North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher

Great aquarium and perfect for little kids! Loved looking at the alligators, otters, and shark. The outdoors area is also amazing and fun. The staff and volunteers are so helpful and informative, and we enjoyed learning about different kinds of shells from them.

It was a fun experience with my child! It didn't exactly have all the bells and whistles but it did have giant tanks with sharks, seahorses, otters, and so many cool animals! The staff and volunteers were extremely friendly and helpful in providing information. You should check this out at least once! Also would be an excellent date spot because you can walk the nature path after or sit at picnic table outside and talk about your experience.

Great little experience with this Aquarium.the only thing that we did not like was the check in process. We had to buy tickets online. Other then that all pros. It is not a big aquarium but does pack a punch with what it does offer. I will say the esthetics and enclosures were some of the best I've seen in a long time. Very well kept animals too. The otters were absolutely adorable. Great price and overall a fun time for the whole family.

Visited the aquarium last fall and again in spring. Reasonable priced tickets and gift shop. They have a “touch pool” where you can feel horseshoe crabs, coral, sea urchins and more! Our family had a great time! Definitely worth it to take your children or just yourself! Book your tickets in advance!!

This was a good experience! The exhibits were informative and eye catching. The animals look well cared for and had ample space to roam around. I think they could expand more in terms of educational postings or videos or audio. This felt more run of the mill in terms of Aquariums, but it was definitely fun. The experience was short and the food court was 3/5, but i think i'd return! Definitely a good time for kids!

I ran the Race for the Planet this morning. It starts and ends at the Ft Fisher Aquarium. As part of our race package, everyone had a free admission pass to visit the aquarium. Even as an adult, visiting on my own, the aquarium has much to offer. It was clean, well staffed, and had such a cheerful feeling, probably due to staff and volunteers being helpful and friendly. The displays were well maintained, and the water in the various marine habitats was clean. They have a nice gift shop and food vendor. This was not my first visit there, but enjoy it when I can go.

For our family outing, we brought along a sizable group of 12 people—five adults and seven children. The very first area we explored seemed a bit modest and didn't quite capture our full attention. However, our spirits lifted considerably as we delved into the indoor shark exhibits. These sections were much more engaging and clearly a step up in quality. We especially loved the almost ethereal beauty of the jellyfish exhibit and the dynamic environment of the main shark and fish display, which kept everyone captivated. In addition to the aquatic wonders, we had the pleasure of seeing the iconic bald eagle, observing the quiet charm of the turtles, and getting a closer look at the formidable alligators. It turned out to be a really enjoyable and memorable day for all of us.

Pros: Well maintained outside courtyard and walking paths. Plenty of seating areas and restrooms throughout. Entry fee is a reasonable price at $13.00. Small cafe onsite with snack food. Love the four otters. Cons: The facility is small in comparison to other aquariums we've visited.

Very nice space, the otters were very active the day I went. The interior is beautifully decorated with art and interactive experiences for the kids, and the surrounding grounds have a nice path from which to enjoy the complete experience.

If you've seen one you've seen them all. We walked the exhibits in less than 20 mins. The mother/son otters running around turning flips in the pool were the best attraction. Friendly staff. Reasonably priced, and great for kids.

A nice little spot to visit with some awesome animals. The cost is a bit expensive compared to the size / number of animals and encounters but considering they have discounts for various aquarium-goers it makes sense and is still a good time. The employees were ALL amazing. They gave information about the animals and we got to meet Maverick the eagle and a teeny sea turtle.

About 15 minutes south of Carolina Beach through Kure Beach. Good exhibits. Great for kids. Nice gift shop. Time well spend on this chilly, cloudy January morning.

This is a smaller aquarium. 4 stars since there were quite a few areas under construction. The hands on section had a limited number of critters to touch. The displays are very clean and clear. The aquarium is easy to navigate and lighting is perfect for viewing. The aquarium offers classes and an outdoor playground for kids 5-12 years old. There is an outdoor wooden path for walking. Easy to access parking and well marked spots. A guest drop off location is also available. The staff in the education area are very friendly and have a good time with talking about the marine life. There was a photographer on site that attempted to get pictures purchased. My kids that had walked ahead of me took the pictures and was surprised they were printed near the gift shop and asked the price. $35 for 3 prints. There is a nice gift shop with reasonable prices. There is also a food/lunch area but each time I've visited, it's never been open. There are lunch/picnic spots near the playground. There are plenty of benches near around the aquarium as well. It is encouraged to purchase tickets ahead of time online by selecting an arrival time and to show the emailed pdf tickets upon arrival.

A must stop!! We were staying at a nearby houseboat over the New Years week and wanted to get out and do something. We've heard about this but never gotten the chance to stop. Glad we did. We LOVED you are able to reserve tickets online as I assume they limit people at each time slot. The animals were all so dang cute. I especially loved the otters, turtles of course and my favorite- starfish! I didn't feel the cost was bad at all. I'd happily pay a little bit more if that means the animals are loved and cared on.

First time at the aquarium, what a fun place to visit. First stop was visiting the otters, they are so amusing. I'm not sure how you can tell them apart . I wondered as I moved to the next "tank" if any of the bullfrogs got out and wandered around. I almost expected to have birds flying above me in the atrium area. Moving on to the inside with the touch pool. It was a popular spot to stop at . You can meander your way through it at your own pace . It did start to get crowded with school trips, had to try not to get run over by the high school students. Stopping at the large tank was informative - employees were explaining the different aquatic life in the tank. It was also time for Christmas tree displays. It was a fun time , better when it was not crowded. The exit path I took brought me past Maverick, the bald Eagle . He was quite impressive. It is a good place to spend some time .

Got there only to realize our membership expired in November and we wanted to see the trees like we've done every year. Renewed our membership with Megan at the front desk inside(12/27/24)! She was so helpful and positive and really enhanced our experience and started our day off perfectly! The baby otters were out and playing and the trees were gorgeous as always! Thanks for another great experience!!!

I really enjoyed the aquarium with my family. I love that there is a playground and that there is a lot of interactive fun for the kids. Overall it was large, clean and everyone was kind.

I love going to aquariums and this one did not disappoint. We were able to use our reciprocal discount and order tickets online. One family member was unable to go after we bought tickets. The person at the ticket counter gave me information so I was able to get that refunded the ticket. They have the freshwater area separated from the seawater. They had a cute baby turtle in one of the exhibits. We also enjoyed the outside area with the playground and trail. My son love the hurricane area and my favorite was the large tank and baby otters. I would visit here again if I was in the area.

We enjoyed our visit to the aquarium. There are many different exhibits, including a touch pool. We also enjoyed the Tornado wind game it cost $2 in cash , views from the decks and the hiking trail. We would recommend it for all ages. Also buy your tickets online or in advance so you don't have to do it when you get here just a tip .

Perfect for the price and took about an hour to complete. This is a small aquarium and has indoor with both fresh and salt water and outdoor exhibits. The otters are cute and playful. They have an albino alligator named Luna. There was a little tank with seahorses which was cool. A year old sea turtle was in a tank all by themselves with an employee to share information. Several tanks with colorful fish. The jellyfish were calming to watch. The kids seemed to like a hurricane tunnel, they stepped in a telephone like booth and the winds increased upwards of 50 mph. Outside was a rescued bald eagle from Wisconsin named Maverick. The signage throughout was clear, directional and what was in the exhibits. No maps are provided but we snap a pic of the map or save it from the website so we know where the closest restrooms are located and exits. If you've been to a larger aquarium, this might be disappointing. If you're looking for an hour to escape the weather or looking for something different to do other than the pool and beach, this is a modestly priced option.

Last holiday weekend my Mom and I explored this aquarium for the first time and had a great time! For a smaller aquarium, they pack a lot of cool and informative exhibits. They also offer outdoors exhibits. From otters to fish to a shark to jellyfish to turtles to the albino alligator, there is something to see for everyone. The path to each exhibit is mostly easy to navigate. The gift shop has a range of options and price points. And the cafe onsite has great food options at very reasonable prices. Two tips: Arrive early to avoid crowded spaces. Some areas are more dimly lit than others so watch your footing.

North Carolina Aquarium is the perfect size for kids: Not too big but not too small. We explored it in a little over an hour, and that's including making two stops at the playground. Yes, there's a playground here! If you don't have impatient children with you, you will probably take more than an hour making your way through the aquarium. But my children have short attention spans. We go through aquariums and museums ... efficiently. If you have people with you who like to touch things, there are a couple of hands-on exhibits, like a tidepool area where you can feel sea stars and coral and things. For the most part, though, this aquarium is mostly hands-off and is comprised of exhibits with really cool things that you can look at and read about. One neat photo op is in the shark area, where you can stand next to a megalodon shark jaw. It's huge! There's also a big tank with fish and sharks, and when we were there, we saw people in the tank feeding the fish and cleaning up. It was pretty cool. Our favorite area of the aquarium is the outdoor area. Like I said, there's a playground here, with modern playground equipment and rubberized ground. It's a good little playground for kids who like to climb. There's also a boardwalk that starts at the playground and meanders around the grounds. You'll pass by statues, native plants, a big pond and a bridge, and a deck where you can look for birds. It's a peaceful outdoor area, and when we visited, there weren't too many people out there with us, so it was a nice respite from the more crowded indoor area. Be sure to get your tickets online in advance. The North Carolina Aquarium requires you to pick an entry time when you buy your tickets, because they only allow so many visitors inside at one time. That said, we arrived about 15 minutes before our time was supposed to start, and they let us in because there weren't that many people inside. Also, no food or drink are allowed to be consumed inside. If you get hungry, though, there is a snack bar outside near the playground.

Small but very cute aquarium. Great way to spend a cold or rainy day leisurely strolling through the exhibits. They have a place on site serving snacks and ice cream. The otters were my fave exhibit, they were absolutely adorable.

Was a great experience! Hurricane Machine was fun but not worth $2. Gift shop was too overpriced!

We were not impressed with this aquarium. The smell when you first walked in was so repulsive we almost lost our lunch. An albino alligator was interesting but we moved into the rest of the aquarium and it just was boring. A lot of native fish in tanks. The coolest thing we saw were they tank of jellyfish and seahorses. They say people spend an average time of 2-3 hours and granted all of our kids are teenagers and older...we were through it in an hour. We came from oak island and took the ferry and that made the trip fun but ... if you need something to do on a rainy day this is a decent choice but we wouldn't go back and prolly wouldn't encourage others to go.

My boyfriend and I spent the day on the coast last Saturday and this aquarium was one of our stops. We purchased tickets online for 9AM. By the time we got there, a line had formed. This is a cute aquarium. The staff are all very knowledgeable and friendly. There was a nice outdoor area and walking trail. I do feel bad for all of the animals confined to small spaces for our entertainment. Those poor sharks looked so bored.

Very nice place to bring your family your children will see things that they wouldn't know what it was. Or otherwise see little upset trying to check in. The lady told me I had to do it on my phone. Did not want to tell me that I could do it with cash and we have pictures of the family, but they were a little bit more than what I wanted to pay for them, so we didn't get them asked the lady if she would delete them she said they don't delete them for 90 days. Overall, your family will enjoy it, but the workers need to realize customers may not understand how to load something on the phone can use extra help Places was wonderful your family would love it

I came here with my grandparents. We absolutely loved it. My toddler ran around and saw alligators to sharks!

The Fort Fisher Aquarium is a great place to visit. It isn't large but it has plenty to keep you busy while you learn about the animals. Tickets must be purchased ahead but if you are late as I was with the hotel issue, they are nice enough to still let you inside. Parking is free and admission is very reasonable. On this visit the alligators caught my attention. I had a staring contest with one of them. I like that the museum has a large variety and some sections are hands on. The two story tank is the most impressive feature of the aquarium. The aquarium is a nice place to spend a few hours.

The Aquarium is always an enjoyable place to visit, especially if you have young kids. It is educational and it helps people see and experience the marine life in our state and surrounding waters.

Good location with plenty of parking. Metered entry to avoid crowding. Beautifully done, lots of young docents to assist visitors, touch pool, cute otters, great informative signage. First class, North Carolina!

First time ever visiting this aquarium and was really glad we did. Tickets did seem a bit pricey for what they had to offer but overall it wasn't too bad. Some of the tank's water was really dark and murky so you really couldn't see what was in it. The gangsta thug Nemo fish was especially cute as well as the albino gator. Staff was polite and knowledgeable. Won't be coming back as we saw everything there was to sea. And dont feel like driving another 15hrs to see it.

I have been a member of the aquarium for years now, and each year I appreciate it more and more. Every day is a different experience, so I go about once a month. They are a public entity so they receive funding, which means that the animals are rehabilitated. You can tell the staff takes pride in their care, as the animals always look great. You can see on social media the lengths they go for these animals. Staff and volunteers are always welcoming and offer information on anything. There is an outdoor area with a fossil pit that is so relaxing!

This is the third NC Aquarium I've visited. It is the smallest of the three. Fort Fisher has the touch tidal pools, tanks of local fish, jellyfish and seahorses plus the big floor to ceiling tank with sharks, rays and eels. The highlight of this NC Aquarium is the otters. You see them first and they do not disappoint in the fun & entertainment department. Lovely gift shop and walking trails. You must by timed tickets in advance to visit.

Absolutely worth the drive from Raleigh. It's a small aquarium. Perfect for little kids. To be honest even us adults. It was really cool. We went on a Friday morning. It was empty besides the safe. The kids ran around freely and admired everything they saw. Towards the early afternoon more groups came in but it never got crowded. Love that they have a playground outside. We also enjoyed the short stroll outside. Great visit. We plan to return.

Four of us went to the aquarium yesterday (21 Dec 2021). It's a small place compared to other aquariums I've been to. The most spectacular aquarium that I've been to is the one in Monaco, so I knew not to have high expectations. I've also been to the one in Baltimore and in Hawaii on Oahu. There's a nice variety of fish and sea life, to include a huge 2 story high tank with sharks, turtles, and other fish. There's a shallow tank where kids were touching shells and horseshoe crabs. Other wildlife we saw was an Albino alligator named Luna, a natural-colored alligator named Gantu, a pair of wood ducks, snakes (copperhead and corn), a mom and son otter (they were sleeping when we first showed up but later were playing in the water), poisonous frogs, etc. At this time of year is the Festival of Trees. There must have been around 35 or so trees, all beautifully decorated and with different themes. This is included with the ticket. It was raining all day, so we didn't get the chance to see the garden and birding deck areas. The price was reasonable for this place. Not sure I'd return again unless there's new things to see.

We took the ferry from Southport to visit the aquarium. We did not realize that you had to purchase tickets in advance online, luckily we had no issues purchasing them for the time that we arrived on our phone. We really enjoyed seeing all of the animals but our favorites were the baby sea otters and turtles. A stop here is always fun while on a beach trip.

It is a small aquarium - you can spend about 2 hours there and see pretty much everything. There is a good variety of animals and exhibits, and my daughters (4 and 6 years old) enjoyed their time here. It is kid-friendly and they have a petting / touching area where my daughters got to touch a stingray and some other sea creatures. There is also an outdoor playground. When we went, they were scheduling your admission time, so you had to book a time slot for when you would come to limit the number of people there at any given time. It wasn't a difficult process, but required a little planning. Admission was free for our family because we bought the annual pass to the NC Zoo, and that pass works at this aquarium. Parking was ample.

Beautiful, smaller aquarium but so enjoyable! Took my nephew, sister and boyfriend and we all really enjoyed our time. It was very busy, but you don't mind because the exhibits are that great. The price is perfect for what you get and the staff are friendly and full of smiles. I definitely recommend!

Great place to take visitors of any age - fun for kids to explore and plenty to learn! Loved the playful otters and the touch tank was cool. The staff were knowledgeable and friendly. It's not a large aquarium but really has an impressive amount of things to see and you can go at your own pace. Lots of fun photo ops.

The facility and exhibits are awesome. The reason I am giving this a one star is due to the aquarium does not appear to have any capacity control. I spoke with the manager and she was able to confirm that they can only see reservations, but do not have any idea of how many people are in the building at any given time. I asked how that works with the fire marshal and she didn't seem to care or have an answer. We spoke with a group outside that told us that they simply walk in the entrance without any tickets and no one ever checks. They continued to explain that this is what the locals do. For the people that play by the rules or are turned away because they didn't make a reservation, this is very disheartening.

The aquarium is bigger than it appears at first and has many experiences to enjoy. Our kids always love when there is a touch tank and they were not disappointed with this one. Plus we were able to see many different types of sharks, rays, fish, jellies, sea turtles, and so much more. I think our kids' favorite thing though may have been the otters. We weren't able to see the new pups as they were just born but we did get to see the mother and son pairing they have there.

We had a good time. It's broken into three indoor areas and some outside space. It's not a huge aquarium but good enough to spend a couple of hours at. Price is reasonable as well ($13 per adult at the time I wrote this review). Kids will love it. They have a few interactive areas for the kids to experience. Note, most of these are closed due to COVID. Alligators, fresh water fish, otters, turtles and of course a saltwater displays (sharks, other fish, crustaceans, jelly fish, etc... Enough to see to make it worth the trip. COVID-19 Information - You have to get your tickets online and book a time. I was able to get a spot just 15 minutes prior to our arrival with no problem. - They are serious about enforcing masks and social distancing. One person in my party got "schooled" for allowing his mask to slip past his nose.

It's a small aquarium, i think it's more kid oriented, not much to look at or nothing that stands out except for maybe outside ' walking trails. The food is great for kids, or if you're starving. It's very average but the lemonade was great. It was okay for $27 for two people. I found some gems in the gift shop that made up for everything else. I probably wouldn't come back though unless I had a child. They would enjoy it more then I did.

We've been going to the NC Aquariums forever! Now that our children are grown, we still visit often! They are doing great work for NC coasts and the aquariums allow the public to get up close and personal with animals we'd otherwise never get to see. The prices are fair and the outdoor areas are really nice!

This aquarium is extremely well-managed, clean, and taking excellent precautions against Covid-19. My fiancé and I love going to aquariums and nature reserves. We have been to several in Virginia, western NC, and DC/MD. We still saw some very interesting animals here and learned a lot. I also enjoyed the plants outside the aquarium. The gift shop is very nice, and the concessions smelled delicious (but we ate right before going). We didn't get to see the otters, so be warned that certain animals may be asleep, eating, etc. but there's still plenty to check out.

Neat little stop when you are visiting Kure Beach. It is a little expensive for what they have to offer. The staff was all friendly and happy to answer questions. We only spent about an hour here because there isn't a whole lot to see but some of the exhibits and animals are cool. The restrooms and sitting areas are kept clean and they have some concessions which sell snacks and drinks.

It's a very nice location for an aquarium, embedded in the beachside park, in theory making for a great alternative if you show up to the beach and the weather is not good. There are some outdoor boardwalks and exhibits surrounding the aquarium. The place is not huge, but they've got some good variety in there, including plenty of local wildlife on exhibit as well as many of the expected species like seahorses and clownfish and poison dart frogs. The big problem I had with the place is that it was crowded, which was particularly a problem in this day and age. They've adopted online-only ticketing with some sort of capacity limit, but the number of people there was still enough that it was hard to do anything without bumping elbows. Virtually every glass pane in the place had a sign on it marking it as a "high touch surface"; no kidding. It seems like they could have reduced capacity more which would reduce the risks (and incidentally improve the visitor experience), but they chose to rake in more admission fees. Every place has tough decisions to make, but I am a bit leery of this one.

Must make a reservation for a time before arriving!!! What a fun family experience! I thoroughly enjoyed coming here and learning all about each animal throughout the sea. Our favorite were the sea otters, alligators and the large tank that held all the various animals together. The large tank was so amazing to see the variety of fish, sea turtles, sharks, stingrays and so much more all swimming together like it was no big deal. There was scuba divers in the tank with all of them and it was fascinating to see no fear among anything in the tank and the employee did a explanation on why nothing was of threat to each other inside the tank. I also loved that there were sea horses, I had never seen one before and they were so beautiful. There is definitely a ton of different fish species, so much fish to look at that I sort of lost interest in looking at all of them but I'm sure many others love learning about them. It took us about an hour-hour fifteen to walk through the entire thing, they have a little concession area and a gift shop. All in all, highly recommend, plus you're right next to the beach if you want to do a beach trip too!

The aquarium itself is great, however purchase tickets online when you go. We found out once we got there that we had to purchase tickets online by a very rude clerk that worked the window. She has red dyed hair so be aware. She was very rude, and unhelpful. We spent 10 min to access their website since cell signal is nonexistent there. Their website is a pain to navigate, and getting tickets online is not convenient at all. They make it so complicated. Once we got our tickets, another worker came out, and told us that we could have purchase tickets at another window. We ask him why we were not told this at the window when we ask if this was an option. We got silence.. You can purchase tickets there, apparently just find a friendly worker besides the rude flaming red hair lady.

This was a really nice, well maintained aquarium. We came to town for spring break with family. The weather was a little on the chilled side, so we decided a day at the aquarium was in order for our littles. It was a perfect spot. Lots of fish! There were sea turtles and sea otters. Seahorse. Shrimp and lobster. Sting rays. Sharks and alligators. My three year old was constantly stimulated by all of the sea life swimming around. We loved it and would definitely visit it again.

A must do especially if you have young children. My husband and I are 52 and we had a blast just by ourselves. Very well done lots of aquatic life to see the staff was very friendly. It was a perfect is it

It was my first experience with aquarium. Place is amazing. You can see many different kind of fishes. The prices for adult is around $13 under three years is free. Once you enter, you can see few small fish and alligator. There is a snake as well. When you enter the main aquarium, you can't see it the big aquarium there with different fish sharks as well. I like to see if the shark from the window which is very close. I add the picture so you can see there as well. There is sea star and you can touch it. This is a very nice experience. Another one is jellyfish, this animal is soooooo beautiful. You cannot imagine how experiences with jellyfish. I would recommend don't miss this animal. It's beautiful.

There are definitely sadder aquariums out there, but this one is not among North Carolina's best. The more noteworthy exhibits include a rare albino alligator and some very brightly colored jellyfish. Parking was abundant (there is an overflow lot nearby). That said, the "dinosaurs" were quite cheesy, and a lot of activities seemed geared toward young children. The admission price isn't outrageous, but you aren't getting a lot of aquarium for your dollars. The Aquarium at Fort Fisher is worth checking out if you are in the area, but it pales in comparison to the Pine Knoll Shores/Fort Macon facility.

This is a really great aquarium. It is located right at Fort Fisher which is as beautiful as it gets. There is a view from the second story that looks out onto the ocean. There is ample amount of parking and a lot to do inside. There is a touch tank if you are wanting to touch a stingray or some other cool things. There are different parts of the aquarium, too. The first section has otters and alligators in a beautiful glass top roof. Then you go into the section with the big aquarium and my favorite- the jellyfish! There is a gift store, playground, concession stand , and a beautiful outside path. There is even a fossil hunt. You have to wear a mask the whole time and buy tickets online.

The aquarium part was ok. But went mainly for the bird atrium and bald eagle exhibit. Only to find out (after we go in) they are closed due "Bird Flu" risk?? No mention of it on their website

It's been probably 2 years since we were last at the aquarium and it still fills me with joy and peace each time I go. It's not the largest aquarium in the USA but it offers a ton to see and for a great value. For $12.50 per adult and $10.50 per child (12 and under), you can experience a wide variety of aquatic life that is themed for the local area. There are exhibits featuring underwater life from the Masonboro Sound, Cape Fear Sound and much more. Want to see hammerhead sharks? They got those. Want to see a beautiful array of jellyfish? Got those too. I love our local aquarium and will probably join an annual membership soon since it's only $139 for the family. Thanks again to the staff who were all friendly and still completely masked and to the aquarium for offering us locals, a nice retreat on a Sunday afternoon.