants should be able to swim and be capable of physical exertion. This program is open to ages 8 and up and has a fee of $20. If surf fishing interests you, the aquarium will help you hone your skills with a 1-hour classroom session and then surf fishing on the nearby beach. All equipment and bait is provided and this activity will occur rain or shine. Ages 10 and up are welcome to go fishing and there is a $12 fee per person.
How about some marsh exploration instead? The aquariums offer two different programs for this. One class, Salt Marsh Exploration, is a hike through the marsh to have a first hand view of marsh creatures and plants. If you would like to combine that with some crabbing then the Salt Marsh and Crabbing Expedition is for you. The fees for those programs are $14 and $15 respectively, with discounts offered for aquarium members.
Summer camps are always a fun thing for family members to participate in to break up the summer. The aquariums at Fort Fisher offers surfing camps, surfing lessons, kid's summer day camp, overnight camp, teen camps (both day and overnight), adult surfing day camp or overnight adventure vacations or a women's only adventure travel.
The Pine Knoll Shores Aquarium offers some fun programs for the winter, held September through March. On Monday nights, local chefs visit the aquarium and show attendees how to prepare local seafood with great appeal. Each session includes a taste test and is open to anyone 12 and older for a $15 fee. On Tuesdays, you can take a behind the scenes tour of the aquarium, similar to the one described above. Wednesdays is dinner with the critters. For $15, you can enjoy pizza and learn about the care of the animals in the invertebrate tank. Learn what it takes to feed these animals. On Thursdays, you can join the aquarium staff for an introduction to the fun of pier fishing. The staff will cover everything needed to fish at any of the local piers, including licensing, bait, species likely to be caught and all of the laws and regulations. If you are 10 years old or up, you pay just $15 for this evening event. Friday mornings is surf fishing. The $15 fee covers the use of the aquarium's equipment and bait and 2 hours of fishing. Saturday morning you can enjoy a continental breakfast next to the stingray tank. After your breakfast, you can help the staff feed these amazing animals. On Sunday mornings, you can take an early morning canoe trip through the back waters of the salt marsh.
At the Roanoke Island Aquarium, they also offer breakfast with the rays, snacks with the sharks and a behind the scenes tour of the aquarium. Once the water warms up, the staff offers a class on catching the blue crabs that live in the waters surrounding all three of the aquariums. This is something that the entire family can do together.
Birthday Parties & Special Events
The Pine Knoll Shores and Fort Fisher Aquariums also offer birthday parties. At Pine Knoll Shores, there are three different packages you can choose from, ranging in price from $200 to $375 for 12 children and 12 adults. There is an additional charge for each extra child or adult. The parties include either a 2-hour or a 3-hour use of a classroom, an instructor to lead crafts, either a self-guided or guided tour of the aquarium and goodie bags. You can pick the theme that you would like for the party. At Fort Fisher, the party costs $205 for up to 12 children and 12 adults, with additional cost for additional participants. The parties are 2 hours in length and include a t-shirt craft, a live animal presentation, use of a classroom and a self-guided tour of the aquarium. Again, you can pick a theme from nine different choices.
In addition to birthday parties, the aquariums are available for you to rent for other events as well. The Roanoke Island Aquarium rents from $75 per hour for a room rental to $2,000 for a 4-hour event that can accommodate up to 300 guests. The Pine Knoll Shores Aquarium is available starting at $25 an hour for a conference room that would be perfect for a round table discussion to renting the entire aquarium, the public spaces that total approximately 30,000 square feet of space for a base rate of $2500. Again, this is for a 4-hour event that can take up to 300 guests. At Fort Fisher, you can rent a conference room for 25 people for $50 and hour or rent the whole aquarium for a minimum of $3,500. This would be a 5-hour event and could accommodate up to 2,000 strolling guests and 300 seated. You can contact the aquariums directly for specific information.
Publicity
Not only are the aquariums great places to visit, they are stars themselves. In 2005, a television show called "Surface" was filmed in the Wilmington area. This show was based on the plot that sea creatures appeared in the deep ocean. The show had a character whose father was an oceanographer and worked out of the Fort Fisher Aquarium. Many scenes were shot right on location and if you watched the show, you will easily recognize the rooms that were used for filming. Also, the WB network show "Dawson's Creek" was filmed in Wilmington, even though it was supposed to take place in New England. In Season 6, the Fort Fisher Aquarium was used as a New England aquarium in Boston.
As you can see, North Carolina has a lot to offer its visitors and residents. Of course, you might come to the beach for the sand and the sun, but there are other things to do while you are on the wonderful North Carolina coast. We have an accredited aquarium system that will not only educate you about all parts of the state, but it will also entertain and amaze you and if you need it, give you a place to hold your next meeting or wedding reception. Come as a guest, but you will definitely leave as family.
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