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Location
Visitor tip
Book tickets online in advance to secure your preferred time slot, as timed-entry sessions sell out quickly. This also allows you to skip the ticket window line and enter faster.
Best time
Visit during off-peak seasons (like the Wednesday before Thanksgiving) or on weekdays to experience the aquarium with minimal crowds, allowing you to spend unhurried time at exhibits like the turtle rehabilitation center and shark tank.
Visitor tip
Take advantage of the many included free daily programs with admission: Creature Feature, Otter Enrichment, Shipwreck Stories, and shark tank feeding demonstrations where staff interact with visitors and engage with children.
About North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island
Live encounters with gators & stingrays. Live animal encounters, feedings, a 285,000-gallon shark tank, interactive exhibits, films & more.
Quick Facts
- Type
- Aquarium
- Highlights
- Touch stingrays, river otters, sharks, sea turtles, alligators
- Hours
- Daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Special Feature
- Timed entry; reserve online to avoid sellouts
What visitors say
Really enjoyed visiting the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island! It was amazing to see the albino alligator, and I absolutely loved the jellyfish exhibit—just being in that space is incredibly calming and therapeutic. There’s…
Has been one of our favorite spots when we visit the OBX every year! We usually go in the summer but this year we visited on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and it was even better! Almost no crowd anywhere and could spend as much time…
Stopped by here while on vacation. The family absolutely loved it. Seeing the smiles on my daughter and wife made it all worth it. Plus it's only $15 for adults. They have a great facility and even help rehabilitate sea turtles. If…
From 8,698 Google reviews Read all reviews
Did You Know?
- The 285,000-gallon shark tank is a major centerpiece exhibit where staff conduct live shark feedings with interactive demonstrations for visitors
- The Sea Turtle Assistance and Rehabilitation (STAR) Center is a dedicated facility that rescues and rehabilitates injured sea turtles, allowing visitors to observe the rehabilitation process
- The aquarium features the James Melvin Gallery, which documents the history of the all-Black lifesaving station on Pea Island, integrating local maritime history into the aquarium experience
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