From the River to the Sea
It Doesn’t Get Much Better Than This
Picture a six-story tall, 20,000-square-foot atrium filled with a variety of fresh water animals and hundreds of species of trees, shrubs, grasses and flowers, and not far away, a 24-foot deep, 235,000-gallon ocean water tank containing hundreds of creatures. Picture all that, and you’ll have a rough idea of only a portion of what’s in store for you when you visit the new North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher.
The Aquarium was closed in 1999 and then reopened in 2002 after two and a half years and over $17 million of renovation and expansion. The old aquarium, a popular tourist destination since its opening in 1976, was only about one-third the size of the new aquarium’s 93,000 square feet, and its largest tank was only 17,000 gallons. Today, the aquarium’s exhibits total 460,000 gallons compared with the old aquarium’s 77,000 gallons.
Beautifully situated on the sunny shore of the Atlantic Ocean, the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher boasts more than 200 species and nearly 3,000 animals, including sharks, alligators, barracuda, sea turtles, snakes, carnivorous plants, lobsters, moray eels, skates, rays, colorful reef fish, jellyfish, corals and crabs.
The Aquarium’s 460,000 gallons of aquatic exhibit consists of 20 different tanks and streams plus the 235,000-gallon saltwater tank known as the Cape Fear Shoals Habitat. In addition, the Aquarium features the Rocky Outcrop Touch Tank, a pool in native coquina rock offering hands-on encounters with shoreline critters such as sea stars, horseshoe crabs, whelks, sea urchins, clams, conchs and hermit crabs--an exhibit sure to be popular with the kids.
With an overall theme of “Waters of the Cape Fear,” the Aquarium showcases the aquatic animal and plant life on the Cape Fear River from just south of Raleigh as it meanders nearly 200 miles to the river's mouth, into the open ocean beyond.
Upon entering the atrium, known as the Cape Fear Conservatory, note the unique aluminum tubing and fiberglass 60 feet above, featuring sliding panels that allow natural light to enter. As you walk into the atrium, be sure to pause to examine the entrance wall explaining the “trip” you will be taking down the Cape Fear River to the sea.
The first water exhibit you’ll come to is Raven Rock, named for the state park where the journey to the sea begins. Featured in a series of pools and cascading water are striped bass, shortnose sturgeon, common carp and yellow perch. Farther downstream is a deep hole in the river where large predatory hunters lurk, seeking a meal. Called the Hidden Hunters, the tank features bowfin, channel catfish, chain pickerel, long-nose gar and others.
Next door, you’ll find an exhibit of snakes of North Carolina, both venomous and non-venomous, including brown, red-belly, banded water snakes, cottonmouth and rat snakes, all comfortably behind glass.
Beyond the snakes, you’ll come to the Town Creek exhibit, featuring a dozen alligators, three species of turtles, and many small fish. The gators and turtles love lounging on the muddy bank, and often plunge in for a refreshing swim.
Returning toward the center of the atrium, you’ll pass over a wooden footbridge next to the Roan Island exhibit, which is a cypress-ringed blackwater pond. The pond’s water cascades over a fallen tree into a rushing stream. Look through the glass behind the waterfall for delightful swamp denizens -- redear sunfish, pumpkinseed, bluegill, crappie and pickerel.
Over the footbridge, you will come to the Carolina Bay habitat area. Carolina Bays are shallow oval depressions found in abundance in North Carolina. They are ringed by bay trees and depend on rain or underground springs for their water. These bays are home to frogs, toads, salamanders and other amphibians that can survive dry periods. Near the bays, keep an eye open for intriguing carnivorous plants--the pitcher plant, sundew and Venus's flytrap. And, don't miss the new Conservatory exhibits, tree frogs, box turtles, copperheads and corn snakes.
Located in the adjacent Marine Building, you’ll find a unique Living Reef containing live coral and a variety of saltwater fish. And don’t miss Sharktooth Ledge in the Aquarium’s old 17,000-gallon main tank. This tank has a rocky ledge bottom and features a variety of colorful fishes found on the hard-bottom reefs. Another exhibit not to be missed are the incredibly beautiful displays of live jellyfish.
Also located on the lower level of the Marine Building is the fascinating Shadows on the Sand exhibit, where a dozen gliding rays and other surf-zone fishes can be viewed from both above and below the water.
And finally, the crowning jewel of the new Aquarium--the 235,000-gallon Cape Fear Shoals exhibit. Featuring five separate viewing windows on two levels, the windows are arranged so that visitors are never looking at each other as they view the inner depths.
At ground level, a large round window provides a view of a narrow sea-bottom gorge. Two 14-foot-tall by 9-foot-wide windows provide striking views from both the ground floor and mezzanine levels of the sandy bottom and coral-and-sponge-covered walls. On the upper level, a rectangular window offers a panoramic view of creatures around a craggy ledge. At the back of the tank on ground level, don’t miss the 7-by-9-foot window looking into the moray eel cave.
Several times a day, divers enter the Cape Fear Shoals tank to provide routine cleaning and maintenance in this massive home to sharks, groupers, stingrays and moray eels, among many others. While working underwater, the divers are able to use an underwater communication system to talk with visitors. Talking-diver presentations are regularly scheduled at 10:30 AM and 2:30 PM daily.
Before leaving, be sure to visit the Aquarium gift shop, whose decorative theme employs moving glass and lights to evoke an underwater scene. All proceeds of the shop benefit the North Carolina Aquarium Society. You can learn about becoming a member of the Society either here or at the Visitor Services Desk. An outdoor food bar adjacent to the Gift Shop is open seasonally and offers a variety of sandwiches, yogurts and snacks. Umbrellas and picnic tables are only steps away.
As you leave the
Aquarium, be sure to pass through the outdoor exhibit area, where you’ll
find gardens, sculptures, fishponds and waterfowl, including egrets.
