Open Monday-Sunday, 9am-4pm
Admission Adults $29.95, children $22.95
Address 100 Aquarium Wharf
Phone 843-577-3474
The South Carolina Aquarium is one of Charleston’s most popular tourist attractions, especially with families. The aquarium is home to over 5000 animals, fish and birds, with several themed exhibits and tanks showcasing the natural history of the state from the mountains to the open ocean.
Interactive exhibits and touch tanks are popular with children and adults alike. Other highlights at the aquarium include the huge main tank, whose inhabitants include sharks, turtles and a variety of other fish, and the newly-opened sea turtle hospital.
As an indoor activity, the aquarium is ideal for rainy or excessively hot days. Allow 2-3 hours for your visit.
See also:
– Mace Brown Museum of Natural History (free)
– Charleston Museum
– Dolphin and wildlife ecotours to Capers Island
– Other attractions and things to do in Charleston
The South Carolina Aquarium offers numerous themed exhibits reflecting the varied marine and aquatic environments of the state.
The Mountain Forest area displays birds, fish and mammals typical of the state’s upland river environments; the Piedmont exhibit displays fish species typical of the foothill rivers.
Exhibits from South Carolina’s coastal zone include Coastal Plain, which displays plants and animals found in local cypress swamps; Saltmarsh Aviary, with a large stingray tank and other fish, birds and animals found in the coastal marshes; Coast, with fish and other animals found on the beach and near-shore ocean; and Ocean, an enormous salt-water aquarium with sharks, sea turtles and other fish of the deep sea.
The Carolina Seas aquarium is home to many species of colorful fish that live in reef environments along the coast. Interactive exhibit The Shallows is home to local rays and stingrays, which can be fed by visitors (for an additional fee). The Touch Tank exhibit allows you to feel several species of marine animals, including crabs, sea urchins and stingrays.
The Backyard Habitat exhibit features an educational garden with native plants and animal shelters designed to attract birds, butterflies and insects, with ideas to take away and apply to your own garden at home.
This rehabilitative turtle center, opened to the public in 2017, cares for sick, injured and stranded sea turtles before re-releasing them into the wild.
You can see a selection of turtles in different stages of recovery, and learn about the process of rehabilitation, from their rescue, to their care at the center, to their eventual release.
The center admits around 20-30 sea turtles each year, returning many of them to the ocean at public release events at local beaches.
Special programs are offered daily at regular intervals throughout the day. They include the opportunity to watch animals participating in their enrichment programs, learn about creatures on display at the aquarium and their environment, and find out how the fish and other sealife are cared for.
Additional programs at the Zucker Family Sea Turtle Recovery Center discuss the work done at the sea turtle care center, the animals’ rehabilitation, and the work of marine biologists.
See details of upcoming daily programs
For additional information, call 843-577-3474 or 800-722-6455 (toll free) or visit the official website.
Open daily, 9am-4pm. Building closes at 5pm. Closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, closes early Christmas Eve.
Adults $29.95, children (3-12) $22.95, young children (0-2) free.
100 Aquarium Wharf, Charleston, SC 29401 (see on map)
The South Carolina Aquarium is easily accessible via Charleston’s free DASH shuttle. Route 210 – College of Charleston/Aquarium has a stop on Liberty Square, only a very short walk from the aquarium.