South Carolina Aquarium

Went to this aquarium for the first time on a Tuesday morning around 10am, not very busy. Parking in the garage was easy and cheap. The design and layout of the building was great. Animals all look well taken care of. My favorite was the turtle health area where we had fun with the interactive displays with xrays etc to look at. Kid areas looked fun, though my kids are too old for that sort of thing. Bathrooms were clean. Staff was friendly. The outdoor areas of the aquarium were very nice. I like the sea turtles, otters and bald eagle the best. We also got to see an opossum running in a giant hamster wheel, which was fun to watch! We purchased a stuffed otter in the gift shop, its love one of the sweatshirts but could not justify paying $75 for it. I thought it should have been cheaper then that. It took me and my teens about 1 hour to go through the whole aquarium. Touch tanks were nice and large. I loved the hand wash stations (I included a picture of them), they were very unique, I've never seen them before and was impressed! Worth a visit especially if you have younger kids.

Amazing aquarium. Beautiful tanks, informative talks, and tons of interactive exhibits. Staff were friendly and engaged very easily with children. Size and layout of aquarium made it easy to navigate. Clean restrooms and there is a stall designating a manual flush toilet. Extremely helpful if you have a child terrified of an automatic flush. There is also a nursing room and quiet corner area provided if needed. Great afternoon and glad our family decided to visit.

Amazing experience. Went with my wife and 7year old. Spent 5 hours and a couple hundred dollars between admission and gift shop. Worth every penny. The staff was incredibly kind and patient. My child had MANY questions and they were happy to answer all of them in detail. We paid $5 to feed the rays which was totally worth it for such a unique experience. We had about a half dozen animal e counters with various species. My kid LOVED meeting Liberty the bald eagle.

Nice aquarium! Plenty to do. Hands on stuff is really cool, and touching stations are included in admission, which is very nice. Shout out to the coolest hand washing stations I have ever seen! They have several different types and sizes of exhibits. My son loved seeing the divers in the big tank. The views outside are amazing. You can also get snacks at the snack bar, and they have a sizable gift shop. The parking garage is really close and only $5. As bonus, if the dude is selling ice pops on the way back to the garage, get one!

Small but lots of things to see. Great that they rehab turtles here as well. People were very friendly, bathrooms were clean. I will say it got super busy, lots of people, so if you dont like crowds come either early or late. Parking was easy to find as well.

The Aquarium features friendly and knowledgeable staff. It was very clean and easy to navigate. Some of the exhibits were amazing but most were small. Overall the aquarium is not large enough to boast such an expensive price. It took us much less then the recommended time to go through, and we went around twice. Nothing in the building is priced fairly it seems.

Small but educational aquarium. Loved the session near the great tank, the touch stations, and sting ray areas. The staff is really friendly. There is a cafe and a gift shop. The views outside are pretty cool too. We went on a weekend and spent around 2 hours. There is parking available in the garage and outside across from the garage.

Nice exhibits including impressive deep ocean tank, enclosed outdoor marsh habitat, cute otter area, and multiple touch pools. The sea turtles were fun but it would have been nice to see them in a more naturalistic environment instead of a sterile clinic setting. However, it was extremely crowded on a weekday over summer vacation, and small for the price of admission.

11/10 During our trip to Charleston we found out they had an aquarium and decided to visit. They offer discounted prices online if you purchase ahead of time (day before). They do allow strollers and snacks but there is a snack cafe that you can smell when you enter. I was impressed with how many different sections and activities they offered. You can pet stingrays, look into the large tanks, a mini theater, and a hands on area next to the kiddie corner. There is are outdoor tanks as well. They had special programs almost every hour, a gift shop and photos that you could purchase. There are not just aquatic animals but also birds, otters, eagles and land turtles. It was my daughter's first time at any aquarium and we loved it. They took an amazing photo of us as we entered that they gifted us as well. If you're in the area definitely worth the visit!

Took my daughter here today and she really enjoyed it. We have been here before and she loves going to see the "fishies" as she refers to them. The employees were professional and knowledgable about the different species of sea life, reptiles and avian species that they have here. Although the aquarium is on the small side for aquariums (yes, I have been to a few throughout the U.S. and Japan prior to yelping), it is a good place to take the kids if you have them. They are also have sea turtles here. They have different areas that you can touch some of the species that they have on hand. Today they had a snake out to touch. Last time we went they had a small alligator out to touch and learn about. There is also a tank that they have to touch the stingrays and an area to touch starfish. They also did a feeding with the Bald Eagle they have on hand today. They had some employees in the eagle enclosure feeding it and giving it some signs to get it to move around. My daughter really enjoys being able to see an eagle up close. We will continue to visit.

If you have kids, you can easily kill two hours at the aquarium. We brought our visiting niece and nephew to the aquarium because they both love animals. The aquarium has a few cool stops on the way to the big tanks like snake petting, a bald eagle, and fish petting/stroking. The big tanks really are the star of the show, offering sharks, turtles, and very colorful fish. Encourage your kids to camp out for a bit and wait for the big ones to swim by the glass. You'll be in for a treat! Staff is warm, polite, courteous, and GREAT with children.

Hardly an aquarium and barely a lights for the aglow tickets. Giant waste of money. Reminds me of sealife except somehow worse. Two stars for Santa scuba which was cute at least. Honestly the big tank is the only thing worth seeing and that was still pretty lame

This is a cool aquarium that is perfect for the kids if you're in the area and need something to keep your kids entertained. Prices are decent, and they have an area where they can pet baby stingrays. They also have an interactive area for kids to play.

This was our second trip to Charleston. We were here for a wedding event with our children for multiple days so we opted to buy an annual membership. We ended up going twice to the aquarium and spending a ton of time at the Touch tank. My kids loved, touching and feeding the stingrays. They also loved the educational animal encounter daily. This is a small yet well run aquarium that we will frequent anytime we are in the area.

We had a good time exploring and seeing the various animals. I would say for two adults it is overpriced for how large the aquarium actually is. We spent around 2-3 hours and saw the exhibits more than once.

Magical! The South Carolina Aquarium's "Aquarium Aglow" event is a perfect way to celebrate the holidays in Charleston. With lovely light displays, festive photo opportunities, and an underwater Santa experience, it's truly a unique way to spread holiday cheer. Tickets are reasonably priced as well! Perfect for children and adults!

The South Carolina Aquarium is a small aquarium with a big impact. It will not take someone long to walk through, even with small children, but I noted there were many activities to engage children's attention from a small play area to the touch tanks. Focused on native sea life (and local invasive species) you won't find penguins or polar bears here. The educational side is apparent as the facility takes its guests through specific habitats found in the Low Country. Like I expected snapping turtles and otters, but not two different types of venomous snakes. I marveled and shuddered at a tank full of lion fish, an invasive species that has venomous barbs. There are two outdoor areas one focused on rays you can feed and another on various local fish. They have an incredibly large tank inside that makes the center piece - one of the largest in the country. It is mesmerizing to look upon. Part of the aquarium is there sea turtle hospital which educates the public on various dangers local sea turtles face. They have a short video that highlights sea turtle migrations and dangers to turtle hatchlings. Tablets allow visitors to see information on the current patients along with detailed notes. While I knew they helped rehabilitated sea turtles I was clueless to the amount of time that went into it as some turtles are there for years before release. The best part is how passionate the staff is. Every employee was enthusiastic and engaging. It was impossible not to be moved by their mission of education and rehabilitation of injured sea turtles. Talking to them extended my time here as I learned about the aquarium's history and local species. It is a very nice aquarium!

Decided to come here with my fiancé as he loves aquariums. It was a small but pleasant aquarium I really enjoyed a show they had running where a scuba diver went into their big tank to talk about the fish who kept habitat there. The title rehabilitation center was also very interesting as he had the health records of all their patients that you could read about. I think the main downsides personally is that it is really a small aquarium, you probably won't spend more than an hour to an hour and a half here. Also the ticket prices are a bit steep despite the size of the aquarium. But definitely think it's something that should be visited. I recommend buying tickets online the day before you want to visit as it will be cheaper.

Like most aquariums nowadays, it did not feel worth the $80. We went on a Saturday early afternoon & it was packed to be expected but everywhere felt so crowded

Not the best aquarium I have been too, not by a long shot, but still decent. I don't like that there is no parking here, that you need to park kind of far away and then walk out here, but that isn't uncommon for the area. It just isn't that big, and the exhibits lack the pizazz of other aquariums I have been too, but the price is only $5 less per adult than the GA Aquarium which is a much bigger and better aquarium. My family went through in just over an hour. The best part was being able to touch the stingrays and some small sharks, which was cool. But for a small, quick thing, spending this much didn't feel good at all. J.Ja

This was such a fun and interactive experience! I had low expectations when I arrived because of the aquariums I've been to in the past. But this blew my expectations out of the water! From massive tanks to obviously healthy and happy animals, this was such a positive and relieving experience! I felt like a kid again! I got to meet Coretta the sea turtle and the employees were so kind and willing to teach about all the critters! This place is massive too! There's a new adventure around every corner from swamp fish to bald eagles. This was probably my favorite thing we did on our trip to Charleston!

Great fun for the whole family. Friendly staff, great selection of fish to see and sea turtle rehabilitation program make this a great day in Charleston!

Great right by the water cool exhibits and friendly folks! Interesting and culturally/geographically relevant.

I was here last Saturday. My husband and I like to visit aquariums whenever we visit if it is there. This is a very nice building, staff is knowledgeable, and there was a lot of interactive activities in the aquarium. In terms of comparison to other aquariums, it is much smaller than what I expected for the price of admission. The gift shop was big and had a lot of selections. The "cafe" is quite small with limited selections for food (hotdogs, etc.) and there isn't really a place inside to eat. So, I would eat before or after your visit if you want something more than a snack. As another reviewer stated it's not an all day experience but it should last at least an 1-2 hours. I do think it's worth visiting as I learned a lot more about the fish that are native to Charleston. Also, this building is near the water so it's easy to find other stuff to do in the area after the aquarium.

A very calming and relaxing environment, with interactive exhibits for kids, sea turtle rescue and rehabilitation, helpful staff and educational programs too. An interesting collection including a hawk, and jellyfish. You get tickets online in advance and that keeps it from being crowded.

The aquarium was pointed out from the boat tour guide so we thought we'd check out this place. The aquarium is located near the African American Museum and right on the ocean. The entrance was very easy to find. Once inside, we knew we picked another great museum to enjoy. Granted, this aquarium is on the smaller side but there was enough to keep my interest. We were able to enjoy the Q & A with Amy, who was in one of the tank with over 500 different types of fish and turtles. From there, we toured throughout various rooms. Then we moved to the second floor to check out additional various rooms. On each floors, there were an exterior decks to enjoy the views. We were there for couples of hours enjoying this aquarium. Enjoy

While this might not be the Mystic Seaport aquarium it was still a quaint little aquarium with beautiful fish. We came here as something fun to do on a rainy day to ride out the tropical storm.

This aquarium does an outstanding job educating visitors about marine and aquatic life. They have some great hands on activities. The location in the harbor is beautiful. Everything is kept meticulous clean.

https://youtu.be/EPDdvn34Nfg?si=m9am4S095qF7fTOa I like how they have different programs all day so you can really get an educational experience. I enjoyed my experience so much that I made a video about it.

I had an amazing time at the aquarium! The variety of sea creatures on display was truly mesmerizing, and I especially loved watching the graceful movements of the sea turtles. The interactive exhibits also provided a fun and educational experience for visitors of all ages. It was very clean, and I would come again!

Initially I got sticker shock when I was charged $40 for a single adult entry, but it turns out that this is an amazing aquarium! I love visiting aquariums, this might be the 3rd best I've been to...Monterrey Bay and Boston are still 1 and 2. The two large floors are packed with a pleathora of sea creatures and winged creatures, and scaly creatures. I had never seen a Striped Burfish ever...they're scary, spiky, and cute at the same time. The injured eagle is majestic and beautiful. Fishes, sharks, turtles, frogs, reptiles, snakes, birds, jelly fish, lobsters, shrimps, and much much more...as an aquarium nerd, I loved this place!

Really fun place to check out with the kids! So many things to do and see, we ran out of time! We bought tix on the day of for a time entry. I later found out you can go in and come back out again. Lots to see here and the staff are very friendly and informative. Bob was notably kind and helpful, he took the time to explain a lot of things about the aquarium we didn't know. Would definitely buy a year's membership if I lived locally!

This aquarium is pretty small and really focuses on what you would find in South Carolina waters, which was really nice. They had a wide variety of fish and a lot of different fish than I've seen in other aquariums. I loved all the sea turtles and the rehab for them. It was really interesting to read their stories and learn about them. Their snack shop leaves much to be desired, but they have quite a big gift shop! This was a nice place overall. I don't know if I would be back, but I would recommend it to check out at least once.

This is not an all-day aquarium experience, but we had a great experience. The aquarium is clean and the tanks are easy to access. Crowds were not a problem at the time of our visit. Favorite things Piranhas - we got to see their feeding frenzy Turtles - my daughter is nuts about turtles Sharks Scuba divers - 3 of them A bald eagle Additional thoughts Parking is in a garage across the street. $5 for us The snack bar is very limited. Hot dogs $5, chips, nuts, colas. That's about it. Clean restrooms. This is not a Sea World experience, but it is well worth your time.

Great exhibits. Helpful docents. Lots to see and learn from. The marsh/wetland exhibit was great. Impressed with turtle rehab facilities!

Aquariums are always fun. The people here are super nice, and we enjoyed touching and looking at the animals. Kids everywhere like you'd imagine, it would be cool if there were adult activities too! There are a lot of adult only groups going through (like us) as well!

Our first time at the aquarium since moving to the area, I expected something simple, given Charleston is a small city but was wowed by the amount of sea life. Our son absolutely loved it, getting an opportunity to touch sting rays, a dog shark, starfish and much more. They have a huge bald eagle, turtles, sharks, tons of fish, snakes and even a kids play area. We will definitely be back to enjoy more of what the aquarium has to offer!

You can tell they care for the animals well and they had lots of different animals and activities to see. Very educational! It was an incredible rainy day activity!

I like the aquarium, we've been members for almost 3 years now. It is a great place to take my son on days when weather is iffy or we just want an adventure. My personal favorites are finding the sea turtle in the large tank and watching the cargo ships. My son loves to see the eagle and the touch tank. The aquarium is on the small side, but there isn't much they can do about this. You can get through the whole thing in less than an hour which is pricey if you're paying the regular rate. The membership is worth it if you are local. It also gets really dirty throughout the day between fingerprints and kids playing with the interactive displays, and truthfully, I've never seen anyone cleaning which is a bit disappointing. They do have hand sanitizer stations positioned throughout so we take advantage of those.

Another day event for us was the Aquarium and it was very enjoyable. Sorta of small but the turtle exhibit is interesting. You can grab a bite to eat inside and relax along the water. They said you can have a chance to see dolphins riding the waves along boats but sadly we didn't.

This aquarium is really large! you can pet sting rays, eat food, see all kinds of marine life, drink a beer and they have a play area for smaller children on the second floor. We walked from the historic downtown and it only took about 15 minutes. Will definitely go back!

Many amazing creatures call the Aquarium home. My visit was quite memorable because there were surprises on every floor. Before entering the Aquarium, there is a live exhibit of natural lowland coastal plants. Inside there are gigantic tanks of large fish including sharks. I was fascinated by the turtle hospital where rescued turtles are treated for medical conditions and rehabilitated. Each turtle had their own story of survival. Outside on an upper deck, is a stingray petting tank. Educational instructors were on hand to provide information about the sting rays. While out on this upper deck, you will have amazing views of the vibrant harbor. The biggest surprise was seeing the resident Bald Eagle. Imagine being close to one of these amazing birds! The Aquarium is easy to move around with plenty of restrooms and hand sanitizing stations. The staff is friendly and helpful. There is a parking garage across the street and the walk to the Aquarium is picturesque with fountains and walkways. A visit to the Aquarium is a must.

a little small for the price, but a great experience overall. They have scuba divers in the tanks for shows and lots of reptiles too. Otters were so cute. I could've spent hours at the stingray touch tank

Hello Charlestonians I visited the Charleston Aquarium last Friday and it was an all around great field trip for me and my teenage bestie. My bestie was especially enchanted by the sea turtles. I think it's because he really likes the movie "Finding Nemo." He didn't care so much about the other fish. At one point, we saw a baby crocodile and I asked him what he thought it was and he told me he thought it was a lizard. So I guess the baby crocodile looked a little off. Overall it was a really good time. I am still very concerned about the eagle and haven't stopped thinking about it since. Me and my bestie are convinced it's a robot eagle because we saw it at the beginning of the trip and at the end of the day we came back and it was in the same spot. I don't know what's up with that. Overall this was a very educational trip and I think me and my bestie got a little smarter after visiting.

Smaller but entertaining and educational aquarium with two levels to enjoy. Allot at least 90 minutes to see everything and take your time at the areas of interest. Obviously they have fish and a variety of marine life, but also otters, some birds, and a sea turtle rehabilitation program. They have one large tank with a variety of fish, a few sharks, and a sea turtle; you can view it from two levels. SC law does not allow them to have dolphins, manatees or whales. If you've visited other big aquariums, like the GA Aquarium in Atlanta, don't expect this one to compare. But it's a nice place to visit, observe some wildlife, and maybe learn something new. The facility is on the river so you get some nice outdoor views, with Patriots Point directly across the river. You can also take a break outside and watch boats on the river. The snack bar, which honestly looked like a joke, was closed for renovation (singular since it's too small for multiple renovations :). They let you bring in water and your own snacks. Expect to pay for parking in the nearby deck or along the street, except Sundays when street parking is free. Buy tickets online and reserve an entry time before your arrival. Entry generally runs $31-35 per adult. Family annual memberships are available and will save you money if you plan to make multiple visits.

My family was in Charleston so we decided to check out the aquarium. The building is really cool and it is nice that it is on the water. There are two main levels. The first floor had an interesting exhibit on sea turtle rescue. The top floor had some outdoor animals as well as a kids area, They do have a touch tank. The otters are very popular but their exhibit was closed. It is pretty expensive but if your kids love aquariums, it could be OK.

Very nice aquarium with a friend staff. We stopped by it killed two hours. There are a lot of fish and rescued animals . I like it's a non for profit. They had a gift store and a little play area for kids. Overall, if you are visiting it's a great place to check out. They definitely have some interesting fish to see.

It was very nice, staff was friendly my only complaint is the pricing in the gift shop $40 for an average t-shirt is crazy but I did get a little sea turtle pin for 9.00, they had a nice outside area with fish ducks and a pink pelican, I did feel bad for some of the fish tho they had a lot of fish in a medium sized tank and they had this one fish in a super tiny tank.

The aquarium is decent, but I've visited far superior ones. It's lacking in exhibits, and some of the displays were not particularly thrilling. I would recommend skipping it.

One of the best aquariums that I have ever visited. It is very well laid out with lots of engaging activities along with a variety of exhibits that highlight the wildlife of the Carolinas. The 11 am dive show was fun for the kids so try to catch that if you can. The staff was A+ with several members checking in on us and engaging with the little one over the exhibits. You just don't get that kind of hospitality any more and the staff genuinely enjoyed working there.

I love that they help turtles. I also love that you can see the turtles they're helping, or even watch them through the glass as they do. Each turtle has a story you can read about... they even have a section for kids to play and learn in a replicated lab with life size faux turtles. We know going in, the tickets were cheap... typically at other aquariums we pay $60+ per ticket... here is $30... so we had an idea this place was small, and that price shows that. But it's TINY. They have one shark it seems, and one long time resident turtle. Sting rays are outside... but otherwise everything is small critters. A bald eagle as soon as you come in... which I'm very sad for the poor baby.

For the admission price of $40+ dollars, the attractions are hardly worth it. Mostly small tanks and not a real variety of species outside of southern US waters.

Small, crowded, expensive. I've seen a lot of Aquariums, this one was by far the worst I've ever been to, and at the price it was an insult. $77 for two people (and a small child), we were there for 35 minutes. Could barely get through the place, which wasn't entirely because of the amount of people, but also because there's no darn room in there. This place needs a major makeover, and for what they're charging at the door, they could easily afford it.

I personally love this aquarium. I've been going for over 15 years and went today for the first time in a while. It's small and focused on education and conservation - don't expect the glitz and glam you see at the Georgia Aquarium! You can tell the animals are well taken care of, and the layout and flow of the aquarium is so thoughtful, taking you from the mountains upstate all the way down to the coast. I love that they have brought the sea turtle hospital upstairs, so you can see the great work they are doing helping the little guys heal. I didn't see as many roaming animals for guest interactions as they used to have, but the touch tanks certainly help you get your animal fill. All in, a great day trip with the family!

This was a great aquarium. The facility has a smart layout, so it doesn't feel too crowded even if it's packed. The staff is laid back and ready to talk to you about any subject if you ask. It's the kind of place that made me want to come back. A+

What a fun day at the Charleston Aquarium! We are from Albuquerque, New Mexico and came to Charleston on a whim vacation. We stayed at the Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina and took the Water Taxi almost everywhere most days! However this day it was rainy so we grabbed and Uber and went to the Charleston Museum (which was also great) and the Aquarium which is fairly close! My absolute favorite was the River otters! They are sooooo stinkin' cute and worth it to come and see them. I was highly impressed the the Sea Turtle urgent care and hospital! What a fantastic way this aquarium gives back to the community through education and advocacy for conservation. They are almost finished creating a new aquarium store and I peeked in on the progress and it looks like it will be fantastic! I was able to buy my son a stuffed hammerhead shark and a transformer shark for some souvenirs. He will love them. Cheers!

Great aquarium. Focus on marshland animals and the staff is friendly and helpful. Lots to see and great for kids.