North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores 3

We love this aquarium! It is so great for kids of all ages. Their addition of the outdoor play area has been wonderful, it does get very hot in the summer though! Go early or go late, as they do get crowded mid-day. They have some really fun special programs that they do throughout the year. Our favorite was Fairy Day. I also HIGHLY recommend them for birthday parties. The staff was amazing and they make it so fun!! They have the kids paint big fish/starfish/other Sea Life stamps and then stamp them on a shirt and they also give them water bottles for party favors. You get your own party room and they come in and do a little presentation with different animals and then you're free to roam the aquarium for the rest of the day. It was a BLAST and so low-stress, which was nice since my husband was deployed at the time!

We visited the aquarium on Mother's Day and it was such a delightful experience. We walked through each exhibit to see what all they had to offer. There was always friendly, helpful workers to answer questions, teach mini lessons, and petting attractions. The snacks were delicious and reasonably priced! The aquarium as a whole was very clean as well. We will certainly be returning to watch more shows, pet more animals and have a picnic! My little ones favorite part was all the outside attractions as well as a playground for a nice little break during the day!
I would highly recommended the NC Aquarium to anyone!

I didn't have a child when I lived in North Carolina but I still loved visiting this aquarium. Now that I have my daughter it is even more enjoyable. We are currently stationed in Virginia but I frequently travel back to North Carolina to visit friends and we always make a stop at the aquarium! Great exhibits and a lot of interactive activities. My daughter and I love the walking trail outside and they recently added a play area with climbing ropes and big slides. It took a lot of convincing to get my four year old to leave. Eastern North Carolina is beautiful and this aquarium is an added gem.