Topics Related to North Carolina Aquariums / Jennette's Pier

Line dancing at the NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island!

The N.C. Aquarium on Roanoke Island is honored and thrilled to announce that it is a winner in the 2025 Newsweek Readers' Choice Awards contest for Best Aquarium. Nominees from across the United States were selected by an editorial panel of travel experts and Newsweek contributors. Polls closed after a public voting period of 28 days during the month of March. The top ten winners were announced on April 3.

It’s a sprint to the finish line—the registration finish line—for the 2025 Race for the Planet at the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher (NCAFF) slated for Sunday, April 27 at 8 a.m.  A favorite for competitive racers and leisure walkers, the 5K and 1-mile fun run wind along the Atlantic Ocean and through the picturesque maritime forest that is home to the Aquarium. All funds support NCAFF green initiatives through the North Carolina Aquarium Society.

Summer camp registration opens March 1 at the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher (NCAFF) for a season filled with adventures indoors and outdoors for children ages 5 to 14. Campers will have encounters with animal ambassadors, explore the marsh, make new friends and for older campers, kayak in the Cape Fear River Basin. Camp season runs mid-June through mid-August, Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Because of the unique and immersive nature of the Aquarium summer camps, some fill up immediately.

All eyes will be on the skies Friday, Feb. 14, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. as the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher (NCAFF) hosts the Great Backyard Bird Count. NCAFF environmental educators will inspire the community to join the count and launch newly minted bird counters on an exciting journey to earn an NC Bird Count badge. Special activities throughout the day offer an exciting time for anyone and everyone to help scientists gather information on birds in the state to support their conservation.

The North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island has rehabilitated and released 399 sea turtles with the aid of several long-standing community partnerships on the Outer Banks. The turtles were initially brought to the Sea Turtle Assistance and Rehabilitation (STAR) Center at the Aquarium because of cold-stunning, a hypothermia-like condition that occurs when the water temperature drops quickly before the sea turtles can migrate to warmer water.

Underwater shenanigans with pumpkins, eerie frozen treats and sunken secrets await at Spooky Seas Saturday, Oct. 19 – Friday, Nov. 1 at the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher. The ghoulish fun is included with an Aquarium admission during regular hours 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Online tickets are required to visit the Aquarium.