North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores

The North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores takes visitors on a tour of North Carolina’s amazing aquatic life “from the mountains to the sea.” The journey is arranged in five galleries: Mountain, Piedmont, Coastal Plain, Tidal Waters and Ocean. Among the 38 innovative exhibits are re-created shipwrecks that showcase the diverse marine life attracted to these sunken vessels. The 306,000-gallon Living Shipwreck display in the Ocean Gallery features a three-quarter-size replica of a German U-boat that was sunk off Cape Lookout in World War II. The Queen Anne’s Revenge duplicates the 18th century artifacts in Beaufort Inlet thought to be the wreckage of the pirate Blackbeard’s flagship. Additionally, the Aquarium offers a wide variety of special activities, special events and free daily programs.