North Carolina Aquarium At Pine Knoll Shores

We visited the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores (PKS) on July 4, 2025. Having visited the New York Aquarium (in Brooklyn, NY) a week earlier, it was an opportunity to compare the two. Parking is free (unlikely to change in the last 12 months). At the entrance of the Aquarium PKS was a man-made pond. There wasn't a wait line at the ticket counter. Purchasing of ticket was quick and easy. Judging by the price - half of New York Aquarium's - I expected a modest-sized aquarium.

In the Entrance Lobby, the sign next to the animal sculpture stated that it was an alligator. The sculpture itself had the color of a crocodile. The Orientation Lobby was past the Information desk. Up ahead in the Orientation Lobby was an entrance with the overhead sign "Mountains" for the Mountain Gallery. Upon entering this gallery, we were greeted by a man-made waterfall. A doorway to the left led to the gallery's collection, mostly fishes. The Trout Pool was one of several open tanks. Next to it was a "Do Not Touch" symbol like the one shown on the Aquarium map. It meant no putting of one's hand(s) into the tank.

Adjoining the Mountain Gallery was the Piedmont Gallery. With a similar collection but different species of fishes, the Piedmont Gallery also had some non-fishes and non-amphibians. I saw salamanders, frogs, owls and otters. The otters were adorable, as evident by the crowd. On the right past the Piedmont Gallery was the Coastal Plain Gallery. This gallery consisted of reptiles alongside additional species of fishes, most notably pond turtles, crocodiles, corn snakes and longnose gars.

After that, we walked back towards the Piedmont Gallery. There was an exit past that gallery that led outside to the Outdoor Marsh Boardwalk. At the boardwalk to our right was Eagle Landing, a habitat area for two female bald eagles. Eagle Landing wasn't enclosed – no nets or walls – because both girls couldn't fly due to wing injuries. So no worries about them coming at us with beaks and talons. Don't ask me which one was Uwohali and which one was Shagoie Watha. Both looked the same to me. Across from Eagle Landing were marshes with two overlooks to view from. I took a photo from Bogue Sound Overlook.

Further down the Outdoor Marsh Boardwalk was a shelter called Snakes of the Maritime Forest showcasing more slithering friends (or fears, to those that were ophiophobic), both venomous and non-venomous types. I recalled visiting the San Diego Zoo back in the early 2000s. Its collection of snake was at least five times more. After Snakes of the Maritime Forest was Tree-mendous Nature Play, a play area for kids and the young at heart. Wife observed that the surrounding woods reminded her of childhood times growing up in a similar surrounding. We continued onto Alice Hoffman Nature Trail for a short distance and then headed back to the building.

After the Coastal Plain Gallery was another area. Judging by the extra-large model of a hermit crab and the two turtle seat sculptures for visitors to chill, we were in a foyer of a separate section... for saltwater species. This section was divided into two galleries of species exhibits. Tidal Waters Gallery was the first. Its collection included stingrays, seahorses and turtles, as well as fishes swimming in tanks with undersea decors. One such decor was a replica of Blackbeard's ship Queen Anne's Revenge shown in the video below right.

Ocean Gallery was essentially a continuation of Tidal Waters Gallery with more saltwater creatures supposedly dwelling in the further depths of the ocean. There were two large tanks, each with a replica of a shipwreck. Of the two, The Living Shipwreck was larger and more prominent for another reason: sharks. Last week at NY Aquarium, I saw them swam over my head in the underwater glass tunnel. This time, they were swimming in front of me. Continuing on, there was a lobster in a smaller tank. The display stated "Lobsters" but I saw only one.

Review continues in the final attached image.