North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island - Manteo, North Carolina 285,000 gallon ocean tank with interactive exhibits

The North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island is one of three aquariums operated by the state of North Carolina. The Roanoke Island facility operates a 285,000-gallon aquarium tank filled with ocean water, making it the biggest aquarium in the state. The Roanoke Island Aquarium features marine life found in the "Waters of the Outer Banks'', including sharks, alligators, sea otters, sea turtles and many more.

The Aquarium features exhibitions and shows, as well as a Touch Tank where Aquarium visitors can get up close and personal with sting rays, horseshoe crabs, sea urchins, hermit crabs, sea stars and many more coastal dwellers. Visitors may also enjoy watch videos or take part in a twenty minute Ocean Odyssey, lectures that are geared to all ages and often include games and guest lecturers.

One of the most popular programs at the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island is the daily dive show, which includes a chance for visitors to ask questions of the divers and attempt to stump them. Daily feeding shows are another perennially popular activity. Held daily at 3 p.m., the show includes an education on the species being fed and its dietary requirements. There's a daily calendar on the Aquarium's web site that lists the feeding schedule so that visitors can plan their visits accordingly.

During the summer, the Aquarium features one Theme Week per month, with craft activities and special featured programs all centered around one specific theme. All theme week activities take place between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. and might include hands-on activities and live animal encounters. While the theme weeks vary from year to year, there is always at least one Shark Week each summer.

The Roanoke Island Aquarium is available for special activities with advance notice. Those activities include Scout programs and birthday parties, as well as scheduled special activities that are open to all with pre-registration. Participants in the special activities may help aquarium staff feed the sting rays in the touch tank before having a light breakfast themselves, or spend an afternoon trying to catch blue crabs, then cooking them up and having a feast.

Summer vacations bring other special activities to the Roanoke Island Aquarium. The facility offers week long summer camps for children ages 6 to 12. The summer camp activities are geared to the appropriate age group, with older campers having an opportunity to participate in nocturnal adventures and sea-themed art activities.

The aquarium offers year-round programs for small groups, including school outreach programs, birthday parties and Scout or church groups. The most popular of these activities is an overnight "Sleeping with the Sharks'' program that includes a tour, snack, two specially chosen activities and breakfast - as well as the keynote feature - a night bunked down in front of the Graveyard of the Atlantic tank, with sharks and other fish swimming by and keeping an eye on the group.

The aquarium is open year round, except for Christmas, New Years Day and Thanksgiving. There is an admission charge for adults and children over the age of 5, but there are many discounts available, as well as free admission for members of the aquarium.