On a beautiful site overlooking the Croatan Sound, the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island is one of three state-operated aquariums on the North Carolina coast. The Aquarium on Roanoke Island features the 285,000-gallon “Graveyard of the Atlantic” exhibit, interactive exhibits, two touch tanks, a theater, and a new exhibit, “Oceans Revealed: Power of the Planet,” featuring “Science on a Sphere.” Programming will focus on the oceans, their effect on our daily lives and our impact on them.
See how “lab” science can be fun and educational all at the same time.
Throughout the aquarium are exhibit tanks filled with fishes of North Carolina coastal habitats, including sharks and rays. See over 200 fishes in a shipwreck habitat display, a 1/3-scale replica of the USS Monitor. In the “Wetlands on the Edge” sky-lit atrium, you can see river otters, alligators and turtles lazing on rocks in the sun. Each day at the aquarium there are educational programs, fish feedings and live demonstrations.
The gift shop has a great selection of toys and gifts related to sea life and ecology. Snacks are available outside the aquarium from vending machines, and in the summer months enjoy the Good Life Gourmet Express.
The aquarium is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Admission is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors, $6 for ages 6-17, and free for children 5 and younger and Aquarium Society members.
To inquire about special activities programs, like fish printing, Snack with the Sharks, Catch a Crab, Nocturnal Beach Creatures, Breakfast with the Rays, Behind the Scenes tours and Wetland Walks, call 252-473-3494 ext. 232. Special activities programs require a fee and advance registration. |
