North Carolina Estuarium

Fantastic experience: First time here, was something different to see and do. Beautiful location right on the water. Very nice, informative set up. Super friendly, knowledgeable staff. There's a nice theater to watch a short informative movie. The rest is a self walk thru exhibits, with many interactive displays. They have a snake, turtle, fish and crab to see. Although they had a few different tanks with a turtle & a crab it said no touch tanks. But other online info I seen said they had touch tanks. They are re-doing some things and expanding soon ,so those may return later. A staffer said they do alot of events throughout the year. There is a boat tour but we didn't become aware of it until we were leaving. No one told us about it, not sure if it wasn't currently operating or if it only operates during the week. Definitely would return. Great for kids. Recommend. Small $5 admission fee. I think kids under 4 are free.

Fantastic experience: Very impressive and educational science museum on the banks of the Pamlico River. Staff was more than welcoming and helpful. Impressive two-story art installation in lobby also told the story of the moisture cycle around North Carolina. Inexpensive admission. Displays Very professionally done.

Negative experience: It has really gone downhill. It used to be halfway decent but staff has always been rude. We stopped today and it was dirty and unkempt. The grounds were overgrown and not in a cute way for summer estuary education. The gift shop was just shein and temu stuff where they used to have a lot of nice local pottery and water color art. I gave 2 stars because the employee in the gift shop today was nice and friendly.

Fantastic experience: The kids really enjoyed it as there is a lot of interaction for them to learn and enjoy the information that is provided by the staff. The staff were very informative and professional.

Negative experience: Well, its small I expected to see plenty of small animals but they only have a crab and a turtle and a baby alligator...

Fantastic experience: Easily worth the entry fee, it was a delightful afternoon activity! It seems more geared towards kids than adults but I enjoyed it a lot.

Fantastic experience: My family and I really enjoyed our visit. We fished, walked, went to a carnival, and met lots of friendly people.

Fantastic experience: My 2nd time attending. It's a great fun educational family-friendly experience

Fantastic experience: My niece and I loved the experience.

Fantastic experience: I love this museum! We recently got married here in May and it was the best decision we made. We had a very small ceremony that was very short which made it really quick, simple, and easy. We chose to use the large sculpture in their entry way for our arbor. There was a ton of natural light which made the images look magical. The faculty were extremely helpful and welcoming. They had tables and chairs ready for us to set up. The most magical thing was the exhibition space was left open. So, as we waited to walk down the isle we had a very special moment walking through their space. It was private, magical, and welcoming. I want to thank everyone that helped with this rental!

Fantastic experience: Nice place to stop and find out about the eastern Carolina eco system. Great for kids and adults.

Fantastic experience: Neat little stop with some local history and information on the environment.

Fantastic experience: Good place to learn. Just make sure to check out the 2 houses across the street with cannon balls still stuck in them.

Fantastic experience: Our visit to the North Carolina Estuarium was a fantastic experience! The exhibits were beautifully put together, and the entire space felt thoughtfully curated. We were thrilled to see live turtles and even a few small alligators up close, which was such a treat and added an exciting element to our visit. The local volunteers who help run the Estuarium truly make this place special. They were engaging and clearly passionate, adding an extra layer of fun and enjoyment to our day. We loved how they added cute Halloween decorations to spook up the space, giving it a festive vibe. The Estuarium offered a perfect balance of education and entertainment, with each exhibit providing insight into the local ecosystems in a way that was both informative and engaging. Every person we encountered was warm, kind, and professional, making our visit even more enjoyable. As an added bonus, they offer free entry for active-duty military, which we really appreciated. The North Carolina Estuarium is a wonderful place to explore, and I’d highly recommend it to anyone visiting the area!

Fantastic experience: Was able to walk in. Clean and educational.

Fantastic experience: The museum is engaging and educational and the river excursion is one of the best reasons to visit Washington!

Positive experience: Lovely place to learn a bit and be reminded of the North Carolina environmental impact. Beginning speech sets the tone for the visit. I wish there were more interactive items. Some were there but broken. Place could use a facelift but it's a fair price to get in and worth a stop.

Positive experience: We were there to get tickets for boat ride, the woman was extremely rude and dismissive.

Fantastic experience: This visit was simply amazing!!! The staff were beyond helpful. Shout to the young lady, the coordinator, and the captain, all of whom were friendly and welcoming. Highly recommend it to anyone of any age to visit. You will not be disappointed. PLEASE donate, donate, donate. It is worth it. Let's keep that place alive and well for the years to come.

Fantastic experience: Fun exhibition! Their estuary tour was great. Make sure to reserve in advance.

Fantastic experience: Wonderful place to walk around and explore. Great place for kids of all ages!

Fantastic experience: Took the boat road. It was awesome. Our driver was very informative!

Positive experience: Very nice displays and education on the estuary, the wildlife there, and the history of the area. Kind of small. Is it worth five bucks a head?

Fantastic experience: Great place with very nice crabs :)

Fantastic experience: What an amazing experience I had at the North Carolina Estuarium! I took a boat ride for 1 1/2 hours, which, in itself, was absolutely awesome! The captain was very informative of the history of Little Washington. I was entranced, excited and happy! After, I went into the museum, and stayed for 3 hours looking at every single display. There was so much to see and so much history. There were interactive displays and live animals. Also, I visited the gift shop and got some fabulous gifts. Kudos and thank you to all the staff and the riverboat captain! It was an experience of a lifetime!! I definitely will be back again!!! Side note: You must call ahead and reserve your spot on the boat.

Fantastic experience: One of the more unique places we visited on this trip. Definitely worthwhile especially if you're interested in conservation and the seacoast.

Fantastic experience: Spur of the moment visit with girlfriend. It was fun and relaxing while also giving us something to do that we were not expecting

Fantastic experience: Stopped off in washington for lunch on our way home from Emerald Isle. Pulled up google maps to see what is here. Estuarium Popped up and only 2 blocks from where we ate lunch. So we headed over and entered they were very friendly. Saw a short video about the area also got to see how water travels through the rivers creeks ,sound to the ocean. We signed up for a pontoon boat ride which was very interesting. Learned alot about the Pamlico and Tar river. Saw geese, Great Blue Herons, fish, ospray and eagles. We even spotted a new nest with a female sitting on eggs. Wonderful.

Positive experience: A nice introductory presentation of life in the estuaries around Washington. Don't miss the very large and elaborate art piece in the entrance that depicts the hydrologic water cycle of water in NC. I was disappointed that no photography was allowed inside. Not clear why.

Fantastic experience: Great place for the family!!!

Fantastic experience: Took a spring break trip to Bath NC and this was on our agenda.. we are SOOO GLAD we made it.. the tour guides were amazing.. the place itself was quite informative.. we all participated in different levels of the scavenger hunt( all of our party is 13 and older) and I highly recommend it to make sure you don't miss anything

Fantastic experience: Very well done and interesting exhibit. Great for kids. The staff is very knowledgeable and engaging. Worth the visit.

Positive experience: Staff was very welcoming and knowledgeable. However, we were hoping for a little more in terms of experience and exposure, took a total of 10 minutes to go through all the exhibits.

Fantastic experience: Loved our very informative visit to the Estuarium! Great guides/hosts & movie. Great price! No pics allowed inside, though.

Positive experience: Very cute little pocket adventure. Informative, interesting, and fun. A nice visit on our way out of town and a nice view of the sound of course. Only $5 and well worth it. A unique piece of artwork that doubles as a representation of North Carolina AND an example of the water cycle. A short movie, a few live animals and various facts about the local ecosystem of our wetlands as well as the history of the area itself and the lifestyle of lake-towns. Would be fun for kids as well I'm sure. There is NO photography allowed inside however so keep that in mind.

Fantastic experience: Park the car and take the tour! Just the description of the lobby sculpture is worth the price of admission! Interesting exhibits for all ages, and a cozy gift shop.

Fantastic experience: such a fun place! very informative, lots of displays and fun interaction for kids. my 5 year old loved it. definitely worth checking out if youre near by.

Fantastic experience: This exceeded our expectations for a small museum. The exhibits were interactive and we spent about an hour there.

Fantastic experience: A very interesting learning center that highlights the Pamlico Sound and role of estuaries in the environment. The staff are super friendly and full of information. If you're not from the area (as I am not) they provided a nice dose of local history to add perspective to a few exhibits as well. This is definitely worth stopping in for an hour or so and would be a fun place to bring kids. If you walk down the boardwalk away from the park and along the boat slips you will have an opportunity to view wildlife in the City of Washingtons Wetlands Project area. We saw copious Amos of turtles (Yellow Belly Sliders and Alligator Snapping Turtles), many fish species, a few ducks, and some mud crabs. The full waterfront walk is well worth the stroll.

Fantastic experience: Have been here several times, I have taken so many people there, and everyone has loved it. Having nice boat ride on the river it is very educational learning about the history of the Tar and Pamlico River

Positive experience: It was helpful to learn what an Estuarium is made of.

Fantastic experience: This place is awesome. My wife and I decided to take a quick day trip to this place and boy, was it worth it. Not only did we get some insight on how important estuaries are to the surrounding areas, but also how delicate they are and that we must try to preserve them. Apparently, there is a free river boat tour, (free with the paid admission cost of 5 bucks per adult,) but we missed it since this was a spur of the moment trip. We plan on returning with the river boat ride next time. The town of Washington is beautiful as well. Quaint little downtown area with places to eat and drink.

Fantastic experience: I really enjoyed the tour and the video..

Fantastic experience: Cool interactive museum about the river/ocean, its wildlife and conditions. A must see!

Fantastic experience: The exhibits are great. The volunteers give a wonderful explanation of the lobby sculpture. The baby alligators are my favorite. The gift shop is excellent too.

Fantastic experience: Nice staff and very interesting! Great places close by to eat.

Fantastic experience: I can't believe how absolutely crabulous the Estuarium is! My mind was blown as I watched the fish swimming around in their little tanks - so majestic, so beautiful. I even learned about the different types of seagrass and how they provide a home for underwater critters. The staff were so kind and knowledgeable, they really shelled out some great information. I lobster the Estuarium so much, I could krill for hours and hours. I would definitely recommend this plaice to anyone looking for an otterly fantastic time! Horrible things will occur on 10/15/2024

Fantastic experience: The NC Estuarium is a nice 2 hour stop along the waterfront of beautiful Washington North Carolina.

Positive experience: $5 a person. The 1 and a half boat trip up the Tar river is free. The Estuarium is designed to keep children's interest.

Positive experience: A nice way to learn about Eastern NC water ways and sea life and how to help keep them safe. Some interactive activities and a video. You must schedule the boat ride in advance week days.

Negative experience: This location takes poor care of their animals. Dirty enclosures that visibly haven't been cleaned, the turtle has nothing to do and it seems like his heat source is too far away though we didnt touch the water so I could be wrong about the heat. The alligators are in a tank smaller than it should be and they need more water as well. They have a crab whose tank was so dirty you can barely see in it not to mention how small it was. Outside the building the water was filled with litter, bottles, cans, and other trash that has been there for a while. You'd think a place talking about how important this ecosystem is would care more about taking care of it. Only reason I can think of for them not taking care of this is because it isn't their property.

Fantastic experience: We learned so much here! Its really great for families!

Fantastic experience: Loved the art sculpture of the cycle of water. Very educational on history of hurricane's too. Don't past this place up.

Positive experience: Lots of information and cool interactive displays. Gift shop is cute. Thank-you for sharing your knowledge.

Fantastic experience: Well worth a couple hours of your time. Not many places do you see an estuary discussed.

Fantastic experience: Excellent experience. Learned so much about the estuary systems.

Fantastic experience: A quaint museum with lots of fun things for kids to do to learn about the water cycle and estuary. For a small town, this place was a hit - a short lesson on the water cycle where a ball acts as one drop of water going through the whole system, a video about estuaries, a scavenger hunt, a salinity station where you can taste the salinity of fresh water, sea water, and brackish water, turtles, an alligator, historical artifacts... outside there was even a fenced in park surrounded by picnic tables and a wide open field for the kids to play on. It's not huge, but we had a wonderful time, and the staff did a wonderful job.

Negative experience: Rude staff, we were there closer to closing time. Staff announced they were closed prior to closing. Then said “Maybe you should get here earlier tomorrow.” Um no thanks, we just won’t come back.

Positive experience: Great place for kids. We homeschool and wish I could have taken photos of the kids learning and with the animals. There are 2 tanks at little kid level that are easy to touch the animals but do NOT touch the animals. The large art piece that shows the life cycle of water is a one of a kind sculpture and truly a masterpiece. This month's art gallery who so beautifully created. You can tell the artist truly enjoys what she is creating.

Negative experience: Never made it inside. Called for reservations for the river rover boat ride. Was told to be at the dock at 9:45 to get signed up. Was there at 9:30. Waited for someone to show up. Finally a group came and boarded the pontoon. We decided to join the group. The captain asked if we had signed in. " No, we were told to meet on the dock," I said. He said, well, sometimes there's a miscommunication. What a waste of time that was. Didn't bother to visit inside...afraid of more miscommunication.

Fantastic experience: Great educational place, part museum, part aquarium. A hidden gem I didn't know about. Took my kids since they're going back to school soon and we enjoyed it, especially a super bold turtle they've got there!

Positive experience: Not much to it but could be interesting if you're into museums and just want something to do while in town.

Fantastic experience: Well worth the price of five dollars to learn and explore!!!!

Positive experience: Very nice place to take the kids and learn about our local waters. It's affordable for the family, staff are pleasant and helpful. We learned a lot about our local rivers and the life of residents throughout the years.

Fantastic experience: Small museum. Cover was like $5 They give you small talk about the museum and history at the entrance, the small movie, 15 mins. I would skip it though, then self guided tour, through it the museum. Has 4 small rooms..

Positive experience: Cute little museum. Great for people who want to learn about how the waters work in coastal plains.

Fantastic experience: Take the boat ride! Call ahead, fills up fast!

Fantastic experience: Boat ride around the estuary, a relaxing movie,va fun and informative scavenger hunt, and an incredible monument representative of NC weather. Cute gift shop and great staff.

Positive experience: Ok. Little bit boring for anyone over 7. Not much to do there for kids over 7 or so. Takes about 20 minutes to go through,we stayed about 45.

Fantastic experience: We loved the River roving boat tour. Great scenery, very informative and relaxing.

Fantastic experience: Interesting place to visit in Washington NC. Right in the water with plenty of eating options nearby.

Fantastic experience: Very well done. Lots of displays and loads of information. Friendly staff. Located by a waterfront park.

Fantastic experience: Loved it! The kids had a great time!

Fantastic experience: The wife and had a Great time this morning. The people are Super Nice...learned a lot about the water.

Fantastic experience: Very friendly staff. Son loves the place. Definitely coming back

Fantastic experience: Small museum, great educational experience for family. Add this to your inexpensive/free family weekend plans! Don’t miss the opportunity to walk the boardwalk down to see the turtles! While your downtown, be sure to grab some icecream on Main Street.

Fantastic experience: Very nice and small museum, full of history and information. The people that work there are amazing, very knowledgeable Abt the area and what they do. Their location is supreme, great little park right next to it. Good experience!

Positive experience: Wonderful place to see and learn history of the Pamlico water system and heritage of Eastern North Carolina

Fantastic experience: Freaking love it here. Best estuarium stop thus far , with an amazing sculpture in the entry. The info inside the estuarium was amazing as well. Can't forget the awesome people who work there and the price was great too. Wish I could have taken pictures inside but all well.

Fantastic experience: You learn alot about rivers, animals and the environment.

Positive experience: Very nice experience in a beautiful location. Staff friendly and very knowledgeable. Worth a visit!

Fantastic experience: Awesome experience. It was a fantastic day excellent scenery and information especially the sculpture at the front. I have never been so excited to see a contraption like that in a long time

Positive experience: Nice place for a visit..not the level of the nc aquariums...good place to learn about esturaries

Fantastic experience: Very informative and interesting. The staff are extremely friendly and helpful. We also took the boat ride and enjoyed not only the ride but the Captain's knowledge of the history of the area.

Fantastic experience: The guide was excellent in explaining the purpose of the museum. Excellent movie of Pamlico sound. There are interactive exhibits that children should enjoy and some small sea animals to observe.

Negative experience: LAME!!! What ever you do, DO NOT watch the 15 minute video presentation unless you are seeking a cure for insomnia. Fifteen minutes of virtually no dialogue uninformative scenic video. The exhibits are professional looking, but overall my visit was below expectations. Quite frankly, it was boring.

Fantastic experience: Awesome place to learn all about North Carolina's Estuaries. Amazing for kids. Costs $5 for adults and $3 for kids.

Positive experience: Nice little museum. Some very interesting exhibits. Well worth the minimal fee.

Positive experience: Good place to relax from the sun or humidity. Has a few reptiles, etc. Wonderful volunteers. Cool art piece. Wish there was more local history included here. Take the boat ride. You'll need reservations. The movie is a travelog more than educational. 1997...

Negative experience: you can not sit down on there deck , had a nice chair to sit in as i enjoyed my bag of Doritos and cold drink , no signs were posted saying i couldn't be there , elderly man walks out with a furious tone “ you can not be up here “ i say why ? “private party” “ too bad you are poor” “ i will not ask you to leave again” as im walking down the stairs , today 5/21/2021 he wears a blue shirt , kaki shorts or pants , (cannot dress at all) never coming back . worst experience of my life.

Fantastic experience: Super cool exhibits and amazing Driftwood centerpiece showing the water cycle in NC. About an hour and a half worth of exhibits including open tanks. A must visit if your in the area.

Positive experience: It is very small. The best part of it was the north carolina/water cycle sculpture. I liked that the alligators had their birth certificates. Other than the sculpture it was self led. You can definitely tell it's under construction.

Fantastic experience: Impressive lobby art, and informative and entertaining exhibits throughout. Volunteers were friendly. Definitely worth the admission.

Fantastic experience: Great facility, knowledgeable staff and volunteers. Definitely worth the price of admission!

Fantastic experience: Cool place to learn about the area around you knowledgeable staff a nice little tour. He talked about the exhibits, I would go if I was you bring the kids.

Fantastic experience: Had a great time touring the exhibits with my fiance today!

Negative experience: I did not hate this place. Americans hate other Americans. I did not visit this place.

Fantastic experience: We went on a boat ride and our ship captain was so funny and friendly. He did an amazing job and very knowledgeable. The scenery was beautiful.

Fantastic experience: The art installation in the lobby alone is worth the trip. Enjoy the tour and exhibits. Then, have a picnic on the back deck overlooking the brackish waters of the estuary. Not sure how to define brackish? Ask a docent! Docents are knowledgable welcoming and thorough. While you are there be sure to pick up a copy of their annual Pamlico Pinups fundraiser calendar.

Fantastic experience: Very very interesting we had a very good person explain all the facts to us