Ripley's Aquarium of Myrtle Beach

Ripley's is a large and beautiful aquarium! So many beautiful sea creatures and such fun displays. I loved the octopus and the jellyfish! Watching the stingrays glide through the water was so cool. Of course the highlight of the visit was walking through the shark, sea turtle and sawfish exhibit! I can't even describe how magical it is! If you have children, it looked like there were several fun things for them too.

Amazing!!! Even better than what we expected. We love aquariums and have been to more than we can count and without a doubt, top 3 for sure. The tunnel, the stingray touching area, superb job. What an amazing experience. I cannot wait to return. Super cool, super fun for all ages. Definitely recommend going atleast once if you've never been.

We went as a whole family trip (3 families - 11 total). Everyone had a great time. We really enjoyed the Ripley’s Aquarium. Kids enjoyed all of the small activities, play ground setup and touching the jelly fish. The sting ray show was educational for the kids. Overall great experience and the staff were very nice.

Pretty awesome aquarium. I had come here once when I was a kid (that must have been sometime in the early 2000s) and recently revisited. I loved it! The sloths and the absolutely dazzling goldfish exhibit were my two favorite areas. This place is well worth the price of admission.

We enjoyed our visit here. Many interesting exhibits. The tunnel through the aquarium gave a unique view. Parking was across the street which made for a long walk including the handicap parking. There were not enough handicap parking spots. They were full on a not busy day. So more need to be set aside. I saw people parking in handicap spots without a sign on their car. The aquarium does have wheelchair you can borrow.

What I really enjoyed about this aquarium is that it has a lot of sharks on like a lot of other aquariums I've been to this one in particular has more sharks than I've ever seen which is nice. The only downside about this aquarium is that it's targeted audience is very young so a lot of the activities are focused on children probably 10 and under. Wish they had more adult activities or teen activities besides little children. For that alumn I think the price is a little much for what they have to offer. The place is quite small after all there's only a few things you can see there. The sloths however were a bonus they were amazingly adorable and everybody looked well taken care of.

I’ve only visited three aquariums in my life, but I can confidently say that this one is my absolute favorite. As I wandered through the various exhibits, I was surrounded by a vibrant crowd. Yet, the layout was spacious enough that I never felt cramped or overwhelmed. Each exhibit captivated my attention, but the highlight for me was the enchanting penguin habitat. Watching those playful creatures waddle and swim brought a smile to my face, making the experience truly unforgettable.

We were absolutely thrilled! It’s a very large and beautiful aquarium with lots of fish, sharks, and an amazing underwater tunnel. There are fun activities for kids — both younger and older ones. The only thing I’d mention is that the ticket prices are a bit on the high side, especially since you mostly go there for the children. I think if you look for some coupons or discounts, you’ll enjoy it even more.

The aquarium is always a fun place to go learn about marine life and a great place for kids to have an interactive experience. You can feed the stingrays and touch some jellyfish without being stung . There's something for everyone, kids, young and old. My daughter who's a teenage was enjoying herself and using her imagination.

What a great aquarium! Lots of different fishes and animals. We spent about 2 hours. They have veteran discount!

I liked this aquarium. My favorite part of the aquarium was the sloth valley. Nice and clean. Decent sized gift shop. Kids will enjoy it. Nice location.

This is my favorite aquarium in the whole country and I have been to a bunch. It's all about the shark aquarium you can walk through. Sharks are literally swimming above you. Yes it's pricey, but what a great aquarium. No better shark display around and you can get lost in that tunnel for an hour in awe. My pick right here if you are in Myrtle and have never been.

Overpriced experience that only makes sense if you are looking for something to do on a rainy day in Myrtle Beach. For 2 adults and 2 kids this was $150 and took about 3 hours to complete the entire experience. Very underwhelming. Coming from Omaha Nebraska where the Henry Doorly Zoo costs less to visit the entire zoo which you couldn't even see the entire park in a day, this was a ripoff. It was fun, but not for the price.

My family had a fun time at Ripley's Aquarium! The swimming penguins were adorable, the shark tunnels were thrilling, and the moon jellyfish were mesmerizing. The large kids play area would be perfect for families visiting with their children.The staff was friendly and knowledgeable, adding to the enjoyable experience at Ripley's Aquarium. Plus, the amazing teacher and guest ticket discount made it affordable for our family to enjoy a fun day out. Overall, it was a great experience that I would recommend to anyone visiting the area.

Overall, had a great experience at the aquarium. Definitely worth if you are in the area. Today was a little crowded because they had kids from camps. But they were all having a great time just like everybody else. Plan for about an hour and a half visit the facility. Lots of exhibits. Some seem a little bit hidden so make sure you don't miss them.

My family and I drove up to Myrtle Beach for the day yesterday, 12-11-2023. They wanted to check out the Ripley's Aquarium while we were there. The employees that we interacted with were polite and knowledgable and it was clean. The glass on the aquarium attractions were also clean so you could see the attractions clearly. They have plenty of things for kids to do from play areas to activity tables. It was also nice because they had a tunnel so you could crawl to an area and stand to view the penguins. It was almost like you were in the enclosure with them. All but two penguins walked up to the glass as if they were studying me. There is also an area to pet stingrays. They also have a wide variety of other wild life to view. We really enjoyed it and had fun. My 18 month old daughter kept laughing and pointing at things. I think here favorite areas were the penguins and the sharks. We will definitely come back!

Fun place to take the kids. Shark tunnel and touch tanks very cool. The gift shop has some fun gifts. We saw some penguins do a walk around parade. The jelly fish touch tank was a first for me. Will be back!

Ehhh.. as far as aquariums go, this is probably one of the most expensive and most underwhelming I've been to. Close to $100 for two adult tickets. I wish I'd done my research before coming because it was very much geared toward children. That being said, this is a fantastic spot to bring kids of all ages. There are play-areas, interactive features, little games and things to engage with throughout. There's a super neat tunnel that goes through the penguin exhibit where they can literally be surrounded by penguins swimming around. As an adult, the best part was definitely the shark tunnel. The sharks were huge and standing on the conveyor belt while being surrounded by the tank was really cool. The sea turtle was my favorite part, because she was MASSIVE! I could have watched her all day. I was a bit bored for the rest of the walkthrough. Everything else was pretty average. The gift shop had some great items (if you've got any money left from buying your tickets). Would I come again? Absolutely not. Would I recommend? Only if you have kids.

Living part-time in NMB like most people, I drive by these attractions often, but never think of going in. What do they have to offer? Fish in a tank, a few sharks, penguins...? Yes, all that, but what's missing is the grandeur of seeing these things and more up-front, live and shared with friends an family! If you find your family sitting around wondering what to do...Go to Ripley's Aquarium!!

6.29.23 The aquarium wouldn't be on my list of places to visit, but my oldest niece has been wanting to go so I decided to take her. Surprisingly I had a really fun time. The sea creatures were so cool and fun to watch. We were done after an hour so I thought the $40 admission fee was a bit pricy. They have a gift shop and refreshments. Also they had a boat to see the sea creatures underground. The admission fee is $10 per person.

I went to the Ripley's Aquarium in Gatlinburg so I wanted to check out the one in Myrtle Beach as well. They were both the same price which was $88 for two people. While they are VERY similar, they are a few differences and I prefer the one in Gatlinburg over this one. That being said, they are both good aquariums and very much kid-friendly with tons of things for kids to do. They did not have the mermaid section opened as well as the moving floor they have where sharks swim around you. It is pricy but it's a good place with a big gift shop. I would recommend it, but would suggest the Gatlinburg location over this one if possible.

Upon arrival you have plenty of parking, tons of photo ops, and can purchase on site. It doesn't give the option online, but in person you can purchase the aquarium plus an additional Ripley attraction. A bunch to see with different areas within the aquarium venue. However, it was a little confusing. We didn't get a map, no direction in where to start first, just kinda going with the herd. So much to view and we all had a great time. But I feel like a bit more organization with the experience flow would've definitely helped.

Great experience; except the shark closed right before we were going to enter it, due to the power walk being inspected. It was definitely disappointing, as that was the entire reason we chose this attraction. Super disappointing to have spent $175 dollars and wasn't given the opportunity to see the sharks, eels, and huge tanks of fishes. If the power walk is broke, then turn it off and let people walk. Floor was also wet and my son, who is 16 slipped and fell. This could've been extremely dangerous with a youngling. The sloth exhibit was dark; the lights were turned off after we walked by and the boys weren't able to see them.

Fun attraction for the family, many interesting tanks and displays for hours of wonder. Check the website for feeding times and different events like mermaid swimming with the stingray's. They do offer a military, first responders, teacher discount.

Great experience! One of our favorite aquariums so far #2! So far we have visited #1 Tennessee, Didn't enjoy much Mississippi,& #3 Georgia ! There was so much for the children to see and do! They really enjoy the "Feel Encounters " of the Stingrays , Jellyfishes,& Starfishes! The employees were all very nice and helpful!

Honestly, I wasn't that impressed. It was confusing to navigate without posted or paper maps. There are no outside shows either. Animals are always cool.

My 4 year old loved it! We got to see new fish we have never seen and we visit a lot of aquariums in different states. They have two type of "playgrounds" one by the food concession and one downstairs. We loved the tunnel with all the sharks & sting rays!

In the Myrtle Beach area, we decided to take a break from the beach and visit. A nice Military discount was also a determining factor. A short drive from our resort, there were a lot of people in attendance but not so much that things moved too slowly. My wife inquired about a wheelchair and one was provided at no charge. That was a very pleasant surprise. Lots of interesting exhibits to visit. We were especially impressed with the huge tank wrapped around and overhead. I mean ferocious Sand Tiger shark, Sawfish, Barracuda, Morays, Grouper and others - what's not to like. I was also very impressed with the HUGE lobster. He was in the cleft of rocks and I could only clearly see one giant claw, which looked about the size of my head! The Jellyfish room was relaxing and almost hypnotic. The penguin exhibit was very enjoyable watching kids, and some smaller adults, to crawl through clear tunnels to a center elevated glass area to be right beside the penguins. Also the Seahorse exhibits were fascinating. A little disappointing that the Mermaid exhibit was closed and that there were no real shoes going on. And the visit only took us about 90 minutes. I think we are spoiled by our Clearwater Florida Aquarium with numerous ongoing shows. But a pleasant and interesting time for a an afternoon out of the sun.

We had the most AMAZING time yesterday. Everyone was very nice that we spoke with! We also paid the extra for the Sloth Valley experience and it was 120% worth it in my opinion. I would not take little kids in to the valley for a 1x1 tour but, that's just because it's such a small space and very humid. Perfect for 16+ in my opinion if you want the true experience with Cleo & Rico. You get to take all the pictures you want with them and feed them. You do NOT get to hold them.. Which was disappointing to this sloth lover but, I completely understood. Still a great addition. Aquarium itself felt smaller than the one in Gatlinburg, TN they have but, the Sloths were a different touch. Lots to do for ages 3-14.. very family oriented. Also, a great date adventure. Great time.. If you are thinking about it... GO

Originally I visited for the Ridley's penguin 5K. The run starts at Ridley's Aquarium and then runs though Broadway at the boardwalk. After the run we received free admission for the day. They have a few areas inside the building for viewing live animals and fish. Then a large play area on the lower level. The shark tank was awesome. You walk through a long clear tunnel and can see sharks from all sides. It was really amazing and I was able to get get shots of the sharks. There is also a large area where they have the penguins. The jellyfish area was neat as they used colorful lighting with the tanks. There wasn't a lot of seating in each area. As it would have been nice to sit for awhile and watch the sea life. The seats they had were taken. I'm thinking it was probably a bit busier since it was a race day for the aquarium. It was still a cool addition to their race. Not sure what the typical cost of an admission so price was not in my evaluation.

We arrived to the aquarium around 8:15pm, not anticipating many people there. Luckily it worked out for us, because with the less amount of people I can actually read the boards. We spent about an hour here. It was nice being able to go at our own pace and look at everything they had to offer. We were excited for 'Sloth Valley', but was a little disappointed to see only 2 sloths there. Whatever, it was still cool to see sloths. They also had a Penguin exhibit, but I guess they were sleeping when we got there because all of the lights were turned off in the Penguin exhibit except some dark purple lights in the tank. So we didn't get to see them super well, and they were all sleeping (but that was cute enough because they cuddle and lay with each other while they sleep!). I LOVED the 'Dangerous Reef' section with the moving Segway. It was nice to relax and stand there and be slowly moved around the enclosure to fully appreciate the reef and the beautiful life within. There was many different species in a majority of the tanks. It was super cool to see the sawfish, and I was impressed with how many they had of each sawfish, and variety of sharks. I absolutely loved the ray bay or whatever. I adore petting the rays. I like how this tank gives the rays the option of whether or not they want to engage with humans because it is such a huge deep tank. Pretty pricey for just two tickets, at nearly $85. The whole place smelled like pool water and BO, but it was super hot and humid the day we went.

This place is half aquarium half play area for kids. My son was more into the jungle gym and water play table than any else. We had to 'drag' him to see the actual exhibits. My favorite is the tunnel. It was longer than I thought and being able to watch the sharks pass by above was cool. I like how you can either ride a slow moving walkway or slowly walk at your own pace. There was a super long line in the morning when we first tried to go so we decided to go later in the afternoon. Unfortunately we missed most of the shows (mermaid and sloth) so if that important than go in the morning. Overall it was a cool place to go and I can understand why it's on Myrtle Beach's "must do" list.

Ripley's is a great place to go if you have children... however, if you are a group of adults or a couple, it is packed to the brim with children and you will constantly be fighting crowds of them to see anything. When I was a kid I loved going and had a great time, so I would still recommend taking the kids, but adults would be better off spending $40 a piece somewhere else.

I honestly don't know how I want to rate Ripley's Aquarium because the location did have some pretty cool fishes/animals but for the price that I paid the experience was short compared to others that I been. The kids did get to see a mermaid show, penguins & they loved the tunnel. The donuts were delicious!

I really wish this place was BIGGER, But it was very nice the sharks where my fav I love sharks. The mermaids where super sweet. It was very crowded and we went around 11 am. Lots of strollers everyone is always running you over very annoyed. But we made the best of it. Ot was very clean and all you saw was staff vacuuming all the time I loved that.

The aquarium was a lot of fun for myself and family members! My grand nephew, really enjoyed our time spent there, and we are all looking forward to returning again in the near future!

Excellent staff and the facilities are well maintained. The interactive activities such as jellyfish or starfish petting, feeding the stingrays, the playgrounds and slides, etc are all great for the little ones.

This used to be one of my favorite aquariums as a kid. It's still decent, but it just doesn't compare to some other aquariums that really aren't too far away from the area. The South Carolina Aquarium is much much better and only 2 hours away if you don't mind the drive. The reasons why I give Ripley's a 3-star rating are: the tanks are pretty dirty, or at least have been every time I've been there. We know Myrtle Beach venues are a total money grab already, but all of the cool stuff costs extra and is pricey to do even the lower costing extras. It's also so crowded (expected), but it's so crowded that it takes a long time to see everything. Be prepared to have to take your kids upstairs to eat something if you don't rush through or skip any areas.

The aquarium is nice. The price is not worth the place, and the photo dock is a fraud. The screen says one magnet, one key chain and 3 wallets, but they only give you the magnet frame, the keychain frame and a photo paper with three fotos and the photos are not even cut. Seems that is how they fool you, because there should be 5 photos instead of just 3. I do not recommend, I am just upset as the manager did nothing to amend the mistake. Even the employee acknowledge about the fraud. Bad business.

Loved it! Lots of footage here https://youtube.com/shorts/YJHYG4xmvJw?si=fd_G_NJai9D682vb

First off the price for what we got to see shouldn't have been $90 for two adults. Then they take your picture when you get in the door from waiting in line. These pictures for one of them is $25 online. When you walk in after your photo there are big signs for where you can go. The moment you look down the stairs you will see the probably 1,000 people crowded at the bottom. At the bottom next to the playhouse for the kids, there's a touch tank one had jellyfish. These jellyfish have been ripped and tore apart I feel so bad for them. This one sweet lady that worked there told me and my boyfriend about how the parents didn't seem to care about how their kid was mishandled the jellyfish! The people being crowded in these corners it was very claustrophobic. Not only were there kids screaming but parents yelling! The touch tank for the string rays was so crowded me and my boyfriend couldn't get to it so we got to miss it. Overall I wouldn't recommend this place for anyone we did not enjoy our whole time there! Very disappointing

It feels bigger than the one they have in Tennessee. Free parking. Tickets seem expensive. The string Ray experience was enjoyable. I just wasn't blow away with my experience. Bathroom were clean. I love that you have to walk out the gift shop to leave. I'm just not sure if i would consider going back

We had a really nice time strolling around and looking at the aquatic life. Granted, we are a little spoiled since we're from Atlanta and our Aquarium is incredible, however, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. My kid is now completely enamored with stingrays (spent almost an hour petting them) and it's been gratifying as a parent to watch him use his phone to look up facts about stingrays. Sometimes it's the little things, you know?

Good aquarium with lots of different fish. They had their Christmas decorations up which included a different tree for each state. There were lots of kids with smiles on their faces so you know it was good.

This place was a mad house from the start. You need to get in a huge line to get your tickets, then stay in another huge line outside just to get into the aquarium! We waited 20 minutes outside in the heat. The inside was NUTS too! Lines to view tanks of fish. The best part was the shark tunnel. It was kid friendly.

This is on the smaller size for an aquarium and for the amount of foot traffic that they get. The best part is the moving walkway under the shark tank so you could see them moving around. If you have a local ID, definitely use it to get the locals discount (very significant)

Always a great visit. Easy walk thru with beautiful aquariums and lots of aquatic life

If your going here for the animal crossing collaboration I'd skip it. They have little stands of the characters up and that's it. No merch in the shop or anything like that. The animals are fine but it is also crowded so you can't enjoy them too much.

While a bit pricey it was worth it! The trip was great with so much to see. I have a child with autism and the staff was accommodating and kind. She was "too tall" for the play area she went in with no issue. The mermaid was mesmerizing too! We loved the experience for all.

We come here every single time that we travel to Myrtle Beach. It is fun for the whole family. There's so many things to see and learn. It is just a great experience. I think it is the highlight each year of my son's vacation. There are plenty of neat photo opportunities, too. Everyone is so friendly. If you haven't been here, I highly recommend it!

Cool place just pricey for a family Since the weather was chilly we decided to do an inside activity to skip the beach. The aquarium is setup into different areas and you can take breaks in each section. Some of the highlights: Penguin view tunnel Mermaid swimming with rays Moving floor to see shark tunnel Some sections were closed in the jelly fish area. Also lots of areas to pay extra for other features. Exit is through the gift shop as well.

Definitely not worth what you are going to pay. Very generic aquarium nothing special.

Took our 8 months old baby to Ripley aquarium, it was his first time ever to any aquarium. Penguins are so cute. My baby was watching quite a bit while they fed penguins. We were very impressed with shark tunnel, so many sharks . We also saw a sea turtle, it was huge, only see once and then he hid somewhere. We didn't see any show when we were visiting. With a baby that small, most of the time I don't want to mess with his schedule so much so we just go slow when we were at the aquarium. We took a good 2 hours to visit almost everywhere in the aquarium, we got some magnet and photos back home. Hopefully we will have chance to be back when our baby will be older.

Was an "Ok" experience. Some cool things to look at but ultimately we were left underwhelmed. We walked through the entire aquarium within an hour after looking at all they had to offer. I can imagine running a place with the live animals is quite costly and is the only reason I could imagine Ripley's charging the price they do. Just to emphasize, my kids had a great time and enjoyed it but they didn't know the price we paid. As a family of 5 would we do it again? Highly unlikely. Mainly due to the price to experience ratio.

At first I was hesitant to visit the aquarium because the location, cost, and marketing-I worried it would be a crowded 'tourist trap'..I was very wrong and so very glad we decided to go..compared to our local Baltimore aquarium, I enjoyed this experience far more. The layout of the aquarium was fantastic. Each exhibit flows into the next, perfect for exploring piece by piece without feeling like we were missing anything. The variety of aquatic life was great, with varying tanks hosting multiple creatures, themes, and habitats. I also loved the interactive portions including touch me screens, buttons to push, peep holes for kids to 'pretend to get into the tanks', touch sting rays, mermaid shows, and penguins to play with. My favorite was the shark tunnel. You can step on a conveyor belt and slowly be transported through a tunnel of sharks, fish, and turtles. This was perfect for standing and looking around with baby without bumping into anyone or feeling rushed to move along. We loved it so much we went through multiple times. I will say, we went on off-season, and the aquarium was very bare so we had a great experience slowly enjoying each aspect. I can imagine, for the aquarium being on the smaller size, during on-season the place may feel too over crowded. During our visit, we were also lucky to be able to view the Festival of Trees, which we loved as much as the fishies. Each state had its own tree complete with state themed toppers and ornaments. It was so much fun guessing each tree by the ornament, seeing the elaborate state love. This added to our experience. Super neat place to explore. Very educational and fun.

Quite possibly the best aquarium in the country. Price was steep imho but the quantity of interactive things to do including but not limited to being able to literally walk under one of the pools was pretty amazing. I've never been this close to a shark. There's a small playground next to glass bottom boat. There's a stingray touch exhibit. There's a mermaid to name a few. We spent almost an entire day here & I'm comfortable staring that this is a must for any family in the area.

It has been a long time since I visited this aquarium and was nice to return with my son and my parents. We visited specifically for the Festival of Trees to do something Christmas themed while visiting my family. The aquarium itself has some great exhibits. The shark tunnel is always a hit (although the conveyor was not working); my son was also a big fan of the interactive displays. We especially enjoyed the jelly fish room, the stingrays (even fed them!), and the sea turtle. I dock a star because the place needs a good cleaning, a bit of an update, and it was very dark inside. The gift shop is also such a trap on the way out. Overall, a nice aquarium to visit but could use a facelift.