North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island

Fantastic experience: Loved the aquarium, was small but had a lot of interactive screens and many local species. Also had a small pool where you can touch some of the manta rays and another where you could touch some of the other sea creatures. Geared more for kids, but fun for adults too.

Positive experience: It's a small aquarium for adults you can walk through pretty quick. They do have some nice outside trails and other things outside but it was to hot to enjoy those when we went.

Fantastic experience: Took my 11 month old here for the first time! Everyone was very knowledgeable and friendly! We make a point to go here every year on vacation! A good inside activity that’s affordable for the whole family!

Fantastic experience: It's a hot day, so we decided to visit the NC Aquarium. We've been here before and always enjoy it. There are lots of fish, gators, snakes, frogs, turtles, and sharks to view! The turtle rescue section was very informative and friendly. We also enjoyed walking the grounds and out to the shaded pier. We even saw a nesting osprey, which was pretty cool! Lots of kiddos visiting. I ❤️ this place. Great gift store and food truck, too. The price was right as well.

Positive experience: Not the largest place to visit, but it packs a big punch for its size. My oldest really enjoyed the interactive turtle rescue exhibit. We did it during the hottest day of the week, so a great day trip for a bad beach day.

Fantastic experience: What a great Aquarium! Never saw an albino alligator before so that was awesome! Very cool jellyfish tanks and a huge shark tank! Just a great experience.

Fantastic experience: My family had a wonderful time minus adults cutting off my kids (1 year old, 4 year old, and 6 year old) as they were looking at the exhibits.

Fantastic experience: Beautiful aquarium. They have a lot of different species and a beautiful touch pond.

Fantastic experience: BEST 12 DOLLARS IVE SPENT IN THE PAST YEAR. For $12 I didn’t think we’d see much, but this covered not just the building, (which is pretty big for the small island) But also the gardens and trails on the property. They have an extensive sea turtle area and are continuing to rescue and release turtles live. An absolute must for any family in the area.

Fantastic experience: Make reservations online the aquarium will fill up even on weekdays. Nice sea turtle, shark and jellyfish exhibits. There is a pier and nice garden to check outside.

Fantastic experience: Wonderful aquarium with beautiful grounds and a nature trail and butterfly garden also appear going out over the Sound. Was already busy at opening 9:00 a.m. so expect to have company

Fantastic experience: Always a great experience at the aquarium. Turtles on the mend and the folks always answer questions about last years “patients”. Highly recommend and will definitely be back.

Positive experience: The aquarium is small and only takes about an hour from beginning to end. Despite the brief visit, it's worth a new visitor's time for some unique exhibits it offers versus other aquariums plus it's air conditioned when you need a break from the OBX heat.

Fantastic experience: Beautiful aquarium! Well worth your time and money. Neat turtle rehab interactive center and active otters. Great activity on a hot afternoon!

Fantastic experience: A wonderful experience for adults and kids! Wonderful sea life and it was awesome to touch the stingrays, and horseshoe crabs. And the outside is beautiful as well! We visit every time we come to the OBX!

Fantastic experience: Shark exhibit narrator, please tell the audience to be quiet . So many kids being loud that a lot of people said they couldn’t hear, not just our party of 8. (Which included 4 teenagers) The aquarium itself is pretty cool . A lot of great exhibits , (you can touch a stingray), especially the otters and the jellyfish . Would definitely recommend !

Fantastic experience: Wonderful, highly interactive aquarium! The children loved the turtle rehab simulator and the stingray petting area.

Positive experience: Nice, small aquarium for the family. Not too much excitement but something to do.

Fantastic experience: An awesome aquarium for the price! Spent about a hour and a half looking at the exhibits and fish tanks. 100% recommend with families with younger children. Ours loved it. Definitely recommend the visit.

Fantastic experience: One of the nicest aquariums I’ve ever been to. It’s not the biggest, but it’s packed with amazing animals and well-designed exhibits. Everything was clean, well-organized, and clearly cared for. A great experience for all ages—definitely worth checking out!

Positive experience: Smaller aquarium compared to other NC aquariums, but well maintained. Helpful staffs. Sea turtle rehabilitation center was an interesting setup, a lot of learnings for young kids. Should be able to cover the entire plan within an hour. They do have an outdoor exhibit - Pollinator habitat garden. If weather permits this garden offers some interesting views.

Positive experience: We love aquariums! We drove almost 2 hours from Hampton Roads to visit this place. We liked it, they have a good amount of animal displays, although it is not very big. My son loves the sharks, and the aquarium has a decent-sized shark tank. We also liked the view from the pier,and the little nature walk trail. The best part, the entrance wasn't as expensive as other aquariums.

Fantastic experience: very cute aquarium that’s great for kids and interactive with a wide gift shop collection

Fantastic experience: Very nice little aquarium! We especially loved the clinic for the injured green sea turtles! It's a much smaller aquarium than Baltimore, MD or Adventure in Camden, NJ but it was definitely worth the trip!

Fantastic experience: Our whole family had so much fun! The kids loved the sharks, ship area, and the shark tooth digging! I had no idea that they rehabilitate turtles. We learned so much about the process and it was honestly my favorite part. I also really love the idea of them teaching people how to fish and crab.

Fantastic experience: Really awesome and well put together aquarium. Unassuming but man do they pack a lot here. We saw an albino alligator, 4 big sharks, 4 seahorses and a handful of different kinds of jellyfishes. The feel-it pools were cool we got to touch the rays. The outdoor natural walk is also cool filled with fun activities for toddlers and the boardwalk got some nice chairs even small chairs for kids. A bonus is because it's located right next to the local airport, you get to see planes land and take off. A must do with the family while in the OBX.

Fantastic experience: This was a great aquarium with an inexpensive entry fee of $12.50! We are in our 60s but had a great time. Loved the entire place, bought some stuff in the gift shop. I highly recommend!

Fantastic experience: You have to take the time to come here.. The staff is amazing and knowledgeable, great exhibits and wonderful views.. Will be coming back again!!!

Positive experience: For what you pay, it’s worth it. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable. They have some pretty jellyfish tanks and the fish and otter exhibits are nice too. They also have a turtle rescue hospital which is very interesting and a great contribution to saving their little lives. They’re doing a lot of good for the turtle population in OBX. This was a good day trip for a rainy day during our OBX vacation and not too expensive (only $12.95/adult) However, the aquarium was kind of overrun by children on our visit. Of course we expect to see kids at an aquarium but there were so many, being loud and getting underfoot so you’re constantly tripping over them or being bumped into by one of them. We found ourselves waiting a long time for children to move on from an area so we could get to see the fish too. It’s not the aquarium’s fault though. Parents really need to teach their children more about how to behave in public and then keep an eye on them and be mindful of others. When I went to the aquarium as a child, it was an educational experience and we were excited to go but also expected to be considerate. It kind of ruins the experience for others when they don’t. We were looking forward to the demonstration and hands on turtle experience but there were so many kids, you couldn’t even get in and they stay so long playing around that we gave up and never got a turn. The aquarium does have a “sell out” limit which I think they might want to consider a smaller number of guests at a time. This is a small aquarium with few nice exhibits and it would be nice for all to get to enjoy them.

Positive experience: After visiting several aquariums including Maui, Florida, and many more, I was expecting more as it is sitting right on the side of the coast. The aquarium is super small, can get overcrowded in some areas, and overwhelming for any child with special needs like mine. It was a nice place to spend at least 30 to 45 minutes, but would it be a location I would come back to? Nope. The staff were super nice, and I do recommend purchasing your tickets in advance, that way you don't have to wait in line.

Negative experience: This was a very small aquarium, probably the smallest I've ever been to and we've been to a lot. Surprisingly, being so close to the ocean, most of the species were fresh water fish. We did see 2 rattlesnakes which was neat because I've never seen one in captivity before. They had a touch tank for the littlest with sting rays, but it was crowded. The weather called for rain, so we purchased our tickets online. Apparently, they do sell out and you have to puck a time to arrive. If you are more than 15 minutes late, they may not take you. The highlight was a few sand sharks in a big tank and this albino alligator which are shown below. He was just hanging out for photos. They had a turtle rescue area there too, but no sea turtles. We saw box turtles, but we had just found one in our back yard. Mostly it was commonly seen fish and amphibians that you can see anywhere, like the green tree frogs, box turtles and fresh water fish. I asked two others what they thought of it, and tgey agreed it wasn't worth the price of $15.75 to get in. It took less than an hour including looking through the gift shops and waiting to use the restrooms.

Fantastic experience: We make a point to stop every summer. Just as much fun for adults as it is for children!

Fantastic experience: My kids love aquariums and this one did not disappoint. My kids loved the otters and the sea turtles the most. It was definitely one of the highlights of our stay in the outer banks. Highly recommended.

Fantastic experience: This is a great little aquarium. There’s a lot of attractions and hands on activities for kids. Definitely buys tickets in advance and schedule your visit online.

Fantastic experience: My family is in town on vacation and visited the aquarium. It was so perfect!

Fantastic experience: Small aquarium (compared to the Baltimore aquarium that we visit at home) but very cool, interactive exhibits and very friendly employees. Lots of fish, reptiles, alligators, otters, jellies and more. Cool park area outside with a food truck and great views of the sound.

Fantastic experience: Great place to visit. You can learn a lot there and see all kinds of fish and turtles.

Fantastic experience: We loved this aquarium. We’ve been to all 3 in NC and I would go back to this one. We went on a Sunday morning at 9 and there was hardly anyone there. We didn’t have tickets, but have a membership, and we were told to still purchase a time slot - just in case anyone else runs into that issue. The staff were very friendly and our 1 year old had a great time.

Fantastic experience: This Aquarium was a great time. The drive through Roanoke Island was very pleasant as well. I suggest anyone interested in Museums / Aquariums to check it out, especially if you have kids. Just make sure you reserve your tickets!

Fantastic experience: Loved this aquarium. The sea turtle hospital was really cool.

Fantastic experience: A must do with any visit to the area. Nice exhibits even for a smaller aquarium. Highly recommend reservations in case you go during the busy season.

Fantastic experience: Nice place for a family to Goto. Went in the mid morning. Didn’t realize you needed reservations but they let us buy tickets to get right in. Very welcoming and polite. The aquarium is very nice and taken care of. Enjoyed it from beginning to end.

Positive experience: Great aquarium. Enjoyed learning about the turtle hospital and the jellyfish exhibit is beautiful.

Fantastic experience: It's a small venue, but very nice. It is highly recommended that you purchase tickets in advance online. Since it is a smaller aquarium, there's no guarantee of entry without pre-purchased tickets for your visiting time slot. We were almost denied entry because it was that busy on a Monday and schools are still in session.

Fantastic experience: Loved this place and the price was great 13 dollars per person

Fantastic experience: This is my third aquarium I've visited, and even though it was the smallest, we definitely loved it. They should have more staff.

Fantastic experience: It was great! Unfortunately we went pretty close to closing so we only had an hour to explore, but the inside was small enough we were able to see everything we wanted and spent quite a bit of time in the touch tank room! The gift shop was also great! They had so much to choose from!

Fantastic experience: Very interesting aquarium. It's well maintained, and the staff was very friendly and informative. It is well worth the trip.

Fantastic experience: It's very educational. A good place to take the family to. I really appreciated the turtle hospital.

Fantastic experience: what a great aquarium experience. lots of different species to see, the shark tank was very cool. So glad we visited the turtle hospital as well. The employees of the turtle hospital were so great to answer everyone's questions about the different turtles they currently had in recovering for various injuries or illnesses.

Fantastic experience: Small but great! Perfect for an afternoon or morning trip or kn a rainy day when the beach isn't an option. Pet rays! Sea turtle rehab center is open! The otters are the best!

Fantastic experience: Our 7 and 4-year-olds enjoyed their time at the museum, as part of our spring break trip in OBX. We spent about two hours between the outside trails and indoor exhibits. The kids loved the alligators, interactive sea turtle hospital, petting sharks and rays, and much more. Friendly staff.

Fantastic experience: Great aquarium to visit if you have time to swing by. Lots to see and a good amount of interactive things for the kids.

Fantastic experience: This is an amazing aquarium! For $13 per person, it's absolutely worth the price. Other aquariums in my area (Baltimore MD and Camden NJ) charge about $40-50 per person. It is smaller than these aquariums, but for the experience, it's totally worth it. The exhibits are nicely done, with impressive displays of the jellyfish, a beautiful shark tank, nicely presented swamps, and others. I went in the off season (early April) and it wasn't too crowded. There were bursts here and there, but it was generally a pleasant visit. The staff is very nice as well.

Fantastic experience: We bought tickets for right when it opened. We were the only ones in line waiting for the doors to open. We were initially concerned because they're were 3 tour busses full of kids waiting to unload The kids did eventually swarm around us at one point but we took a walk on the pier for a few minutes and when we got back they had moved on. It was wonderful and the employees were all very friendly and informative. They had cold shocked sea turtles in the hospital and we were allowed to see them and hear about their treatment. We had a great time!

Fantastic experience: This was a great aquarium for our family with kids ranging in age from 7-17! We all loved the touch tanks, everyone there was friendly and helpful, and the STAR Center was an amazing and unique experience! Lots of amazing memories made on our spring break trip from Maryland!

Fantastic experience: I came to see the sea turtles and was not disappointed. I enjoyed the whole exhibit, especially the sea turtles!!!!!!

Fantastic experience: Beautiful medium size aquarium. The staff made the whole trip and we loved that they had special needs students volunteers. Great experience. The albino alligator was neat. We loved the turtle rehab station too.

Fantastic experience: Enjoyed a couple of hrs here. The big tank with the sharks was our favorite.

Fantastic experience: The Aquarium is small but wonderful with great active display boards. The staff is knowledgeable and friendly. I highly recommend it for groups participating in a lock-in because it was one of the best programs we have attended.

Fantastic experience: This was so beautiful it was amazing the sharks were so cool to watch and really cool jellyfish and all the other fish definitely recommend!!

Fantastic experience: Very well done, appreciated the staff sharing information. Sea turtle rescue was well done and staff willingness to share information. Would highly recommend for adults and children. Make a reservation! We did not know but we were accomadted very nicely by staff.

Fantastic experience: Great time. A lot of wildlife for the size of the aquarium. Handsome on exhibits and learning stations. Friendly staff great interaction with Kids of all ages and Adults.

Fantastic experience: This aquarium is small yet cool. Loved it. It was super cool to watch the jelly fishes, seahorses and the sharks!

Fantastic experience: Very nice! Lots of aquatic life! Fish, Alligators, Turtles, Sharks, Snakes and Frogs!! Very clean, friendly and family oriented!! Not very expensive. Will be going back in the near future!!

Fantastic experience: Loved this small aquarium! Perfect for our 3yr old & 8yr old. Interactive turtle rescue exhibit & touch pond. Every exhibit was well maintained & extremely clean. Outside area has a nature trail and a rock pit where you can dig for shark teeth. We spent about an hour or so here. It was on our museum/zoo reciprocal list so we got in for 50% discount. Reservations are required!

Fantastic experience: Not too big but good exhibits. Really enjoyed the turtle rescue area. Plan for about 90 minutes with kids.

Fantastic experience: My daughter and I are here in OBX on vacation and came to the aquarium. It is a small aquarium surrounded by amazing scenery. We loved the stingrays and the otters. I could watch those otters swim all day! It was a nice place to visit. We finished it in an hour.

Positive experience: its nice calm diversion in spring. 2 laps. staff freindly. 2 for 1 aza reciprcal. they push advanced timed entry too much. 5 cars in parking lot. know might come afternoon after lunch from Duck. how am i suposed to guess exact time when not sure if even coming.. anoyance factor could do without.i think they get more personal data off you when do on line. aside fm that, great as always.dont rush. stop let the crowds pass and enjoy..

Negative experience: decent aquarium, pretty small with nothing crazy exciting or different but i figured itd be a good way to pass time. kind of wish i had just donated the $13 ticket fee because i did not enjoy my time here at all due to the staff's behavior. spent less than 10 minutes here total because they were making me uncomfortable and quite literally mean mugging me. i dunno maybe because it was near the end of the day or because i came alone or my looks or what but im not coming back here for sure. 2 stars for the jellyfish and sharks though

Fantastic experience: is fun I love it you get to pet stingrays and the staff is really kind and my grandson really loved it

Fantastic experience: We were visiting with our 15 month old, and he loved all the fish and creatures. The staff was very friendly and engaging with me and my son. At one point, a scuba diver was cleaning a tank, saw my kiddo, and started waving and playing peekaboo. It was really sweet to see him light up at that. It is a beautiful place!

Fantastic experience: This aquarium center provides an excellent experience thanks to its friendly and attentive staff, well-maintained surroundings, and a variety of exhibits. It's a perfect tranquil getaway for guests to enjoy the beauty of nature, particularly the stunning jellyfish display. In summary, I strongly recommend it as a calming spot to engage with marine life.

Fantastic experience: My toddler had so much fun!! It was so fun and interactive. We did not know to make a reservation but they were not sold out that day thank goodness so we made a reservation there and was able to go in and had lots of fun! :)

Fantastic experience: Very beautiful aquarium with lots of varieties of sea creatures staff are very good and knowledgeable and explains everything in a detailed manner.my kids had a very good day and had lots of fun

Fantastic experience: Located on Roanoke Island, it's a bit out of the way if staying on the northern beaches of OBX, but it's worth your time to visit. Highlights inside are the jellyfish and the Graveyard of the Atlantic exhibit. Check out the outdoor habitat garden if the weather is nice.

Fantastic experience: Wonderful Aquarium, brought my teens from Nevada visiting the area. We took our time and got great information and education from the friendly staff yesterday. Spent approx. 1.5 hrs which was the perfect amount of time. Favorites were the Otters, Turtles, Jellyfish, Shark tank, but the interactive touch pools stole the show, and staff was wonderful in that exhibit. We recommend.

Positive experience: Nice sized aquarium with a decent variety of fish, turtles, crocodiles, sharks and more. Has a small touch tank with rays and a shark. Definitely worth a visit if you are in the area

Fantastic experience: We had a nice visit. It only took 30 mins to go through unlike an hour at the VA Aquarium. The ladies working the Sting Ray station were very informative and knowledgeable. We enjoyed learning from them. The jelly fish and sharks were neat to see! This would be a nice place during warmer weather to walk the trails.

Fantastic experience: Fabulous little aquarium. Perfect for all ages. Knowledgeable and friendly staff, Fun and well maintained exhibits.

Fantastic experience: Definitely recommend buying tickets ahead of time for spring/summer visits. We came Jan 2nd and were able to see everything with ease. Didn’t feel rushed at all going through exhibits. The kids really enjoyed themselves

Fantastic experience: Great little aquarium on the island. Visit during winter and still was packed. Schedule out in advance. Must visit when on the island. Not costly either. Family of 5 and only $60!

Fantastic experience: Such a fun, family friendly experience. Very clean, helpful staff. Online ticket purchase is stated as a requirement, but for our initial visit we paid at the ticket booth.

Fantastic experience: Absolutely amazing. I expected it to be expensive and underwhelming, it was cheap and above and beyond. I had never been to an aquarium and it blew me away. Otters, turtles and sharks were my personal highlights. I highly recommend donating to S.T.A.R, all the staff we talked to were amazing and incredibly friendly, this is somewhere you MUST visit if you're on Roanoke Island!

Fantastic experience: Small but nice aquarium with some nice highlights of the otters, jellyfish, and albino alligator. One of the otters was actively swimming about which was nice to catch. The gift shop is extremely nice as well.

Fantastic experience: What a cool place to go while spending time in Kitty Hawk. Kids would love it, but bigger kids like my husband and I really got to enjoy it. It was totally worth the reasonable admission and convenient parking. We even got to watch the turtles being fed which was so creative and enjoyable. The jellyfish room is not to be missed! Book an appointment online for quicker entrance. You can do it in the parking lot upon arrival, it was that easy.

Fantastic experience: The Manteo Aquarium is a smaller version of your larger aquariums but still delivers beautiful colored fish as well as gators, sharks and other aquatic life. Charming staff add to the experience. If you're in the area, it's worth a visit.

Fantastic experience: Was really fun, went with my family: Mom, dad, little brother. When we got there they were very nice. Aquarium was really cool with really cool features, 10/10. I recommend going on a weekend! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Positive experience: A very nice little aquarium. We enjoyed walking through. The otters are very cool, and the shark exhibit at the end is nice. We especially like the gravel area where we dug for fossils.

Fantastic experience: Nice little place to visit! Really enjoyed the exhibits and the sea turtle rehabilitation center.

Fantastic experience: My whole family loved this place! It wasn’t super expensive either but you purchase your tickets online to make a reservation. We’re from out of town and didn’t know but we managed to place the order in the parking lot and we’re just fine getting in. They have many classes and extra stuff you can purchase to do there and all the fish and animals were close to the tanks and easy to see. It was a very nice, very clean place to visit. We came here twice on our week vacation because our kids loved it so much.

Positive experience: We really enjoyed the aquarium! Everything was clean, the staff was knowledgeable, and the animals looked healthy! It was a little smaller than we expected and took only an hour to walk through slowly. We will visit again though!

Fantastic experience: My kids loved visiting this small aquarium while we were on vacation. Although it isn't very big, it's worth a visit. My kids loved helping the turtles regain their health and enjoyed the touch pool of stingrays.

Fantastic experience: Wonderful staff, cool gift shop. I love the naturalist who is giving the demonstration of feeding the sharks very informative all of the educational signage around was really really nice to have and it was good to learn about all of the animals in the exhibits. Ten out of ten great place to visit.

Fantastic experience: We love visiting this aquarium with or without children. If we're ready for a break from the beach due to weather or just having had too much sun, this is our go-to way to spend an afternoon.

Fantastic experience: The North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island is a fantastic place to explore marine life and learn about the local ecosystem. The exhibits are well-designed, informative, and engaging for all ages. The highlight was definitely the sea turtle rescue exhibit—an inspiring and educational experience. A great stop for families and anyone interested in the wonders of the ocean.

Fantastic experience: We went at the very end of the day during the week. Very few crowds and had a wonderful experience. The big tank was very impressive. And we always love to see the jellyfish! My kiddos loved the touch tanks. Reasonably priced tickets and the outside view is incredible. Especially around sunset. Gotta be sure to get your tickets before entering. There are signs with instructions how to purchase out front for those who don’t buy before arrival.

Positive experience: Small but interesting. A good variety of creatures. Informative. Well organized. Adequate parking. Make reservations in advance. You will be assigned or choose 2-hr time slot. Full party must all enter at the same time.

Positive experience: Wasn't sure what to expect, it was a little smaller then I expected but still had a large variety of species on display. Super kid friendly, a interactive sea turtle rescue experience for the young ones showing how they care for rescued sea turtles in the aquarium. A big Shark tank, A pair of gators and a abstract looking jellyfish room. Worth coming even for adults, there's alot to see here and recommend to others.

Fantastic experience: We absolutely loved the aquarium! It was perfect for my 4 year old daughter and my 16 year old son even enjoyed himself as well! The exhibits were amazing! My daughter loved learning about the STAR program and about all of the other animals! I highly recommend visiting this aquarium- it is totally worth the drive!