Traveling along the East Coast, it's difficult to find uncrowded beaches that offer enough flora and fauna in their surrounding areas to truly reflect the natural beauty of the coastal area and its origins. Too often, residential and commercial growth has replaced nearly all of the natural beauty and history that beach towns have to offer. But the beaches and coastal areas here on the Crystal Coast are what attract visitors and keep them coming back year after year. Residents want to both share and protect this beautiful area, working hard to find and maintain that balance. Natural attractions — Cape Lookout National Seashore, Fort Macon State Park, Hammocks Beach State Park, Theodore Roosevelt Natural Area, Rachel Carson Estuarine Research Reserve, Croatan National Forest and Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge — offer a wide variety of pristine beaches, maritime forests and waterways to enjoy and explore.

The Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores recently expanded to 93,000 square feet. The theme, “From North Carolina’s Mountains to the Sea,” takes visitors on an unforgettable aquatic journey from the state’s grand peaks to the open Atlantic, much as a raindrop makes its way to the ocean. Five galleries — Mountain, Piedmont, Coastal Plain, Tidal Waters and Ocean — and more than 3,000 animals depict these aquatic zones. The 306,000-gallon Living Shipwreck, with a 70-foot replica of a sunken, coral-encrusted World War II German submarine, is the centerpiece display. Around it glide fierce-looking sand tiger sharks up to 9 feet in length, along with sea turtles, moray eels, giant groupers, schools of fishes and many other creatures that typically congregate around shipwrecks. A 63-foot window offers superb views, and divers in the exhibit can chat with visitors through underwater microphones.

The 50,000-gallon Queen Anne’s Revenge exhibit duplicates the scene of an eighteenth-century shipwreck in Beaufort Inlet. The wreckage, discovered in 1996, is thought to be from a pirate ship once commanded by the infamous Blackbeard. Nurse sharks, sea turtles, cobia, bluefish, drum and other animals circle replicas of half-buried cannons and other artifacts in this realistic representation.

The shipwrecks are among nearly 40 innovative exhibits. A favorite stop is the River Otter exhibit, where Neuse, Pungo and Eno — a trio of playful North American river otters named for North Carolina rivers — swim and frolic in their Piedmont habitat. Two touch pools allow personal contact with stingrays, whelks, horseshoe crabs and other creatures. Other favorites include the jellyfish, octopus, seahorse and lionfish displays. Diving demonstrations, live-animal programs and animal feedings are among the daily activities free with admission.

The aquarium offers summer camps for children in grades 2 to 7 and many programs, activities and field trips for all ages. Ocean-going collecting cruises, Newport River excursions, snorkeling classes, kayak and canoe trips, crabbing and clamming classes, surfing lessons, interpretive beach walks and forays to remote barrier islands are a few of the choices. These special programs require advance registration, and most charge a small fee. The aquarium also has wonderful settings, a catering kitchen and various rental options for meetings, ceremonies, parties and presentations. Visitors also will find a large gift shop and a snack bar.

The aquarium is open 9 AM to 5 PM daily. The aquarium is closed for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s days. Admission fees are $8 for ages 18 to 61, $7 for age 62 and older, and $6 for ages 6 to 17. Children 5 and younger, registered North Carolina school groups and members of the North Carolina Aquarium Society are admitted free. Admission is free on November 11 each year for Veteran's Day and on the Monday holiday celebrating Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. Admission fees are the same at all three North Carolina Aquariums and are used for improvements at all the facilities. Be sure to ask about a membership in the North Carolina Aquarium Society, which offers free or discounted admission to aquariums and zoos across the country, as well as many other benefits. An individual annual membership is $30; a family membership is $50.