South Carolina Aquarium

I was very excited to visit the aquarium when we first moved here. After going through the entire aquarium, I was amazed at its lacking. I would expect an aquarium in a city on the ocean to have a bit more. What is there is very nice, but it's very small. Our favorites are the dolphin tank and my kids really like the touch tank exhibits. There is one exhibit area that is always changing and that keeps one area as something new to see each time we visit. Our family generally goes once per year and in January there are two special dollar days where admission is $1. more

The South Carolina Aquarium is an excellent aquarium...if you're an aquarium sort of person. If you're inclined to run through exhibits and therefore need acres and acres of area to keep you entertained for an hour or two, this is not a good deal for you. If you more enjoy closely observing marine life, then you can make an entire day of the SC Aquarium. It is divided into areas based on the geography of South Carolina, starting first in the mountains (the star of this exhibit is the river otters, who are adorable - check ahead and try to be there for their feeding time, then to watch them play with the burst of energy aftewards), then the Piedmont, then marshes, then coast. The botanical life within the aquarium is also very interesting - I took a "plant tour" (no extra cost) lead by one of the plant curators and it was a very cool look at what it takes to maintain the plant life in the aquarium. A friend with me watched a cooking demonstration and was able to sample some delights cooked up by a local chef. The ocean life, at the end, is perhaps the most "traditional" thing people think of when they consider aquariums, and it does not disappoint. There are sea turtles, sharks, a very very large ocean tank, jellyfish (2 varieties), sea horses, and much more. The only disadvantage is that the aquarium is pretty far away from most restaurants, etc., but they do allow stamp-out re-entry. more

For years, Charleston has talked about building an Aquarium, and finally one has been built. I suppose it's something, at least, after nearly 20 years of hand-wringing on the subject. If you build it, they will come--or will they? Admission to the aquarium is very expensive for the lack of exhibits there are. Charleston has always been faced with the problem of struggling between being a small town and being a small town that tries to act bigger than it is. The Aquarium, in my opinion, is the biggest example of this. There is so much aquatic life around the Charleston area that should be featured in this multi-million dollar paperweight, but isn't. Empty tanks, empty wings, empty rooms. Very disappointing to spend $11 a person to go in and find that even if you walk very, very slowly you'll have seen all of the exhibits in less than 40 minutes. At least it's something. Beware of the 'outdoor' area where the birds have free reign. They will try to eat the buttons off of your shirt and the earrings out of your ears. I overheard one kid telling his family that when his class went to the aquarium the week before, they fed that particular bird the erasers off of their pencils. I don't think that's a good thing. And the people who man the 'touch tank' are very snotty and won't let adults touch the animals, only kids. So walk on your knees and pretend to be a child and perhaps that is the only way you'll be allowed to hold a horse-shoe crab. more

The South Carolina aquarium is a really nice aquarium. It is small but it has a lot of hands on activities for the kids. The newest being the Amazon Rainforest room. There is a touch tank where the kids can touch live sea animals and learn about them from the staff. They have a diver show and a fun little tiny tot playground area with a slide. We had a membership but did not renew this year. The main reason being that the yearly pass is expensive (just a visit is expensive) and you have to pay to park everytime you go. By the time you pay to park on the street or in the parking garage, you've easily spent another $5 on the admission price. It's a great aquarium but unfortunately at "tourist" Charleston prices. If money were not an issue, I would purchase another pass. It is worth it, but expensive. more