North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher

Located a short 15 miles from Wilmington, the Aquarium at Fort Fisher is a great place for the whole family to enjoy the wonders of ocean life while learning more about the coastal ecosystems. And you can do this while staying comfortably indoors. The aquarium has something for all age groups, so the entire family can be entertained.

When visiting the aquarium, plan on spending around three hours to get the most out of your visit, as there are a multitude of daily programs and events besides the actual displays that will captivate your family. Open every day of the year except Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day, the aquarium is fully wheelchair accessible and accommodates all types of disabilities.

All the exhibits are designed to showcase the natural habitats of the fish and sea creatures that reside within, so touring the aquarium will also give you a great sense of the underwater shoals and reefs that are the natural homes. This design allows the aquarium inhabitants to behave as they would in the wild, giving visitors a better understanding of how they lead their lives.

The first exhibit area is the Cape Fear Conservatory (Carolina Bay) where you can spy on box turtles, tree frogs, snakes and alligators as they lounge in their re-created habitats. Don't worry; the alligator and the poisonous snakes are very well contained! The alligators are said to be the most photographed of the zoo's inhabitants, although just how photogenic they are is certainly debatable. The Poisonous Snake Display contains local badguys such as the rattlesnake, cottonmouth, and copperheads.

The Coastal Waters Gallery features an interactive touch pool, where visitors can interact with sea urchins and horseshoe crabs. Make sure the kids wash their hands afterwards!

The lower level of the aquarium contains the Open Ocean exhibits, where you can gaze in awe at jellyfish, octopi, skates, stingrays, lobsters, whales, and of course…the sharks. From the majestic sweep of the stingrays "wings" to the predatory swimming of sharks, you'll be able to see the movements of these wonderful sea animals.

The Cape Fear Shoals Exhibit is a 235,000 gallon tank, which soars 24 feet in the air and can be viewed from two stories of the aquarium. Sharks, stingrays, and moray eels swim lazily through the water, often coming up to the glass to give an eye-to-eye greeting.