North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores

North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores is within the Theodore Roosevelt Natural Area, 5 mi. w. of Atlantic Beach on SR 58N at 1 Roosevelt Blvd. As visitors enter the building they encounter a 32-foot waterfall. The state's five aquatic zones are represented throughout the aquarium's “Journey From the Mountains to the Sea” theme. The largest habitat, the 306,000-gallon saltwater "Living Shipwreck," is in the Ocean Gallery and offers a view of sea turtles, sharks, grouper and other large fish swimming through the wreckage of a sunken U-352 German WWII submarine replica.

Additional features include the Tidal Waters Gallery with an 18th-century shipwreck—Queen Anne's Revenge; the Mountain Gallery with a Trout Pool; the Coastal Plain Gallery, home to gators and the Cypress Swamp; and the Piedmont Gallery with a river otter exhibit complete with feeding programs.

Time: Allow 1 hour minimum.