What you'll see
Celebrating 50 years in 2026, the NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island is a 68,000-square-foot facility organized around the waters of the Outer Banks — freshwater rivers, the sound, and the open ocean. The centerpiece is the 285,000-gallon "Graveyard of the Atlantic" exhibit, where sharks and other fish swim through a recreated shipwreck, with daily dive shows. Elsewhere in the building you'll find river otters, an alligator, jellyfish, a stingray touch pool, and a walk-through Sea Treasures gallery built around a sunken Spanish galleon.
The aquarium also runs the Sea Turtle Assistance and Rehabilitation (STAR) Center on site, where injured sea turtles are treated and released — a genuinely moving stop, and included with regular admission. The "release your turtle back to the sea" exhibit is a reliable kid favorite.
Tickets & hours
| Adults (13–61) | $15 |
| Seniors (62+) & military | $14 |
| Children (3–12) | $13 |
| Ages 2 & under | Free |
Open daily 9am–5pm; the last reservation slot is 4pm and last entry is 4:30pm. The STAR Center keeps slightly shorter hours, 9:30am–4:30pm. The aquarium closes only on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
Good to know before you go
- Plan 1–2 hours for the exhibits, longer with programs, the fossil pit, or the gift shop
- No outside food or drink inside the building — water bottles are fine, and there are refill stations
- Closed-toe shoes required for most tours and add-on adventures
- Pets aren't allowed, except certified service animals
- Located 3 miles north of downtown Manteo at 374 Airport Rd — plan on roughly 1.5 hours' drive from Avon