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NC Aquarium
Pine Knoll Shores, NC, Milepost #7 (252-247-4003)
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Come face to face with the Crystal Coast's most Fascinating sea life at the NC Aquarium in Pine Knoll Shores.
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| Set within the 300 acre
Theodore Roosevelt Natural Area, the aquarium offers live animal
programs, films, and daily educational activities as part of its
effort to preserve the area's natural heritage.
You'll meet moray eels, octopuses, sea horses, sharks, alligators, turtles, a variety of fish and shellfish and rare loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings in the turtle nursery. The popular Close Encounters touch tank allows visitors to actually handle whelks, horseshoe crabs, spider crabs and hermit crabs as they learn about these native species. An impressive 12,000-gallon Living Shipwreck display provides viewers with a glimpse of animals that inhabit the many sunken vessels off our coast. Outdoor programs include snorkeling, canoeing and other nature excursions. Outside the aquarium is the Salt Marsh Safari, a boardwalk tour along Bogue Sound featuring spotting scopes and overlooks. The boardwalk exits onto the Alice G. Hoffman Nature Trail, a half-mile footpath through an ancient maritime forest. The newly opened Theodore Roosevelt Nature Trail, adjacent to the aquarium parking area, is a more rigorous trail that winds through the maritime forest. |