North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island

North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island

Discover the waters of the Outer Banks via the largest aquarium in North Carolina, complete with a 285,000 gallon ocean tank filled with sharks, sea turtles, eels, and a myriad of fish. The aquarium also houses a replica of the USS Monitor, sunk off the Carolina coast, and scuba divers give daily educational programs.

Not limited to underwater fish, the aquarium houses many marine animals including river otters and yellow-bellied sliders. All of the inhabitants are native to North Carolina. Sharks swim inches from your nose as you watch them through a 5.5 inch acrylic window, 35 feet long and 14 feet high. The window arches up over your head offering an underbelly view of the fish.

The sunken ship USS Monitor is a replica of the real ship which lies just off the coast of Cape Hatteras and was built at one-third scale of the real one. The USS Monitor was the first ironclad ever commissioned by the U.S. Navy. She fought in the Battle of Hampton Roads during the Civil War against the CSS Virginia. She sank several months later on December 31, 1862 in a storm. 16 of her crew were lost. The USS Monitor was rediscovered in 1973 and the wreck site became the first U.S. marine sanctuary.

See the native marine animals that wander wild through the marshes of North Carolina. Marvel at the jaws of the American alligators, smile at the antics of the river otters as play, even the sea turtles stop to lay their eggs in the Carolina sands. Or spy on the fishes in the Atlantic Ocean through the "Graveyard of the Atlantic" webcam.

North Carolina shark The tanks are divided into depths, hilighting marine life from ankle-depths all the way to the darkest corners of the ocean. Touch a stingray with your bare hands. Let a horseshoe crab grab your finger. (He might be hungry...) Hunt for fossilized shark's teeth or picnic along the shores of the Croatan Sound. The North Carolina Aquarium offers a variety of things to whet your fancy.

Outside the aquarium you can hike down the nature trail, take a leisurely walk down the shore on the boardwalk, complete with observation decks and mounted telescopes, or dig in a special excavation area in search of fossilized shark's teeth.

Films, videos, discovery stations and hands-on activities are offered year-round at the North Carolina Aquarium. Special activities are also offered including nautical crafts and educational field trips to the sandy shores.

And if you find something of interesting while beachcombing, bring it to the aquarium for identification. Whales, dolphins, even the microscopic world of plankton comes to life as you learn about mating habits, medicinal sea life, and other wonders of the sea.

Dog Pirate Tshirts
Pirate Tshirts
Blackbeard's Blackjack Gold

The North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort, North Carolina, exhibits artifacts recovered from the shipwreck believed to be Blackbeard's flagship, the QAR, discovered in 1996.

The museum has a branch on Roanoke Island, just north of Rodanthe, dedicated to maritime exhibits.

Graveyard of the Atlantic maritime museum, located in Hatteras, North Carolina, is dedicated to the myriad of shipwrecks on the coasts of the Outer Banks.

Teach's Hole Blackbeard exhibit and pirate shop on Okracoke Island offers over 1000 items relating to pirates, including pirate books, pirate toys, pirate flags, pirate t-shirts, pirate maps, and other pirate wares. The exhibit features a life-sized recreation of Blackbeard the Pirate in full battle dress.