Part of the system of three North Carolina aquariums, the aquarium at Fort Fisher is located about 15 miles from Wilmington south of Kure Beach and about a mile from the Fort Fisher Ferry terminal. The aquarium features a range of exhibits, from tidal pools and salt marshes to an open ocean exhibit two stories high that is home to rays, sharks, and eels as well as Luna, a beautiful rare albino alligator, and one rescued bald eagle.

You can touch the gliding stingray and get up close and personal with a loggerhead sea turtle. The theme of the aquarium is a journey along the Cape Fear River, swamps and freshwater streams, all the way to diverse coastal habitats, reefs, and the open ocean.

North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher, 900 Loggerhead Road, Kure Beach, NC 28449, Phone: 910-772-0500, Map

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