NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher
add photos28 Reviews for NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher
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'10, '11
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"Not a destination, but worth a visit"
While on vacation at Carolina Beach, we made the short drive down to the Aquarium at Ft. Fisher. We had a nice time. It wasn't too pricey. And there were some cool things like an albino alligator and a petting pool of horseshoe crabs. But, we went through the whole place in just a couple of hours. Nothing held our 3 year old's attention for very long except the big tank.
It made a nice break from our beach vacation, but we would have been disappointed if we had driven all the way to the shore just for this one.
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"Great Escape from the beach"
Our family used to live in the Wilmington area and were members of the aquarium. Since our daughter was under the age of 4, she normally sped through the entire thing, pausing only briefly to view the large aquarium tank. She really enjoyed the outdoor section, especially where kids could dig for shark teeth. Since she is older now, she takes her time for the ocean portion of the aquarium! She still isn't interested in the river aquariums.
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"Fun and fantastic"
This is a great little aquarium. It's a great option when the beach is cold or rainy. It's never really busy, so you don't have to worry about crowds. We only had a problem with the school field trips making it crowded, so call ahead of time, if possible. There were also hands-on pools where our kids love touching the creatures.
1 family found this helpful
"One of Three NC Aquariums"
The fort fisher aquarium features the same things as the other NC Aquariums, from the touch tanks to the fish tanks of all shapes and sizes. While I personally believe that the prices of the NC Aquariums is to much for what you see, I recommend that you purchase an Aquarium pass (if you are a state resident) which will give your family one free year of admission to all of the NC Aquariums as well as the NC Zoo and many other Aquariums and Zoos around the USA.
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"Beautiful"
This aquarium is beautiful from the very beginning to the end! When you first encounter the building they have a wonderful fountain outside. The kids enjoy having their pictures made in front every year. We love this aquarium so much that we bought a family membership for the year so that we can attend some of the special events without the extra cost!
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"A family tradition"
We visit this aquarium nearly every summer while on vacation. My toddler loves it. He is mesmerized by the huge tanks. Riding the ferry to the Island is fun too. While many aquariums have more types of sea creatures, this is a fun place to visit, and your kids will enjoy it.
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"Very Pretty Area!"
This aquarium offers fun and learning to the whole family! They have several different areas to explore, a touch and feel area, and some really giant tanks that make you feel as if you are under water too! The drive out to the aquarium is so pretty, you really get to see some "beach life" on the way there! We love this aquarium and highly recomend it! We have taken kids age 2-16 there and they all had a blast! (us adults too!)
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"Fun Aquarium for Small Children"
My 3 and 5 year old loved this aquarium and my husband and I did too! The voluteers and staff are informative without being too "teachy". The jellyfish were my daughter's favorites. My son enjoyed the chance to touch a horseshoe crab. We have also visited the aquarium in Charleston, SC and Fort Fisher is ever-so-slightly better!
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"Great if you want a short outing"
This aquarium is not as large as some others our family has been to, but we still enjoyed our trip there. We saw everything, and were only there about 2 hours. It was not too crowded, so we were able to see all the different exhibits and read the informational plaques. We especially enjoyed learning more about the wildlife and topography of North Carolina. Worth a look if you are in the area!
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"Stop the car for this one"
This is a wonderful stop on the way to the ferry which crosses over to Southport. It is hands on with lots of different learning environments. I have one kid who would stand near the shark tank all day if I let her. It is so cool. Don't be in a rush, there is too much to see.
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"The Aquarium"
This is a great aquarium to take the family to! It is located at Ft Fisher so might be a bit of a drive but it's worth it! There are kids activities in the museum, and tons of sea life to learn about. Also there are trails out back where you can walk through the marshes. There is one trail that goes to a hut a real hermit used to live in!
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"NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher"
Even though this is a fairly small aquarium, it was great for my kids and the quaintness made it ideal since the kids got a chance to enjoy lots of hands-on fun without big crowds. We went during the spring, on a weekday and there were NO crowds and we had tons of time to just walk through and take our time.
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"Love the hands on exhibit"
We visited the Fort Fisher Aquarium a few years ago and I mostly remember the hands on exhibit. I never thought I would touch a horse shoe crab or any other crab for that matter. I love watching the kids learn about the sea life that live just a few miles away of the coast. What a great way to spend a rainy or sunburt day at the beach.
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"Nice place to visit"
This was a nice aquarium.. however after visiting the Pine Knoll shores aquarium I wasn't too impressed with this one. It seems like the other is bigger. Overall its a great aquarium. Kids enjoyed them selves.. and as is with every aquarium the BIG tank is a hit!
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"Wonderful aquarium."
This was just right for a field trip on vacation. It was fun for young and old. We took pictures in the sharks mouth. Lots of great fish. It isn't the biggest aquarium but for the money it was the best. The staff was very friendly and helpful. They loved our kids and it really showed in their actions.
1 family found this helpful
"Fort Fisher Aquarium"
This is a beautiful aquarium in Kure Beach, NC - a beautiful setting - fun day trip to go and then each picnic on beach afterwards. starts off with cool rainforest feel exhibit with aligators and snakes - then go to feel the sea animals and then end up at the huge shark tank and then awesome gift shop and snack shop.
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"Fun with the fishes"
The NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher was a great side trip when we were visiting Carolina Beach. When we were there they were featuring the albino alligator. What an amazing creature! Our son is 15 months old and enjoyed being able to walk around and look without mommy and daddy worrying about him touching everything. His favorite part was getting to touch the starfish and the horseshoe crab. Great, hands on, area that kids and parents can enjoy!
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"Neat Aquarium"
We have been to several aquariums and this has been be far my favorite. They have a rally neat setup and some exhibits have glass that you can actually go sit inside and watch the fish all around. It is reasonably priced too. They have many exotic fish. We love coming here.
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"Just ok"
My mom & I took my 1 year old son to the aquarium and it was an ok trip. There is a lot to see, but it's so dark in there, you can't see where you're going! He had a good time. The only thing I really didn't like was that the food area was outside...isn't a good thing when it's raining!
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"educational"
We actually found the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher. It was an inexpensive day out for the family. The aquarium had a very nice facility that was clean and engaging, with plenty to keep the eye busy.My hubby is all into this kinda stuff so he was stoked and so was my 2 yr old who she "ishies" lol The Cape Fear Conservatory section was very well done(so my hubby says), with a new animal at every turn, even an albino alligator! and the quails crossing the walkways were so cute!. The Marine building had very good examples of local marine life, it even came with a history lesson(ugh!lol). The outside gardens were confusing with no clear path that leads out or to another exhibit space. The gift shop was okay, with pricing that you would expect.
All in all a very valuable day with the family. Good price, good exhibits, good family engagement, what more could you want?
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