South Carolina Aquarium

100 Aquarium Wharf, Charleston, SC 29401, USA

Address:	100 Aquarium Wharf, Charleston, SC 29401, USA
Phone:	+1 843-577-3474
Site:	scaquarium.org
Rating:	4.2
Working:	9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 6

A McCoy

We have a four year old and six year old and ever since they were little we try to get a yearly membership. If your a local, its definitely worth it! Paying per visit could be really expensive if coming a couple times a year...which is why a membership is great and not bad price wise if you plan on coming back over and over again. EVERYTHING about the AQUARIUM is AMAZING! Staff is ALWAYS FRIENDLY and always wanting to pass on knowledge and showing guests the amazing animals and things they have there. Everything is very well organized and put together. Could spend hours there just soaking up information and looking in awe. They always have the neatest activities going on! From mermaid visits, to scuba divers carving Pumpkins underwater, and scuba divers dressing up as Santa for Christmas!!!! They have a small IMAX there, and thats super fun! (Expensive w/o membership but w/ membership its FREE)! Honestly if you have children and live in Charleston, getting a membership to the aquarium would be the way to go vs getting a membership ANY where else. Its VERY educational!! And my kids ask to go ALL the time! My six year old son loves it soo much, it has inspired him to become a scuba diver and hopes to work in the big tank one day! He even made me go by the scuba store to find out when he can start learning to dive! He loves dressing up as a scuba diver and coming to pretend hes with them in the tank! So I do have to give a BIG THANK YOU to the aquarium, because if it werent for them inspiring my son, and others, they may not have had the opportunity to see amazing things that we normally would never be able to see!!!! Getting a membership would be beneficial to anyone adult or child. Going to the aquarium has ALWAYS been a POSITIVE EXPERIENCE, GAINING MORE KNOWLEDGE EVERY TIME, and ALWAYS being INSPIRED!!

Heather Harrison

The manager, Patti, is completely unreasonable. We arrived at the aquarium at 9 am on a rainy day. The woman at the ticket stand encouraged us to add a $5 fish plate to our ticket to feed the sting rays, which we purchased. We went on the tour of the aquarium first, which took about two hours with a family group of 15. We were the only family that purchased the sting ray feeding option. Everyone was waiting on us at the end of the tour to feed the sting rays. When we arrived at 11am, the people running the exhibit told us that we could not feed the sting rays due to thunder. The next option to feed the sting rays would be 11:33, which was 30 minutes later IF it was not storming. We had 11 people waiting on our family to leave. Everyone with us had small children that were exhausted. It was not appropriate for us to make everyone wait. We explained to the staff the we had already toured the aquarium, and since we had a large family waiting on us that we would like a refund. Patti, the manager, stated that she was not going to give us a refund because our ticket was good until 12:30pm, therefore she did not have to give us a refund even for inclement weather. This clause was "clearly stated" on the BACK of our ticket. Also, the staff did not give us a heads up that we may not be able to use the ticket if it was thundering outside. (The forecast for the day was calling for thunderstorms and they encouraged us to purchase the ticket anyway.) This was a poorly handled situation by management. Even the staff in the sting ray area agreed with us.

Vicat Mauricio

This was our familys first time in Charlaton SC, so we were unfamiliar with horrible parking situation of the town.. Luckily, this Aquarium has a convenient parking garage right next door to it. The Aquarium itself looks very large on the outside and is much more than just an aquarium on the inside, it also consisted of a small "Madagascar" themed indoor zoo, and an what looked like an large contained outdoor section, that we did not have time to visit, unfortunately. Theres a very large aquarium in the middle of the building that is awe inspiring. Its full of large sharks and fish, and one really mean looking barracuda that wouldnt stop staring at me.... At least I think it was staring at me...? Idk Theres also a couple of small indoor childrens playgrounds located at opposite ends of the building, where parents can sit down and rest for a little while, and I thought that was very convenient. There was also a small 4D theater, that we also did not have time for, located right next to the main aquarium building. The prices seemed a little steep in my opinion, but, Im sure its also not cheap to run a full size aquatic animal park, either. The building itself was very well ACed, not too hot, and not too cold. All in all the kids had a blast, and thats what really matters, right?

A Private User

The SC aqarium is a nice small aquarium. Compared to others I have been to, it is not worth the admission fee- although the fee does include the 4D movie. We didnt watch it, but if we had kids with us we probably would have. They have one large Ocean tank which is nice, it has a few small sharks but nothing spectacular. One of the better things about this aquarium is its not all fish. They have a bald eagle on display in a unique cage (basically the only thing between the two of you are little wires) which allows you to get some awesome pictures. They also have a nice touch tank and an outside area with fish and birds that overlooks the bay. Also nice, was you can sit out on the balcony that overlooks the bay. Major down side is that there are no restraunts near by. We found a nice restrant a few blocks over by sheer luck, but if we had kids with us, no way would we have randomly gone walking through town. overall it was nice, but not nearly as nice as most other aquariums I have been to including Gatlinburg, Atlanta, baltimore, etc.

Kathryn Quinlivan

The exhibits are well done and very clean. The two story shark tank is very interesting. They have lots of stuff to do for small children and educational shows. The touch pool is cute and they have a step up for small children all g with two staff their to monitor and answer all questions. The nerf sharks were active and seemed to enjoy the attention. The Lego status throughout the building are adorable and melt in very well. The down side is the price isnt really worth it if you are coming with older children or a group. Four adults is $100 and their child age stops at 12. So plan for extra especially if you like to buy at the gift shop, which I have a hard time not getting something to take back with me. It is a small aquarium and can really only take up two hours which for 25 per person, not worth. Also their albino alligator looks rather lonely and his home could be a little larger for his size.

Monica K.

Im going to be honest here in saying I am an aquarium snob, meaning Ive been to a lot of aquariums and have high standards for the ones I visit, and Ill have to say this is possibly one of the best Ive been to! The people who worked there were incredibly friendly and amazing (talk to Tita and Andrea if theyre there.) My group got a free tour of the behind the scenes as well. I stayed the entire day, and left wanting more at the end of the day! It seems expensive, but if you buy it with the combo packs and another attraction, its not nearly as bad. Even if you have to pay the full price, it is totally worth it! I will earn however that this aquarium is a mix between a zoo and aquarium, which is a little strange, but totally works! All in all, amazing and a must do. Ill be visiting again is I ever come back to this city!