Experience the thrill of exploring sunken ships — without getting wet — at the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. Three shipwreck exhibits re-create the adventure of recreational diving off the North Carolina coast. Visitors also can feel the spray from a mountain waterfall, hold a crab, touch a stingray, see big sharks, watch river otters play, and see native North Carolina birds on the wing.
The aquarium offers many programs, activities, and field trips for all ages: kayak and canoe trips, crabbing and clamming classes, and behind-the-scenes tours. These require advance registration and small fees. Online registration is now available. Some programs are contingent on weather.
The aquarium also has wonderful settings, a catering kitchen, and various rental options for meetings, ceremonies, weddings, parties, and presentations. In 2011, the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores had the distinction of being among the "Best Wedding" locations as listed in The Knot.
The aquarium is open 9 AM to 5 PM daily, with the exception of early closings two days in late October for Trick or Treat Under the Seas and one day in early December for Santa by the Sea. The aquarium is closed for Thanksgiving and Christmas days.
Admission is $12.95 for ages 13-61, $11.95 for age 62 and older, $10.95 for ages 3-12, and $11.95 for Military. Children 2 and younger, registered North Carolina school groups and members of the North Carolina Aquarium Society are admitted free. Admission is free on November 11 each year for Veterans Day and on the Monday holiday celebrating Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday.
Admission fees are the same at all three North Carolina Aquariums and are used for improvements at all the facilities. Membership in the North Carolina Aquarium Society entitles participants free admission to each of the state's three aquariums and free or discounted admission to more than 150 other aquariums and zoos across the country, along with other benefits.
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