North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island

Address:	374 Airport Rd, Manteo, NC 27954, USA
Phone:	+1 252-475-2300
Site:	ncaquariums.com
Rating:	4.5
Working:	9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 8

Sue Raylman

One thing you should know is that this aquarium is recently renovated, so when you see reviews saying there isnt much to see, it may be an old review. It isnt the Baltimore aquarium, but this is a great local aquarium that concentrates on NC fish and other aquatic creatures like sea turtles, river otters, alligators, snakes, frogs, pond turtles and such. We went here because weve had a couple very windy days and wanted a break from the beach. They have been very creative with their space and have an interesting area that uses a combination of tanks, projectors, and screens to make it appear that you are within an old ship sunken off the NC coast. They have very informative screens at most tanks to tell you about what is within. Their area with jellyfish is beautiful. We saw the otters when they had been fed and were swimming around, having fun. Touch tank area had a friendly helpful gentleman. My son loved the turtle rehabilitation area where you chose a plastic turtle and take it to a station w equipment to be diagnosed (it has some chip in it that is detected somehow), and then to another station to be treated for that condition. It wasnt crowded and I think my son treated 6 or more turtles! Learned about gut impaction and cold stun, interesting. Great combo of fun and information with interaction. Someone is having fun designing this stuff. Great use of technology throughout. Friendly staff.

Jenna V

Ive been to multiple aquariums in NC and SC including Fort Fisher, Ripleys and Charleston. This was by far the best and most entertaining one we have visited! First let me say that if you go to a lot of zoos and aquariums, do yourself a favor and buy a membership. Its very likely to be worth the money after 2-3 visits depending on how many adults and kids are in your party. Also you get a discount on non-members that you bring with you as well as on your purchases at the gift shop. They have information on their website - check it out! Our family membership is $75 and lasts one year. It covers two named adults plus however many children and grandchildren you include. When we first walked in, there is a cool screen that shows you alongside critters. Hard to describe but it was awesome and Ive never seen it before (see photo). There were so many things to see and do, a lot of it was very interactive as well as beautiful. The sea horses are a favorite of mine as well as the otters. The sea turtle area was interesting and very interactive for little ones. You can get a little plastic turtle and take it around to the "hospital" exhibits and although my girls are teenagers and didnt want to do that, I could tell that the other kids were loving it. Overall it was wonderful and well be back (and it wont cost us a thing!).

Danielle Mitten

We loved this aquarium and couldnt possibly find a negative thing to say about this aquarium. Some people say this aquarium is small, but I cant say I agree. I come from Baltimore where we have a huge aquarium that is hard to beat, but this aquarium was perfect in every way. It was beautifully designed and very unique. I loved how they planted real plants within the aquarium with trails that had animals living on them. The lorikeet experience is a must do! Make sure you buy lots of nektar because they are so much fun and youll want to go back for more. They had a really great diversity of animals and LOVED the up close experience with the baby loggerhead sea turtles and the fact they had hammerhead sharks. Those were my favorite exhibits. The volunteers were also wonderful and very knowledgeable! Last, but not least, the cafe actually had really great food for great prices. I couldnt believe it. I had the grilled chicken sandwich which was so tasty and moist, my son had the fish and chips and that was the best attraction food Ive ever had. We took the ferry over to fort fisher which was a lot of fun too and made the experience even more worth doing so dont be afraid its too far if you have to take the ferry, its really not that long, the sights are beautiful, and the seagulls will keep you entertained.

Amber Kendall

Wow! This Aquarium is small, but it packs a punch. I always appreciate our North Carolina Aquariums after visiting places like the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. Why? Ours are so much more focused on education rather than just entertainment. But dont get me wrong. This aquarium has staples, like the ray and horseshoe crab touch tank, and the large tank with sharks. But the new exhibits they have added, or are in the process of adding, are phenomenal. While we were there, we got to visit the clinic where they rescue sea turtles, and our son played a game where he got to take a toy turtle through a kid-sized rescue lab, diagnose its problem, and treat it. Definitely his favorite part. The new exhibit about ghost ships of the outer banks was unique, and I cant wait for the jelly fish lounge to open. Even when this aquarium is under renovation, its still a great destination.

Gerhard Guevarra

Wonderful displays for children and great species representation from the waters of North Carolina. Large shark display is nice and large, and of course a museum shop is available. The park outside also has some displays that some visitors may miss. There is a shark tooth pit for the kids. A bit of advice, it will be difficult if you think youll find a sharks tooth similar to the one you may find at the store. Just get a handful of rocks and filter through your hand slowly, the shark teeth are small, youll most likely find one in one or two handfuls. Just filter through your hand slowly.

Fredrick Schmidt

Its was an awful disappointment coming ALL the way from Virginia to take 6 children to this place to find out that it was closed. Your website says its open from 9-5. Needless to say we wasted a complete trip and our children were completely crushed. Thank you so much. After speaking with a few around there and hearing it should have been opened by now considering it is Spring time and the kids are on SPRING break, Im absolutely disgusted that we drove all this way for nothing. Thank you very much for just completely ruining our day by not updating your website properly. Thank you!

Selina Lawless-Felarca

This place exceeded our expectations! We began our adventure at the amphibian and reptile exhibits; to include an albino alligator! Then we proceeded to the aquarium; there was staff everywhere to guide and provide you with educational information. The aquarium also had petting ponds where you could touch all sorts of sea life like stingrays! Once outside, we took a walk around the garden where we encountered huge animatronic dinosaurs! To end, we went into the Butterfly Bungalow where there were hundreds of free-flying exotic butterflies!

Lily

Excellent small aquarium. What it lacks in size it makes up for in educational material, live animal exhibits and the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff. The walk-through can be completed in an hour, followed by rest in the theater during a presentation. Clean place; nice grounds on the waterfront; large shark tank; small stingray tank where kids can touch the rays; sea otters, turtles and fish swimming; and alligators lounging. Lots to entertain the kids, and not too scary for the smallest ones (at least not for our 2-year-old).