South Carolina Aquarium Reviews

Other reviews mention that the aquarium is small. I didn't really think it was too small. We spent a few hours visiting and it was a highlight of our trip. Our group was two adults and a toddler. Our little one loved the tanks with all the fish. I liked that the aquarium was not very crowded. This may have been because February is off season and we visited from 10:30 - 1:00 on a Sunday. I have been to other aquariums that are so crowded that it is hard to walk around are really enjoy the exhibits. We were able to take our time and have unobstructed views of the big tanks.

We paid $5 to get a small bowl of fish to feed the manta rays. It was really cool to feel them suck the food out of my hand and to pet them.

We also went to the turtle talk about rehabilitating the sea turtles. The staff bring their animal ambassadors out for visitors to see up close. We pet a snake and a tiny diamond turtle. They also had an owl out and they were going to be feeding the bald eagle, but we didn't stay for that.

Also to note they don't have lockers, but we were able to keep our stroller with us the whole time.

i was in Charleston for a few days this past week. We had a rainy day so we headed to the aquarium to avoid the rain. The aquarium did not disappoint us. We had been to many aquariums in our travel but this one had the kindest staff and volunteers. They were amazing, informed and so friendly. We were approached by 4 different volunteers in 4 different sections. They answered all our questions and shared all kinds of information. it made the experience all the more rewarding. Highlights for us included the River Otters, The Ocean Tank, the jellyfish display and Turtle Rescue.

Not as expansive as Georgia,Monterey,Baltimore,or Boston Aquariums but very nice none the less.Very clean and interesting displays,a sea turtle rehab center was very cool.
The thing that took it over the top was that one of the workers walking around grabbed us privately along 12 others and took us on a 1/2 hr behind the scenes tour at no charge.Very enjoyable.

People did a pretty good job of spacing apart. It felt like a normal aquarium visit. Although there were some tropical fish ("Dory" and "Nemo") in the children's section, the aquarium was focused on the Carolina water settings and water life. I enjoyed the turtle rescue area.

Outrageously and deceptively priced. Some good exhibits, but small, poorly organized and marked. Only one large tank. Price was $41.85 for each adult and $33.50 for children. no prices posted where tickets were sold, which should have been my first clue. ‘ Dynamic pricing’ which means it can be changed based on the day of the week, popularity or weather. In appropriate excuse to price gouge in my opinion. They did have a military discount of $3, which was less than 10% of the adult price. Gift shop was also overpriced, not much under $15, nor was there much educational merchandise available. I would not recommend this attraction given the high prices and lack of transparency regarding their practices.

The education staff, including Rachel, Morgan, Anna, Kenzie, and Sarah went above and beyond to make my son feel special on his 6th birthday. He chose a visit to the Aquarium as his special birthday activity, and this visit cemented in his little brain that the South Carolina Aquarium is a special place filled with amazing animals, fun activities, and welcoming, knowledgeable and kind people. Neither of us will ever forget what a great place the SCA is! Thank you!

What a great aquarium!! It is close to downtown and located on the water overlooking the Cooper River Bridge. It's just the right size and great for the entire family regardless of age. There is plenty of activities including a touch tank.

This Aquarium is a really fun place for the kids to have enjoy themselves while being educated. The aquarium also has a hands on area where the staff lets you pick up and touch certain sea animals.
Aside from the educational tours, the Aquarium also allows you to book its venue for events such as weddings and etc...

We've been here before and will likely be back! Well kept aquarium with plenty to see. The turtle hospital was closed while we were there, which was a disappointment.

I visited the aquarium this weekend with my family and was amazed at how clean the building was. The bathroom especially. I was extremely satisfied with the precautions that were taking place to protect everyone from the corona virus. I spoke with a cleaner, Loretta and expressed how great-full I was with her work.I highly recommend the aquarium as a fun place to go with your family that is also safe.

Exceptional! Especially the interactive educational displays. We were 2 adults but loved this aquarium. Easy bicycle ride from King Street.

Perfect outing for the family! This is fun and interactive for the little ones. You could really see that the employees wanted this to be a learning experience for all of us.

Nice aquarium, but for the price there weren't many exhibits. We really enjoyed the sea turtle and the sea turtle hospital. The childrens area was extremely crowded, but hey...it's summer.

I went with a friend to see everything this aquarium had to offer and it has some cool and unique things like a bald eagle inside, a outside avian area where there is no fence between you and the ducks etc., a giant aquarium with scuba divers, and an area to see the turtles being medically treated.
Having said that it only took us about 2 hours to very slowly walk through each exhibit, touch everything we could, watch a very small skunk show and then finish with the gift store. This place is SMALL and it is NOT CHEAP.

The best part was being offered a behind the scenes look at the huge fish tank. We got to go all the way up and watch them feeding. The biggest fish, and their turtle came up to eat. Just wonderful!

My adult children and myself thoroughly enjoyed this aquarium. It was clean and easy to get around. We didn't feel rushed to see the animals and there were many employees available to answer all of our questions. Highly recommend this event to anyone.

We stopped here on a rainy day with our almost 2 year old. She loved it! You can touch stingrays, crab, and a type of shark. I enjoyed the exhibits that were local to the area like the marsh and fresh water exhibits. This aquarium was unique in that it had a sea turtle rehabilitation area. Overall good, but $30 was a little steep for admissions in my opinion.

This was the first thing we toured. Loved the huge tank and sat for a long time watching all the fish and turtle. Had some unusual displays like a bald eagle. Was well worth the Admission.

My husband is a fan of aquariums and we go whenever we can wherever we are. This was a super cool one and the lids had a blast with the TWO touch tanks, interactive exhibits and creative spaces.

Went to visit on a recommendation, felt that it was overpriced, not much with regards to attractions. Seen an otter, and eagle, a sea turtle. Basically a large fish aquarium in the middle of the building. Has one shark and two barracudas along with a variety of fish. Interactive parts include touching stingrays and some lemon sharks. To feed the stingrays, that it an additional charge of $5.00 for three pieces of fish pieces. Seen some jellyfish. Felt that this was not worth the expensive and hassle for parking. Might be great for younger kids but for teens and adults, would recommend another venue.

We had the very good fortune of joining a behind the scenes tour given by Bob. And it was purely by happenstance. Bob took about 10 of us through the tank system and how the system was built and is maintained. We saw the top of the tank and got to meet the loggerhead turtle who considers herself the queen of the aquarium’s large tank. The tour and our guide were fantastic. I would recommend a visit to all.

We spent a few hours at the aquarium and had a nice visit. It’s not huge but has enough to keep you interested. There is a great shaded area behind the ray tanks where you can look out over the harbor and watch dolphins and the ships go by after you finish inside. They had a nice diver in the big tank show that was very informative as well as all kinds of displays of fish and my favorite, the river otters!

This aquarium is very appealing to small children. The staff was very helpful especially during this covid virus. Just a little expensive in my opinion but I understand it takes a lot to keep the aquarium up and going during this virus.

This aquarium is very nice with many sea creatures to see! We had read that it was small, but don’t let that dissuade you from visiting. It’s not as big as other aquariums, but still has many things to see! We loved watching the otters swim and play! There is a huge sea turtle that got right up to the window and seemed to love the attention of being looked at! We had a wonderful visit and the staff is very friendly!

The aquarium was very clean, and it was beautifully decorated for Christmas. The sting ray show with the scuba diver was interesting and entertaining. The penguins were very interactive, and our children enjoyed the penguin play exhibit. The shark tunnel was very neat to see. Overall, we found the aquarium more spread out with fewer exhibits than we expected for the price.

There were so many interesting things to see. The mermaid show was awesome. Lots of exhibits that were great.

Great time at the SC Aquarium! We have been many times and it never disappoints. Today we made a new friend and had the best experience ever there with BOB!!! He was amazing! Took us on a guided tour and asked him so many questions. He made sure to find an answer to all. Made our visit today so memorable-thank you so much Bob and we hope to see you next time we come!

We appreciated the diverse range and abundance of fish species, as well as the interactive stingray petting experience. However, the aquarium was noted to be on the smaller side.

We enjoyed this aquarium. Not as impressive as other aquariums I've been to, but still worth the trip. We LOVED the turtle exhibition and rehab center. I enjoyed reading about all of the turtles and their backgrounds. I have to say my daughters favorite part was the sting rays...we couldn't pull her away!

Excellent services. Bought tickets online and there was no entry delay. Excellent location with it's own car park a block away. Nice scenic area with a nearby park, College of Charleston extension, and Fort Sumter museum.

Facility was clean and staff was courteous. Enjoyed the exhibits. There was a nice variety of tanks from several biomes. Total walk through took 2 hrs.

This aquarium is really nice, new, modern and clean. All the people who worked there were so friendly and smiling. The aquarium was not very big. We went through in about an hour and a half. It was nicely located right on the water and there were several places where you could step outside and look around. There are no dolphins in the aquarium, but we were able to see 3 or 4 just looking out on the overlook. My kids loved feeding and petting the stingrays. It was a nice experience! The only downside is no parking lot. We got really lucky to find a good street spot.

My second visit to the aquarium and never disappointed. Each display is fully explained and the staff very knowledgeable. Seeing the diversity of wildlife is very educational. A great place for children of all ages.

The aquarium is about a block away from the public parking garage, which was a bit of a distance in the rain in a wheelchair! Having to buy tickets in advance with a specific arrival time was also a bit of a challenge for us as we were driving from Jacksonville, FL. They initially didn't want to let us in early, however, made an exception with only minor eye rolling.

We thought the price was a bit steep, but then realized they have to finance the turtle rehab, so we were okay with the cost. This would be a great place to take kids as it is kid friendly. Having been to a number of aquariums in our life we would rate this maybe 8 out of 10.

Excellent organization and accessibility for all. Comprehension displays for those who just want to onserve or those who wish to investigate further.

The ocean tank is really fantastic. Huge Loggerhead Turtle in the tank which was fun to see. We also really enjoyed feeding the Manta Rays. A must if you go! This is right next door to the Fort Sumter Visitor Center so it was easy to walk over there as well. We were there on a rainy day so it was very busy. Still enjoyable but crowded.

Although small, the aquarium is amazing! The employees there are very welcoming and knowledgeable! We had a great time being educated on the animals. The employees all seemed passionate about protecting them and sharing their importance in our world. I wish I had captured names. I would love to go back.

Small, but nice aquarium. We enjoyed the turtle rehabilitation center. It was nice to be able to enjoy the lookout area and the views. I would recommend purchasing tickets in advance, or midweek days, for a lower price.

My granddaughter went to the SC Aquarium with her class on 5/5/23. She went to their gift shop afterwards with $20. She purchased a single coffee mug and paid $18 for it.

She brought the mug home and I washed it ONE TIME before using it, and this is what happened (see photos).

One would expect that for $18, he would get a dishwasher safe mug that holds at least as well as a dollar store item, which far exceed this ridiculously priced mug in quality.

I felt very bad for the child, who tried to select the nicest thing she could afford with the money she had.

Very nice aquarium with nice selection of exhibits. Not as big as some in your larger cities but they do a good job of entertaining you.

We took the water taxi to the aquarium; we did see dolphins while taking the water taxi. Fed the sting rays, loved that. The aquarium is nice. Walked down to Fleet Landing restaurant afterwards, it's about a 1/2 mile. Don't suggest that if you have a hard time walking. You can get a bike taxi, call ahead for the that and they will be waiting for you outside the aquarium, they are close. Fleet Landing restaurant is really good, eat outside. You can walk a couple blocks from Fleet Landing restaurant up to the city market, and right in the historical district. Or call a bike taxi and they will take you all around town for 30 dollars for an hour. Only 2 people fit in the bike taxi. The bike taxi is so worth it!!! He took me around to all the historical churches, and sites.

Number one you have to make an appointment , it was the most crowded it has been since before Covid so what is the point ? Number two while checking in there was two lines I thought one was for members only but as you got to the end of the line an employee was telling you there was only one line well maybe you should’ve been standing at the other end-number 3 gift shop sells stale snacks for 8 dollars a bag even the kids wouldn’t eat the moon crackers

This is one of the smaller aquariums I've been to, but what they have is great! My husband and I really enjoyed the turtle rehabilitation area. It had information on the turtles that were currently being cared for with updates on their progress as well as information on turtles that had already been treated and released. Also had a bald eagle, which I have not seen in an aquarium before so I thought that was cool! She had an injury to her wing so that's why she was there. We also loved the super tall main tank - great photo opportunities in front of that. There was also a touch tank with a type of shark, horseshoe crabs, and rays. We really enjoyed our time there and would recommend you go if you're interested in aquariums or find yourself there before or after a Fort Sumter tour as it is right next door.

This way my second aquarium, first time was April 2018, in Mystic, Connecticut, which was a waste of time & money. Not so here, there plenty of staff members at the entrance, walkways or located in section of the museum.

The first exhibit was the petting tank of the stingrays, the rays enjoy having their head rubbed & touched. Feeding the rays was like a wild cattle stampede. Because a ray's mouth is located on the bottom of their belly, the feeder is no danger of being bitten.

On the lower level-two levels to explore-is the recovery area for all turtles. There are touch screen to follow the process of a turtle's health being restored 100 %. Also is triage, operating, scanning & first response.

After the American Bald eagle-named Liberty-are the following areas-Mountains, Piedmont, Coastal Plains & Coastal Ocean exhibits. Following these exhibits is the Great Ocean Tank, which is two large fish tanks that can be viewed from top tp bottom.The tanks have countless fish of all sizes, shapes & types.

Some reviewers said the cost was to high for the museum's small amount of exhibits to justify the cost or wasn't enough staff members to help. I can name six staff I met-Tim, Gary, Scott, Beth ,Jennifer & Lynn. Lynn looked for after Jennifer-at the stingray tank-told Lynn a visitor dropped their admission ticket. How Jennifer knew I had dropped my ticket-which I did-however Lynn took the time locate me. After finding me, we both return to the stingray tank for the stingray 's feeding.

Viewing the fish tanks is only one part of a visit. Read what's on the walls, the care of the turtles or any type marine life. The museum's goal is the Rescue, Recovery & Return any bird, turtle or animal back to it's proper former life style.

The museum's cafe is the Sea Turtle Snack Bar, the cafe is the place for a quick lunch. Menu is slices of pizza, chips, sandwiches, salads, candies, ice cream, fruit, cups of applesauce, strawberries & bananas. Seating is eight or nine tables with three chairs each. On the upper level is the Kids Coastal playground with a bid plastic stingray, turtle & possibly a submarine.

The nearest parking garage is the South Carolina garage at 24 Calhoun Street, about 600 feet from the museum's entrance. The east side has an excellent view of the Cooper River just yards away.

Lynn informed me that in October several groups of young children will be visiting, so a good time to visit would late August or early September.During my visit-Sept. 16-crowds were medium & fairly quiet.

A visit is highly recommended. The admission of $30.00-Mystic Aquarium was $32.50-may sound a lot for a two level museum, however what there is view, read & learn about is possibly worth the admission. Go with an OPEN mind. My visit lasted just over four hours that included talking with staff, photographing, the cafe & a good size gift shop. Very good lighting for photography.

They have the cutest animals! Wonderful aquarium with great programs and animals. Loved feeding and petting the rays and the horseshoe crabs. The variety of birds were a nice bonus. I would highly recommend visiting this aquarium

Bought our tickets online. They do make you choose a 30 minute window for admission so keep that in mind (they won't let you in before or after this time slot). We went on a Wednesday during the 10-10:30am window. They take your picture just as you enter with the option of purchasing it inside. There were a lot of children there on field trips that day so it was busy, but once inside it didn't feel too crowded. The balconies outside were fun to see Patriot's Point in the distance and we even saw dolphins swimming nearby! Our favorite part was seeing the turtles in the turtle hospital. They had screens near each tank so you could read each turtle's story about why they were there and how they were recovering. The large tank in the center that is 2 floors tall was so cool to see! Sign said it was the deepest tank in North America. We could have sat there forever just watching! They also had a wonderful touch tank where you could touch star fish and Chain Catsharks! The retail store had lots of cute souvenirs to purchase. Aquarium was on the smaller side and didn't take us long to get through, but it was really well put together, lots of great interactive touches for adults and children and of course with lots of amazing animals. We will definitely be back again to visit especially to see the River Otter exhibit which was closed while we were there.

Its a beautiful, large aquarium of local ocean fish, I should have stayed longer at the sting ray area and bought food on the way in---if I was picking options again.

The Charleston Museum has SO MUCH more to see for a mature crowd, and cheaper, if you don't have time for both.

After reading other reviews, I too can confirm the cost was a bit high for what they have to offer. Being that they have a turtle rescue, we overlooked that. We did wish there was a little more to see but overall enjoyed our visit. The touch tanks were a cool experience. You do have to pay to feed the stingrays though. It was nice to see their efforts in rehabilitating some animals and educating the public on what they do. The gift shop had a lot to offer and the prices were also a little steep. It was a fun stop on our visit in Charleston.

Our family had a great time during our visit, but the sea turtle hospital was the unanimous favorite for our group. We loved that you could actually read about each patient and follow along with their progress. It was wonderful to be able to see the efforts behind sea turtle conservation in such detail.

The rest of the aquarium was interesting as well, but is fairly standard in terms of presentation. Although the swamp marsh aviary also felt unique. Those roseate spoonbills were beautiful.

Not very many different species. The cost was too high for what you experienced. Would not recommend for an adult, but maybe a little kid.

The aquarium is absolutely beautiful! It’s not huge but it’s stunning and the best part is the turtle hospital on site! The views of the harbor are amazing as well! The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable!

We enjoyed the aquarium visit. We try to visit all aquariums wherever we travel, and thus holds up to many others. We also saw a lot of dolphins in the bay while we were there, so free dolphin show, too. Lots if interactive opportunities that have been adapted for COVID.

coming from south florida i really wasn't over thrilled going to an aquarium, but once i got inside this place was nice, huge tank with sharks and other fish. A there was a eagle there, also they have a turtle rescue center which was well equipped. very nice place. walked around fora little more than an hour, great place for kids

cost to much and some was not available. Was not worth it at all. Good for young kids but not teens,

This was a great way to spend an afternoon. The highlight was the turtle hospital. Definitely recommend!

The aquarium, while smaller than I was expecting, was really great. There were a lot of cool exhibits including a shark tank and a bald eagle! Really had a great time there and all the workers were so helpful with information. My favorite part was the sea turtle area where you got to see the ones in rehab who then get sent back to sea when they're healthy again, such a cool exhibit. The gift shop was really nice as well.

The aquarium is a pleasant, interesting way to spend an hour or so. The main tank is very impressive. We have been here before and it is showing its age a little. It is a particularly good stop while waiting for your boat ride to Ft. Sumpter, that is docked nearby.

Loved the Sea Turtle Rescue area and learning about what they are doing to help save the sea turtles. Amazing to see them up close. Very kid friendly for those who have children a lot of interactive things for them to do.

I can't say enough positive things about my recent experience at the South Carolina Aquarium. From start to finish, every aspect exceeded my expectations in cleanliness. The quality of the cleaning was simply outstanding. The bathrooms were some of the cleanest I have ever visited. I ran into Loretta during my time and she was delightful, a true example of southern hospitality and warmth. She went above and beyond to accommodate me and my situation and I am truly touched at the service received. The level of care and dedication exhibited by Loretta was astounding. It was evident that she took pride in her work and was committed to delivering exceptional results. She approached her tasks with precision and efficiency, yet never once did I feel rushed. She was thorough in her work, ensuring that every nook and cranny was given the attention it deserved. Overall, I couldn't be more impressed with the level of service I received. My experience really exceeded all expectations.

Best place to go in SC! Everyone there was extremely nice and the place was beautiful! Highly recommend!!! Especially feeding stingrays!!

My son and daughter in law are members of the Aquarium, so they go frequently. We enjoyed our visit. Our grandson took us all around the areas. We had our photo taken by the professional group close to the food court and the photo was of very good quality. We took a break and had lunch, hot dogs from the food court. We were surprised that water bottles were not available. The times when the diver was in the tank was the most impressive. Our grandson was in awe of that, especially when she started to talk. Great educational trip!

Loved this aquarium. Not sure why some reviews here did not rate this attraction with 5 stars. Perhaps it is the admission price, which I admit is somewhat high but proceeds are for a worthy cause. I found this aquarium to be outstanding. It is clean and organized with very lovely exhibits. Visitors will get an up close view of sea creatures and children can learn a great deal from the staff who work hard at presenting demonstrations. I went to this aquarium to view the seas turtles and I was not disappointed. The large tank (2 story tall exhibit) is full of wonderful fish and a beautiful loggerhead sea turtle who is a permanent resident here. The most impressive area of this facility was the turtle rehab center, which houses the rescued turtles that are being treated and then released back into the ocean. This area has good viewing tanks and the public can read in great detail about the many distressed turtles being treated. I was very impressed by the work going on at this aquarium. There is also a hands on tank where visitors can touch or feed the rays. The location of this attraction is quite lovely as it sits right on the bay with great water views. The giftshop and facilities are top notch and covid regulations are in place to make this a safe visit for everyone.

For a town of its size the Aquarium was enjoyable. Enjoyed learning about the turtles and their turtle hospital. If you have been to Boston or Baltiore Aquarium, this is much smaller with fewer exhibits. But it was an enjoyable visit

On vacation from Scotland this is always a must but this year our son was a great age and loves all sharks, alligators and underwater creatures. We enjoyed it so much we went twice. They have themed weeks, learning activities, it is always clean and beautiful, full of knowledgeable and friendly staff. Wish we lived closer.

This place was fantastic. Full of great exhibits and things to see. They have a cool wind tunnel for kids that blows air up to about 75 mph. It will dry them off pretty well. They have plenty of exhibits that kids can touch animals. They also have some nice outdoor exhibits that overlook the harbor.

We had a great time at this aquarium. While it is pretty small, we enjoyed all that it had to offer. Highlights were feeding the stingrays and the touch pond, with crabs, sharks and starfish. Very clean and friendly staff.

We had heard how great the aquarium was so we decided to visit it yesterday while visiting Charleston. We both were very disappointed. Nothing special. We had heard that there was a fantastic turtle presence. Not at all. We were lucky to see 5 turtles. The one big tank had many fish ibut not anything extraordinary. For &29.95 per adult we felt it was overpriced.

For me the highlights were the comb jellies, tarpon, sea turtle hospital and rehab, and the number of pleasant and knowledgeable volunteers. It's not a glitzy aquarium, but everything is very well done and the animals are healthy.

They have the deepest tank in the states at 42 feet. I like that they don't overhype sharks, or commercialize everything. Emphasis on education. I'm a fish nerd and loved just watching them do their thing.

The aquarium is roomy, was not crowded, not loud. A nice experience

Given the location (right on the coast) I was surprised at how boring the exhibits were.
There are 2 excellent exhibits in this aquarium - the otters (we had a front row seat at feeding time so we got a great show!) and the touch tanks (rays and sharks! the employees manning both were really knowledgeable). And 2 good exhibits, the large tank with the sea turtle and the jellies. Otherwise the exhibits were nondescript and kind of ran together. The sea turtle hospital was interesting but my kids weren't interested so didn't get to spend much time there.

Very enjoyable and worth the visit. This definitely is a great place for kids. Many interactive areas for kids. Staff was great and answered any questions we had. Plan to spend a good three hours. Parking is close.

This aquarium was even cooler than I was hoping!

So many different animals, from fish to sharks to otters to snakes!

The staff was friendly and very helpful.

The tanks were incredible. My favorite was one almost 70 feet deep! The lighting was really cool as well.

Very educational. Lots of plaques and video screens showed off facts and information.

There's a sea turtle hospital room where you can see real turtle patients who are recovering. There are interactive "games" in this room as well. You can also see into turtle hospital display rooms and see the equipment (through a window.)

There are jungle-like, enclosed outdoor areas with animals on display.

There are touch tanks where we got to touch beautiful (small) sharks, sting rays, and horse shoe crabs.

We got to touch large sting rays in another area, and we even got to feed them! (For an additional $5 which we purchased when we bought our tickets at the front of the aquarium.)

We watched a diver event, where divers went into the large tank with the fish and spoke to us about the animals.

The aquarium is beautiful, fun, and educational. We spent about 3 hours, but we could have easily spent more, especially if we had taken time to read all the information in each exhibit.

The animals have lots of space, which was really nice to see.

The view from the aquarium is breath-taking. There are outdoor areas, where you can sit to get away from the noise (it was very quiet when we went though.) From there, you can look out onto the water and see boats.

The gift shop was a good size and had a great variety of things. My friend purchased a stuffed walrus keychain, and I got a wooden turtle ornament and a squid-themed chocolate bar.

There is also a nature trading area, where you can bring in nature items (ex: rocks, shells, shark teeth, etc.) and exchange them for points. You can use the points to get other nature items that other guests have brought in.

I would absolutely go here again. 100% recommend!

Steps from the ferry that takes you to Ft. Sumter, the aquarium is definitely worth a visit. Focusing on the fish and mammals indigenous to South Carolina, the aquarium is also home to a hospital for injured sea turtles. The main tank is full of so many different species, I could have watched them for hours.

Most of the aquariums are huge with multiple species so there are fewer displays than some other aquariums I have visited. This is very much a hands on and staff assisted operation and caters to all age ranges. You can easily spend a half day there and leave feeling good.

The sting wrays were fun to touch. The large ocean tank was interesting to watch. Lots of fun things for kids to explore.

This aquarium is fantastic so much to see I could have spent all day their. Their gift shop is great a lot of gifts for our granddaughters.

Excellent displays of the aquatic, shoreline and river fauna of South Carolina. They also have a tank where one can touch a shark and a bald eagle on display.

The aquarium was clean and very well run. We had two young children that absolutely loved feeding the stingrays and watching the scuba diver in the tank.

This is a fine, but small aquarium. We spent less than an hour at the aquarium and saw everything. At about $30 a ticket, this aquarium doesn't offer enough to do for the price. While it is well done, that is the exhibits are good, the aquarium is clean, it's just small. There also wasn't a lot of WOW moments. The aquarium is mostly focused on common and local freshwater fish. And while the ocean tank is huge, it's missing many of the beautiful colorful reef based fish people love to see. The sea turtle hospital was definitely a wow moment as was the sting-ray shallows. Plus the bald eagle, which I had never seen up close. Would I go again? Not a chance, but our time at the aquarium was pleasant enough, just too short.

We enjoyed a visit to the aquarium very much and recommend this attraction to families with kids especially. Not only were there plenty of sea life exhibits but also local wildlife and several “touch encounters”. Lots of kid friendly learning opportunities were available. Having visited many aquariums in the US and worldwide I have to say this one rates very highly and shouldn’t be missed when in Charleston.

After having visited a number of aquariums across the country, I found a website with a listing of the top aquariums in the country and this was in the teens for being one of the best - even above the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago and the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. With a couple of touch tanks, a large central tank with a variety of creatures (including a couple of barracuda my kids LOVED), a couple of different jelly fish tanks, an octopus, and a turtle rescue area, it was a nice aquarium, but I wouldn't rate it as high. It was on the smaller side, but did have a great view of the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge in Charleston and was right next door to Fort Sumter Visitor's Center. A couple of hours was sufficient to see everything. There was also a kids' area for the younger ones.

This venue is wonderful for knowledge, exhibits and convenience. A don't mis activity for the whole family. Lottsa fish/turtles and rehab info. Since it's a state-wide offering, all species are local to are.

More than $40 for an aquarium that in 15 minutes is visited; the worst I have visited so far.
Managed well and close to the sea, but not really worth it

Interesting and educational aquarium which highlights not only the local rivers, but emphasizes the beauty and importance of their Turtle Rescue efforts. Take your time strolling thru.
Enjoy

We were able too get in the aquarium today wow 🤩 great fun and outstanding event,really a great end to a perfect week

Great aquarium with displays of marine life and animals that would live in the marshes. The two story tank of fish and sharks is definitely a highlight. They have a turtle rehabilitation area where you can read about the turtles they've rescued and their progress. Volunteer Bob was absolutely wonderful and a wealth of information. A little on the pricey end but worth the visit. I'd recommend a one to two hour stay.

We always enjoy aquariums wherever we go. This one is wonderful! The children got to feed the rays and touch sharks! We enjoyed hearing the divers talk about how they feed the animals. The turtle hospital was a favorite as well.

We had a nice time visiting the aquarium again. We were happy with the new stingray exhibit. We also loved the animal exhibits built out of LEGO’s.

The aquarium was great, but the highlight of the trip was the treatment we received from Camden, one of the docents. He was so kind and made sure we saw everything, including some things not regularly available to the public. He was very knowledgeable and entertaining. He made our day.

The experience was extremely educational and fun to no end. I went with my husband and my son (both doctors) and enjoyed seeing them become children opened to learning and doing. Great treat for family with kids of any age.

The aquarium was very clean and the exhibits were amazing. They sea turtle hospital area was a great exhibit. I also loved touching the rays. Overall, we had a great time.

Smaller aquarium. we enjoyed it but not for the money we spent. Couple, 30’s. Ended up here thanks to a rainy day in Charleston.

It wasn’t a bad experience as we enjoyed our almost two hours of checking out the exhibits. From the perspective of value it was just a couple dollars cheaper than the National aquarium in Baltimore but it was also significantly smaller.

We were visiting with a Citadel cadet and 2 Teen-age girls. We all had a great time at the aquarium. At the time we were there there was a Leggo Display and they make all sorts of sea creatures from Leggo. That was just an added attraction to all the wonderful displays in the aquarium.

We loved the different themes of this aquarium. It was super neat to go to all of the various areas and help our kids understand that. The bald eagle was super neat too! This was so neat. The kid play area is a nice feature too. It is pricy but I feel like they do a good job with the museum and I hope a decent part goes towards rescuing sea animals and especially sea turtles. Before we went in, we walked up to the harbor to just look and saw a dolphin right by us. That was really neat.

Great aquarium, possibly the best one we've visited. The layout of the exhibits is well thought out. We loved all the kid-focused exhibits throughout. We even had a chance to meet a baby alligator and a corn snake named Kernel :)

We went for the night time AcquaGlow Christmas experience and enjoyed it very much. It’s a smaller aquarium so I’m not sure it would impress as much if not for the extra holiday experience. One unique feature of this aquarium is the sea turtle rehab hospital. This was really cool and extremely educational.

the tutrle rescue is awesome and teaches youth the importance of picking up after yourself on the beaches. "leave no trace" needs emphasized to our youth

The SC Aquarium isn’t huge, but it’s a really nice one and it’s situated beautifully on the Charleston Harbor. One of my favorite things about the aquarium is that you can stand on the back deck and watch dolphins swimming in the harbor—we spotted quite a few! I also really loved watching the river otters—they should really expand that area and put in benches. I could have sat and watched them for an hour. We also enjoyed walking through the sea turtle hospital and learning about what they do there. We were also pleasantly surprised to see the big loggerhead turtle in the main aquarium tank, which is 3 stories tall! Overall, the aquarium is a fun way to spend an hour or two if you’re at the Liberty Square area.

Also—there’s plentiful parking in the garage across the street!

This is a nice aquarium that will planned to see on a rainy day during our visit to Charleston. The sea turtle hospital was very interesting. What is there is very cool, I just wish there were more exhibits. I thought the price was a little high for what they offer. However, it was a good time for two hours.

Great place to tour. Lots of great exhibits. Laid out very well. Similar to chattanooga tn aquarium. Definitely a good place to take your children.

Cute aquarium. Not too big but enjoyable anyway. Went through the whole thing in about an hour and a half. The stingray exhibit outside was great. Definitely feed the rays if you get a chance.

I have been to a few aquariums and found this one to be quite small. However I loved that they have a sea turtle hospital and you can actually see the residents being treated.

Sea turtles are very important to the coastline environment and at the SCA you can learn all about them. So much to see and learn about the area and how it all intertwines with the seasons, weather, and the general area. Do take the time to discover all they have to offer. Great for kids. Enjoy!

We had great trip to the South Carolina aquarium we walked around the aquarium and saw all of the beauty of sea life it is a must do for the little ones and the whole family the staff were outstanding staff and knowledgeable about sea life we got to feed the stingray the was very fun and to all of you planning to visit this place I hope you have as much fun as we did and have a great trip

Upon arriving, the view of the Charleston Harbor is beautiful. I brought my dad to have a little peace and quiet after the hustle and bustle of hospital life. They have done great at implementing covid measures. There were plenty of hand sanitizing stations set up. We were able to leisurely stroll around without it being too crowded so visiting during the week was an excellent choice.
We really enjoyed seeing the Loggerhead Turtle exhibit.
Overall it was very informative and educational.

Very nice staff, our daughter had an amazing time and so did we. Appreciate the conservation focus as well, the sea turtle hospital was fascinating. We also enjoyed the local products at the well curated gift shop. Kind of went in on a whim but it was a highlight of our trip!

We typically check out aquariums on trips. This venue explores the many eco systems of South Carolina. The staff are very welcoming and informative. Make sure you feed the sting rays, worth every penny. We spent about an hour and a half or so and enjoyed our visit. Parking is convenient and reasonably priced.

Yes, the tickets are steep, but we just considered it a donation toward conservation and moved on. What I loved about this aquarium was that the animals were native (no dolphin shows or poor whale sharks stuck in a tank like in Atlanta). It was new and shiny, and even though it was small, I appreciated the focus on conservation and local wildlife vs. animals trapped for entertainment. Would return!

Stingray petting was huge favorite. Actually a lot more to see (tanks) than some reviewers implied. We almost passed on this site because of some mediocre reviews. Yes it is a little pricey, but it had more to see (fish, otters, reptiles, birds...) then we expected. There is also a petting area for horseshoe crabs, baby sharks, and starfish, so that was different. It is right next to Fort Sumpter ferry, so we just ended the day there. Glad we listened to the kids idea and took the chance.

Group of friends went to visit, it was awesome we were gave the backstage tour with lots of extra details about the animals and the exhibits.

Cool aquarium, expensive and smaller than expected! We went to every exhibit and even let our rowdy toddler play in the toddler zone for 20 minutes and we finished in under 2 hours. We also went during a time where it was Buy 1 adult ticket, get 1 free! It cost us 30$ to get in (it’s free for those under 3). I would be angry if we had paid 60$ to get in. The turtle sanctuary was the coolest part about the whole experience. There’s also a pretty impressive salt water tank, it was probably one of the bigger ones I’ve seen! However everything else was ordinary. You could pay 5$ to feed the stingrays, but they were sold out for the day and we had only arrived 1.5-2 hours after opening so that was a bummer.

Very good exhibits and is handicapped accessible. Aquariums are a great place to see varities of fish you might not see otherwise.

It was a rainy day in Charleston and my mom and I were looking for something to do indoors. We discovered Charleston was home to the South Carolina Aquarium and decided to spend a couple of hours there. It’s such a very facility and we really loved the sea turtle rehabilitation center! We also really enjoyed the touch tank for the sting rays -- they are so social and love to be touched! However, the cost for tickets is a bit on the pricer side considering the size of the aquarium, and they don’t offer discounts for seniors which was a little disappointing. I suppose it does all go to a good cause, but did wish there were additional exhibits to justify the cost.

Overall we had a fun time. We went on a rainy day so it was packed with small children. We had a toddler who enjoyed the giant sea turtle and the kid areas. For adults we were underwhelmed not a whole lot to see we were expecting to see more.

The South Carolina Aquarium is a oasis of relaxation for me whenever I visit. It is amazing how much there is to see and do there.
I’m particularly fond of the Sea Turtle hospital and the Great Ocean Tank, the deepest aquarium tank in North America and over 40 feet deep. This visit was during a school holiday so it was busy, but not too busy.

The aquarium is mostly suited to families with young children. It wasn’t a good value for adults. $70+ a waste of money for us.

The aquarium is small, but features many interactive displays that will keep everyone busy. I enjoyed seeing the sea turtle recovery centre and the equipment. I also enjoyed the ray tank and gift shop. The eagle was so still when I first saw it I thought it was fake but Jon leaving the area it moved. The staff was very friendly.

We visited the Aquarium in December.
The whole family enjoyed it a lot. Our kids are 6 and 9. It was fun to pet the animals and see all animals they had there. They also do a great job with the turtles.
I really recommend a visit.

The scuba divers gave a question and answer session, which was good. Feeding the turtles at the same time they feed the sharks was a good solution

Variety of sea life available to view. They featured a few birds as well with their own Bald Eagle! They also had experiences available that allowed you to pet two breeds of sea life. Their animal rescue efforts are commendable, and I enjoyed reading a few of their sea turtle rescues.

Such a fun experience for our preschooler (and us grown ups, too)! The staff were knowledgeable and enjoyed answering our questions. One even pointed out dolphins swimming in the harbor. Very interactive. There were two touch tanks and the opportunity to pet an alligator. The sea turtle rehab exhibit was wonderful. We could watch the turtles up close and watch the zoologists care for them. My favorite: the river otters!

Regarding covid precautions: online reservations were required, but around lunch time, the aquarium felt too crowded. Staff did a great job wearing masks, and there were plenty of hand sanitizing stations.

Very well planned exhibits. Lots of campers so be prepared for little ones running about. Very informative. Indoor and outdoor exhibits.

Exploring this aquarium was such a fun experience! Its smaller size made it feel more intimate and enjoyable without being overwhelming.

Inspired by: The fantastic staff who made the visit even better!

Discovered through: Tripadvisor reviews—thank you all!

Would we return? Every few years, absolutely!

This was a really great place! It had two stories and multiple balconies overlooking the water. It was packed with beautiful fish and other animals. It had very interactive exhibits and employees everywhere answering questions and giving information. We spent about 2 hours total at the aquarium, it was a great part of our trip.

My only critique is that it was a little pricey however we didn’t mind supporting a great cause!

A nice outing for adults or children. Interactive displays to keep kids interested and helpful informational talks

Aquarium was nice, staff was friendly, parking was a headache had to use metered street parking so we felt a little rush. Kids will enjoy it,

This was our first time going and we really enjoyed it. It has two levels with a lot of neat things on display. There weren't too many people where it would feel crowded but there was enough to see that people enjoyed it. It also had a great view of the Ravenell bridge outside which you could view on the balcony which was nice. We will definitely be back.

The Aquarium is the most popular tourist attraction in South Carolina for good reason. Great care has been taken to appeal to all ages as well as act as a focal point for conservation activities across South Carolina.

The museum has aquatic wildlife native to South Carolina swamps, rovers and coastline from alligators to seagoing turtles with a huge 385 thousand gallon tank prominently anchored in the center of the expansive building.

The staff is very friendly and informative with plenty of information to share. Plan for n spending a few hours exploring and being entertained while being educated!

My 9 year old son and I really enjoyed this Aquarium! We spent a few hours here. It was on the smaller side. Very clean, nice gift shop. We got hot dogs from the little cafe and ate outside by the stingray tank with a beautiful view of the harbor and bridge. Adult admission was $37.50, child (3-12) $30 and then $5 to "feed the rays." We would definitely go back...very fun time! It's right on the harbor, so you can jump on the water taxi and go over to the USS Yorktown or The Pier where The Vendue Fountain and Pineapple Fountain are.

Nice Aquarium, lots to see and interact with Highly recommend feeding the stringrays, visiting the gift shop and seeing the turtle hospital.

Nice aquarium for the whole family. Great views of the water. Highly recommend feeding the rays - both my 10 year old and 18 year old loved that the most! Sea turtle hospital is pretty neat. Price was a bit high, but aren’t all aquariums? $109 for 3 of us.

The entire space was incredibly accessible. Wide walkways, ramps, elevators, and thoughtful signage made it easy to navigate, even with a stroller or mobility aid. That kind of inclusive design made a huge difference in our visit.

The exhibits were interactive, beautifully designed, and engaging. We especially loved the Sea Turtle Care Center. It was moving and educational to see real-time rehabilitation in action.

One small downside was the photo package offered at the entrance. It was $35 for a print w/ digital copy. While I understand the cost supports the aquarium's mission, it still felt a bit steep for a quick souvenir either ways…I'd visit again. Highly recommend!

Having been to many aquariums across the US this one was very disappointing. First there is the fluctuating price for admission; it changes hourly. Also the need to purchase online due to either a lack of staff or funds for front desk staff. It makes it inconvenient if you have questions or a problem purchasing on your phone. But the biggest problem is how small the venue really is. The exhibits were lackluster to say the least. You can EASILY see everything in under 2 hours. Given the price of admission, skip it unless you have nothing else to do.

Initially, after I purchased 5 tickets online for $40 each, I was thinking, "this had better be good for $40 a person." We took our 3 grown granddaughters, 2 of whom had been to the Aquarium before. And, we went on a Saturday (the only day we were in Charleston). With regard to the Saturday visit, if you have an aversion (we don't) to little kids, don't go on a Saturday. The place was packed with families.....and, that is great!

The exhibits are nicely done. Their presentation of part of their mission (rehabbing sea turtles) was presented well. As an invertebrate zoologist, I would have like if there wee more displays and/or information about, for example, the role of coral animals in building coral reefs, molluscs, crustacea, the amazing life in the very deep sea, etc.

But, I want to tell you that the grown granddaughter who had never been here before thought the visit was great; she's thinking of an aquarium membership. The other two seemed to enjoy their repeat visit. So, was the entrance fee worth it? The jury is still out on that question.

This is a fairly small aquarium which provides a nice visit. The stingray tank was especially interesting to me.

I was impressed with how the aquarium reaches out to children with exhibits that all ages would appreciate and enjoy. The deepest aquarium is fascinating to look at and loved watching all the fish and various sea life . Definitely an outing to take your children to see

Each staff member was engaging, helpful and willing to teach. If you want an aquarium where you can learn and participate, this is the place for you. We especially enjoyed seeing the Bald Eagle, sea turtles and the playful river otters. The ocean tank was impressive with a wide variety of large fish.

The South Carolina Aquarium is a must for family’s with small children. It want too busy on a Monday morning. It isn’t a huge aquarium, you should expect to get through it and experience it in about an hour and a half. The staff was great and informative. Aside from the great exhibits, there are a lot of interactive things to do. There are a lot of smaller animals being walked around by the staff for everyone to see and touch. There is also a touch tank which is very neat and your child will definitely like it.

This is an OK aquarium, but there were fewer exhibits than I had expected given the size of the building (and the cost of the admission). I did enjoy presentations by several docents, including the one with their bald eagle. The signage is rather preachy--there were more posters saying Conserve! Donate! Don't Pollute! Join! Donate! than actual information on what I was seeing--I felt a bit like I was stuck inside a public broadcasting begathon.

This was a let down and felt like a tourist trap. The cost was fairly exorbitant and the actual aquarium was surprisingly small. It was pretty disappointing. I write this purely to help you avoid making a costly choice that really doesn’t deliver.

Our party had 5 adults and 3 children (ages 9, 9, and 14). We all had a very enjoyable time! There was plenty to see and do and the kids loved all of the displays and exhibits. We adults were very engaged as well. The gift shop at the end is huge and reasonable priced. We were able to do everything in about 75 minutes. We would definitely go back.

A very small aquarium, probably not worth the price of admission unless you consider you are helping save the sea turtles. Can be done in less than 2 hours. Very child-friendly, though. Lots of interactive exhibits and, again, not very big.

The only reason I would take away half a star is because I'm spoiled by aquariums since we're three hours from the Shedd in Chicago which is still my gold standard.
But this aquarium, while small, always wins me over with the Lego decor. This time we also got lucky enough to be at the "tidal pool" area during feeding time and got to interact with the animals and learn a lot. We fed the sea urchins and star fish (an interesting experience) and my daughter volunteered to feed the horseshoe crab which was a crazy experience. I think that's one of the things I enjoy most about this place is that there is often something going on that you can interact with.
I also enjoy the turtle rescue and how you can read the real stories of the patients at the "hospital". Its a very informative place.
Doesn't take more than a couple hours to fully tour it, but it's an entertaining couple of hours.

What an awesome place to spend the afternoon. We had a great time. All the staff were friendly and well informed.

Tried to buy a coffee at start of visit. Coffee shop opened only at 11 but had run out of coffee. No fresh food.

We escaped the heat (yes, 80 is hot!) and headed here for an afternoon. While it’s a bit pricey, it’s very clean, very well laid out, and very fun! You can tell the people working here care about the creatures and what they’re doing. We loved being able to touch the rays too ❤️ Bottom line, my 18 year old niece wanted to go here while we were visiting Charleston, and she absolutely loved it. So that was worth it!

We decided to visit here with our son since he might find it interesting. My husband and I had visited several years ago but this time it was disappointing. It was kind of lackluster as far as interesting sea creatures on display. There were a few exhibits that were good but nothing outstanding. It is costly and I guess I expected more. The hotel was good enough to give me a discount card - something you might check into before purchasing tickets. It’s very safe to visit. The facility is very well maintained and is right at water’s edge.

Although the aquarium may seem small, it packs a huge punch of educational value and content. Our family loved seeing the sea turtles and the American Bald Eagle. The highlight for the kids was getting to pet the alligator during the handler's presentation. The handler was informative, friendly, and approachable. We always enjoy visiting when we're in town.

They were very careful with COVID measures and masks. Beautifully designed and easy to walk through. So happy they were even open right now for our trip!

Nice aquarium. I visited once as a child when they first opened. I recently took my family back. It was smaller than I remembered but seeing it through a child's eyes vs adult always makes things different. Lots to see, and what they are doing with their turtles there is amazing. The price is steep but we were able to get a discount as our son is a scout. We probably wouldn't go back but it was definitely worth the visit.

I always enjoy going to aquariums. I did enjoy the outdoor touch tank and the outdoor marshlands. This aquarium is a little in the small side, but was still enjoyable. We were able leisurely walk the entire bldg in just over an hour. Was still very nice.

For what it is, it is ok. For the price, it is not. It is way too small to justify the $37 per person pricetag. There are many things to do in Charleston that are a better value.

The aquarium was geared to children under 10. Many interactive displays. We have visited aquariums across the US and was disappointed with amount of exhibits for adults. Very crowded with strollers.

This SC aquarium was a nice experience. It is small compared to other aquariums and does not have a lot of exhibits. It is well managed and well kept though. The outdoor stingray area is probably the highlight of the place. It overlooks the harbor and is very beautiful. It does have a lot of evolution in its exhibit explanations, which for a Christian shows a lot of false narratives for the children.

Stay away from their parking garage. Seems the ticket kiosk gives out tickets every so often. If you don’t get a ticket, they’ll charge you $30 for a lost ticket. This happened to at least 3 people while we were there. Garage attendant said he found numerous tickets on the ground when he got there, yet said we had to have gotten a ticket for the gate to open. When we called for assistance, the gal said she’d call the police because we were disputing the lost ticket and only wanted to pay for the hours we were there.

This is not a big or complex aquarium like Monterey or Baltimore but it was still a nice place to visit. I did have a bit of fun with the tubes in the children's' section and trying on hats in the gift store.

It is hard to find fault with any organization that does so much for wildlife. However, the combination of the lighting and the curvature of the large tank instantly gave me an aura migraine. This made it difficult to really enjoy anything after that.

We four ladies in our 60's decided to visit the aquarium because of the turtle hospital. Thought the price was bit steep for only 2 floors of animal displays, but it was a nice variety of the different habitats in SC. We did make sure to hit 3 of the presentations: Feeding at the touch tank(very interesting to see the horseshoe crab eat!), Dive into the G.O.T.(a bit hokey, more for kids), and the Turtle Talk( the reason for our visit and very informative). There was an area for hands on things for children to do. Enjoyed seeing the bald eagle that put on quite a noisy display(wish I had gotten it on video as it was interesting to hear its sound). Very nice gift shop with lots to entice parents to buy something for the kids. The small area with food/snack offerings smelled wonderful when walking by. Loved its setting by the harbor. Convenient parking garage across street. Worth the visit!

The aquarium is decent, but I've visited far superior ones. It's lacking in exhibits, and some of the displays were not particularly thrilling. I would recommend skipping it.

In town for New Year’s and we debated about doing this because of the mixed reviews. Because it was at night and we didn’t have any other plans, we did this.

It was a bit pricey at $140 for 3 adult and 2 kid tickets.

The aquarium had some really neat and pretty Christmas lights. It was small but the good parts were really good.

The main tank was very impressive with a huge loggerhead turtle and a few sharks with lots of other fish.

We didn’t see the alligator and missed several exhibits simply because of the darkness for the aglow event.

The turtle hospital was also impressive. There were interactive kiosks where you could look up the current patients and see what happened and their treatment plans.

Interactive sting ray exhibit was a favorite of the kids.

Being at night, we couldn’t see the harbor views or outside environment.

Also very surprised to see a full bar open at a family-oriented event.

Overall, the kids enjoyed it, so that made it worth it.

This place is really wonderful. Up close and personal, the touch experience is super. Pluse the turtle recovery area is great

The staff makes this place! Tajay was one of the sweet staff members we talked with and she made our trip extra special! Talk about amazing!!! We were taken behind the scenes to get a closer look of their huge 42 gallon tank! While in there we received amazing facts about the facility and animals by Tajay. Our son asked lots of shark questions and to our surprise we met a diver who helps maintain the tank and he gave both of our children HUGE, REAL shark teeth he has found throughout his many excursions. This aquarium was so much fun for our whole family! Everything was very well maintained and clean. The staff was knowledgeable and so friendly! Wide variety of animals! Best part of our trip! Thank you for making our kids day so special!

It was a great day trip. The layout was easy to follow, loved the eagle, mammals and fish were beautiful. Learned things too.. Will go back

Coming from Georgia, we expected to be disappointed since we compare everything to the Georgia Aquarium but we ended up not disappointed at all! It was a great way to escape the heat and the rain. We loved feeding the stingrays.

Not a bad place to stop, clean and some interesting things to look at. However, compared to other aquariums I've been to this one was very small. When I finished walking through it my first thought was, "This is it?" If you've got small kids it would be a decent stop if you are in Charleston but for anyone older I'd recommend some of the other choices around the city.

Not only is this a really well done aquarium with lots of interesting, fun things for guests to do, this place is playing a vital role in making sure that generations to come will be able to see these magnificent giant Sea Turtles in the wild. With this in mind, this aquarium is more costly to get into and a LOT smaller than some of the bigger Aquariums I have visited (i,e., The Georgia Aquarium runs the same cost to get into BUT they have Whale Sharks in one of the largest aquariums in the world!). However, the Carolina facility is as much a surgical and rehabilitation center for Sea Turtles who have been clipped by boat, or hurt/maimed by commercial fishing, etc. On the whole, I felt good supporting such a center. Don't get me wrong, it's a really nice facility, but more that that, it's an important one.

Excellent aquarium and very interactive. We saw a scuba diver show which the kids loved. The animals were healthy and well cared for. The 3-d show of the sharks and whales was so fun.

The aquarium was very clean and interactive. However, it was very small. It only took about 45 minutes to see the entire aquarium.

We loved it all!!
We were with our children and grandchildren, ages 19y & 9y. We all enjoyed it. The location is amazing. (Be aware to street park.) You can view the Ravenel bridge and USS Yorktown from the outdoor bird area.
We all loved feeding the Stingrays and petting the small sharks.

I enjoyed the large, multi-story aquiarium with many ocean fish. Beyond that, neither my wife or I found much of interest. It would perhaps be a great place to visit if you have young children, but we found it a bit overrated, particularly for the price.

It was very interactive, great for kids. I loved the otters and the sea turtles. I only saw 1 shark and 1 large sea turtle in the giant tank. I liked the sea turtle rehab center as it showed before and after pictures. The snack shack is very limited and overpriced. The gift shop is outrageous on pricing but that is to be expected. There is a variety of animals, not just fish. It is on the waterway so you have the opportunity to see dolphins. Overall, it was okay. If you have small children I would recommend. Otherwise, I was more impressed with Ripley's Aquarium in Gatlinburg, TN.

We went with two of our grandchildren, ages 12 and 13. The big 42’ ocean tank and the turtle recovery area was great. They really enjoyed both of those. The rest was nice and our younger grandkids would have enjoyed it a lot as well.

My daughter and I had a great time at the aquarium. We had not been in a while, so it was nice to visit again. My daughter is a Marine Biology major and is taking the Biology of Fishes class presently, so she said it was also a good way to practice for identifying fish species. It was remarkable seeing how many fish she was able to identify. The stingrays in the petting tank were very active, so it was great being able to be there at that moment.

Small with less offerings than most aquariums. That is fine, but charged my wife and I $75! Rip off.

My family and I are so happy we got a chance to visit. The staff were extremely friendly and helpful. The flow of the aquarium was nice. The ray feed was amazing and worth every cent of the extra cost(plus it goes for a good cause-win/win!)! It was interesting to see the turtle recovery process. They were also very COVID friendly. You can tell the place was very well cleaned and maintained.

Very small Aquarium so spending a lot of time there I found to be difficult. There were lots of activities for young children but as 2 adults there was not much to do. The stingray area was a hit with my group and we spend some time there.

Nice aquarium! A little pricey for the size!I love turtles and they have a strong focus on turtles here! A great place for kids and families.

Grossly overpriced and doesn't even remotely compare to the aquariums in Chattanooga or Atlanta, but if you like to blow money indiscriminately , go ahead.

Got to feed the stingrays and the Haunted Trail was great, even in socially distant Covid. Good local aquarium

We visited the aquarium on 6/19 and had an enjoyable time. It was not super crowded. We did purchase our tickets in advance as required which was no big deal to us. My kids are both teenagers and had a good time during our visit. It took us probably 1 to 1 1/2 hours to tour the whole aquarium. The aquarium is nice but small; however, we live near Baltimore and have been to the National Aquarium many times which is bigger with more exhibits so we compare everything to that. I'd say younger kids would really love this aquarium. We also opted to feed the stingrays which our kids loved! You don't get a huge amount of fish to feed the stingrays with but for $5 that was fine. The views of the harbor are amazing from the many decks of the aquarium as well. We would go back again.

It was O.K. Some interesting displays of fish and other wild life. Seemed geared mostly to kids. I'm not a kid. I thought the $29.95 price tag was a little high. Touching the stingrays was a nice feature. Of course they offered to let me feed them for $5. They offered a photographer with some fun backgrounds...$30. I covered the whole place in about 40 minutes.

Charleston Aquarium was a great experience. Had very knowledgeable staff and volunteers. Offered a diving show in their deep tank. Offered an area to be able to touch stingrays, a type of shark, and more. Also nice to see the turtle rehab in the works.

My family loves aquariums and was excited for this one. The staff was super friendly and full of knowledge, it was super clean. Sadly, it’s SUPER SMALL. Yes it focuses solely on species that are in the area, but I guess their aren’t that many. There is 1 large tank and several smaller tanks. Great place to visit, but don’t expect to spend more than an hour and a half max (that seeing everything multiple times).

This is a really nice, water front aquarium. We spent about three hours here, both inside and out. They have a combination of coastal and ocean displays. The central aquarium is two stories high and has some very impressively sized species. The star of the show is probably Carretta, the sea turtle. There are riser style seats where you can sit and watch the peaceful swimming and gliding of the aquarium inhabitants. There are jellies, lobsters, a baby alligator, otters, and sharks. There are some beautiful birds that are residents since their injuries prevent them from being released back into the wild. There is a stingray tank outside where you can watch their underwater flight. There is also a display of coastal plants and wildflowers that is lovely to visit. This is by far the most Covid aware facility I have visited since the pandemic. Masks are strictly enforced for visitors and staff as is social distancing. There are hand sanitizer stations throughout. We felt very safe during our visit.

A wonderful afternoon learning about sea wildlife, conservation, and habitat. The staff were very informative and great with our daughter.

We have been to many aquariums in the US on vacation and this is the priciest and smallest. No tunnels. I walked through in just under 45 mins and was looking for “the rest” but there isn’t any. Price fluctuations are weird and have a scammy vibe. Do not recommend.

Visited with our two children in their early 20’s. Spent a couple of hours exploring, snapping photos, and interacting with some of the inhabitants. The employees were very friendly, and the extra $5 to feed the rays was totally worth it! A fun time was had by all, and reminded me of times we had done this type of thing when they were little.

The South Carolina Aquarium is in a really beautiful building right on the river. The exhibits are fine, but a fairly typical. Nothing spectacular or unique. Great for young children. It's a little pricey for what you get.

If you are expecting a SeaWorld type of aquarium then you will be disappointed. BUT if you are expecting an aquarium filled with animals and fish that are originally from South Carolina then you WILL BE pleasantly surprised. I was a little surprised after my first visit here that all the wildlife was organic to South Carolina. I liked how the aquarium had everything separated by areas/regions. My boys especially loved the petting area where you can pet live chain dogfish sharks, horseshoe crabs, and stingrays. Needless to say we visit once every other week

We visit this aquarium every time we visit the Charleston area. Great aquarium that showcases sea turtle rehabilitation and conservation. We pay a little extra to feed the sting rays which our family really enjoys. We have been able to see wild dolphins swimming outside of the aquarium which was an unexpected bonus. Garage parking is available a block or so from the aquarium. Would be nice if the cafe in the aquarium would open but that's about the only down side.

The aquarium only hosts local fish so it is a great place to observe the undersea life surrounding you. They boast the deepest tank in the US. They also host several sea turtles being treated for release back into the wild. You can learn how they care of rthe turtles and how you can help. There are huge hands on displays for kids and adults to learn about the tank maintenance and the life in the shallows - including an area that allows you to feed rays and to pet sharks and hold starfish.
Consider buying a membership in advance of your travels (If you use it twice, you saved money; use it only once and know that you got to skip a longer line to get in and donated to a very worthy cause.)

As a fan of aquariums, I had to visit the South Carolina Aquarium. I had heard it was small, but when I got there, I was immediately impressed. It had huge exhibits that were all meticulously maintained. It was interesting that almost all of the animals on display were native to the area. They also have a large sea turtle rescue/rehabilitation operation with state-of-the-art medical equipment, which can be view. In addition to fish, they also had river otters, a rescued bald eagle and a large collection of reptiles and amphibians. For a small operation, they are doing a fantastic job. The one negative was the food service area. The food was pre-made, poor quality with a very limited selection. They didn't even offer condiments. At least the food prices were reasonable. Be prepared and either pack a sandwich or eat before you get there.

So I will say I can see why people often comment that the entry price is a bit steep for what’s available.
But I made my peace with it because they claim that all funds go to keeping the aquarium in action. I love aquariums and try to visit one everywhere I go but I don’t see myself going back to visit this one again.

Keep your expectations low.
The kids will probably get a thrill from it though. It seems to be more catered to them anyhow.

I will say the eagle was cool and the otters were playful and cute.

Perfect place to spend an afternoon with the kiddos. Mine especially loved the touch pool where you can pet and feed stingrays, as well as the giant aquarium tank, another hands-on children's exhibit on the second floor and the gift shop. My husband and I also enjoyed several of the exhibits and terrific views of the harbor from the building's outdoor terraces. All in all a great family trip.

The aquarium is relatively small (it took a little over an hour to go through it) but it was very well designed and it was easy to see all the animals. The touch tanks (sting rays in one and invertebrates in another) were a big hit and the river otters are always crowd pleasers. There were interactive things specifically for smaller kids to do (6 and under) but the kids I had with me were too old for most of it (aged 8-13.) Aside from the touch pools, the deep tank (42 feet) was pretty impressive, as was the sea turtle hospital they have on site. There is an area where you can pretend to scan and assess an injured sea turtle. My 10-year-old really liked that. Additionally, the turtles that are close to being released are on display and you can read about their rehabilitation process, as well as the rehabilitation of turtles not yet well enough to be on display.

Was it pricey for the size of the aquarium? Maybe, but I remind myself that the cost also contributes to conservation efforts and the sea turtle hospital held within. I don't have a problem with paying a little more for that.

I agree with some of the other comments about how pricey this place is. We live about 45 minutes from the aquarium, which is an hour and a half drive in total. We were only at the aquarium for a little over 2 hours and that includes our daughter going through multiple exhibits twice. This was a cool one-time experience, but I don’t think we will be back as it would just be redundant. It does seem like they take good care of the animals and the exhibits were nice.

I love this aquarium! We had a great time! You must go see Corretta and Liberty! The staff were all so nice! Especially Kelly, thanks to her for the secret tour!

The aquarium has a parking garage (pay-to-park) but it is a fair distance from the aquarium itself. It is an AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums) member, but it is not a reciprocal member so they do not honor AZA discounts (usually at least 50%). After going through the admission process (about $30 for an adult), you walk up a ramp to the ray pool and get to see several of them swimming around. After that you enter the main aquarium and go up an escalator (or elevator) to the second floor and are greeted by a bald eagle (what else would you expect in an aquarium?). After that there are fish (including sharks, jellies, sea horses), turtles, frogs, lobsters, and more. There are pictures of many of the species so you can play "Where's Waldo?" as you watch them move about the tanks. There is dining and a gift shop. COVID-19: the employees were all masked and visitors were expected to be masked and maintain appropriate social distance from each other. They also request you purchase a timed, dated online ticket to control the number of visitors in the aquarium.

The South Carolina Aquarium is a moderately sized facility with a large capacity for learning. The exhibits offer a glimpse of South Carolina's place in both the fresh and salt water world. Many of the displays show creatures that are native to the state and its waterways. Highlights include an American Bald Eagle, touch tanks, and the very large ocean aquarium that was so large the building was built around it. Be sure to see the Loggerhead turtle in this display.
However, the best feature may have been the volunteers and staff members that were available throughout the aquarium. All were extremely helpful and patient, quite willing to answer questions. As a bonus, if you are fortunate, you might see cavorting dolphins in the river as you enter the aquarium. As you might expect, there is a large gift shop should you need to bring home souvenirs of your trip.

We spent 5 days in that area on a hunting trip with Collins whitetail and found the area very nice and having all the charm of a small southern town. The people were friendly but it was sad to see the amount of deuterating buildings in the main street. The hunting was not as expected but it was a learning experience. I am sure there are much better ares in the area to visit!

Cute aquarium worth 45 min. Yes it’s small but it is well done, clean and fun. Parking is the worst part of Charleston so that detracts from the aquarium. Not walkable to restaurants so plan for first thing in the morning

I think this aquarium is overpriced. I was disappointed in only two floors. There aren't many exhibits at all. Our aquarium in Tennessee is priced about the same and you get two aquariums for the price, a fresh water and salt water. The fish we did see were great but I would like to have seen more.

Although the Aquarium is a little on the small size,it makes it up with lots to see and easy access to different areas,we like the main fish tank with the large fish and loggerhead turtle and the area where they have some turtles in tanks that have been rescued.Also really enjoyed the Eagle area and it's feeding it wonderful to get that close to the symbol of America!

A great institution for fun and education. The tickets price is high but it can be a good opportunity to enjoy a good educational experience.

Love this aquarium! Our second visit to Charleston and our second visit to this fabulous marine experience. A must see in Charleston. The team is exceptional! Especially our favorite marine biologist, Elizabeth, who took us on a behind the scenes tour “just because!” What a great morning in Charleston!

Excellent visit! Went behind the scenes with one of the staff and was so interesting. Very clean and easy to maneuver. Very educational and entertaining. Our experience with Anna was amazing! She is so dedicated to her work and the animals. She provided us with a behind the scenes tour and informed us of so much stuff.

My wife and I came here while on vacation, everything about it was too notch!
The displays, the staff, great education especially for children. We loved seeing the sea turtle centre. If we lived here I’m sure we would visit several times a year. The price is reasonable, lots to see and do. You could easily spend 4-5 hours here. The parking lot is easy to get to and 18 dollars max per day and is close enough to walk over to the pineapple fountain and the city market.
It has great views of the harbour, I would definitely make this a must see!

My son is interested in Ocean Engineering, so when we planned a trip up from Florida, this aquarium was on the list. Here learned a bit, did some on-hands exhibits, and got some great pictures !! Definitely recommend.

We visited here this week , it was relatively cheap to get in . We spent about 90 minutes wandering around the exhibits.
Lots of fish, wild life and easy to read information.
There was a small play area for children.
The highlight for me was the pool where you could stroke the fish, they seemed to really enjoy it. The bald eagle was very majestic on his perch and the otters looked like they were having fun.
There is a section on the Turtles and the how they become injured and how they look after them after operations.
Definitely worth a visit.

We visited during our family vacation January 2020. There was so much to see and do.
A truly marvelous, educational and interactive experience for all age levels.
I personally could have stared at the 2 story ocean tank all day.
The turtle rescue facility was my grandsons favorite, he is a budding marine biologist and relished the opportunity to mock diagnose and treat sick and injured turtles while visiting turtles currently being treated in the center.
The staff put it over the top!! From the friendly operator when I called with questions, to the gentleman who waived goodbye and invited us to visit again, genuinely glad to see you as well as being fun and informative.
I bought a membership! We can't wait to go back!

The fish were amazing! Lots of kid friendly activities! Really loved the educational value as a homeschool mom! It was busy during the spring break season, and even gift shop was more affordable than most!

Great time with the family our children’s loved it and loved spending time with their cousins looking at all the different exhibits!

Traveled to the aquarium today and found it organized, colorful, bright and well staffed. The exhibits were top notch and the sea turtle hospital was so impressive. Feeding the sting rays was also a family favorite.

We had no issue parking at the garage across the street, it was easy and convenient for us. The cafe is still closed due to covid, but there are snacks for sale.

My husband and I visited the aquarium on 10/10. While there we were able to watch an operation on a corn snake in the sea turtle rescue area. The different areas for animals and the opportunity to have a hands on experience is great for all ages. Staff is very nice and excited to teach and answer all questions.

Not the best aquarium and for the price it should be a lot better. We really like the otters and the rays. After that everyone thought it was just okay.

For a family with 3 children we expected a little more for 160 dollars. It was okay and there was really cool stuff like stroking the rays and starfish. However, for the price it was really too small. We were through in 1.5 hours and watched everything. 35 dollars for the photo package is, as always, a money-making exercise. The turtle collection station is really great for that. I'd have liked to pay less admission and $10 per person to donate the turtles. They're treated really great here.
The otters are totally awesome. But the bald eagle really has nothing to do in the aquarium. And also a very small enclosure. I hope he can fly sometime.

Nice little aquarium that focuses on the aquatic life of the Lowcountry. Also great exhibit of their Sea Turtle Rescue. Pleasant way to spend a couple of hours.

My family of 4 visited the aquarium about 10:45 am on a Tuesday while waiting for the ferry to take us to Fort Sumter. At this time it wasn’t very crowded so this would probably be a good time to go.

Plan on about a one hour visit to see the whole aquarium so have other plans for the day (like going to Ft. Sumter.

The layout was kind of confusing so I would recommend getting a map of the aquarium so you can plan your path around.

They do have an outside aviary on the second floor if you are interested in the birds. However, there really wasn’t a lot of bird there to look at.

Our family has been to several aquariums throughout the US and this was probably the worst one we have seen. There really wasn’t any impressive exhibits, and there really wasn’t anything I haven’t seen before. For $40/person, I don’t really think you will get your moneys worth. The place was clean and informative if you read the signs.

If this review was helpful, please hit the thumbs up button and let me know.

The aquarium was an entertaining activity on a very hot and humid day. All of the animals are rescued from near by, so don't expect to see bright and colorful fish. None the less, the habitats are still very interesting.

We had a great time at the aquarium. My teenager and I enjoyed the stingray touch tank and especially liked the sea turtle hospital. It was great seeing the work that the aquarium is doing to rehabilitate the injured animals. We also loved the big tank with the large fish and sharks. We didn't have as much time as we'd have liked, so we'll probably return for a longer visit in the future.

Visited on a Thursday afternoon. Wasn’t very crowded. I parked in the nearby parking garage. It’s $1/half-hour. You have to buy your tickets online even though there are cashiers in booths to scan your entry. It’s easy though. They have signs with QR code up to take you right to purchase page. Staff are all very friendly and helpful. It’s kind of on the small side. Just two floors. Decent variety of fish. Lots of info and peeks behind the scenes. Nice views outside of the harbor. Again it’s on the small side so I was through seeing everything in an hour. I hate to say it’s overpriced cause I like to think some of the admission is going to conservation. So with that in mind I’m OK with the price. But $35/adult does seem a little high considering the size. But it’s enjoyable attraction none the less.

What a wonderful aquarium! Staff was super friendly and answered all of our questions. The displays were well maintained and taken care of. Small, only took us an hour to get through it, but worth every penny and will definitely go back.

This weekend was the first time taking my son to the SC aquarium, and it certainly will not be the last. From the time we walked to the ticket counter to finishing the exhibits and leaving the building, every single staff member that we encountered was friendly, helpful, and smiling. Any question we had was promptly answered. Everyone looked like they truly enjoyed being there.

Th aquarium was filled with my exhibits, but one of the best were the touch tanks that allowed people to understand and touch several sea animals. Another amazing feature was the great Ocean Tank. We could not believe how may amazing animals we were able to see on multiple levels.

The SC aquarium is not to be missed if you are in the area, especially if you have young children. My family and I have already discussed return trips.

It’s an aquarium yes, 2 floors. For the price i expected more. This was a place that is very interactive for children which is great, however the cost may prevent families from choosing to visit. The pictures were nice again very costly ($40). and of course there is the gift shop at the end. Parking garage is close by can be costly based on how long you stay. Meter parking on street is available as well. Handicap parking is available on the upper levels and elevators are close by. You can walk out on the observation deck and sit if you would like. Views are very nice.

Visited with my grown son and we had a great time. Lots of interactive activities for small children. Very nice gift shop
And we were so happy they had the penny machines as we collect them on each trip. Not a huge aquarium but worth a visit.

We're native Chicagoans so we are spoiled by the Shedd Aquarium, the city's most popular cultural attraction. But Charleston, South Carolina, can justly be proud of the South Carolina Aquarium, which features the deepest tank in North America. Located at 100 Aquarium Wharf, the aquarium juts out 200 feet into Charleston Harbor. Opened in 2000, the 93,000-square-foot building is home to more than 10,000 plants and animals, including sharks, alligators, pythons, loggerhead sea turtles, North American river otters, great blue herons, owls, seahorses, jellyfish, pufferfish, green moray eels, penguins, skunks, snakes, a bald eagle, horseshoe crabs, Atlantic stingrays and sea stars. The largest exhibit in the complex, which includes nine galleries and more than 100 exhibits, is the Great Ocean Tank, which extends from the first to the third floor of the aquarium and is the deepest tank in North America. It is 42 feet deep, holds more than 385,000 gallons of water and contains more than 700 animals. Other interesting displays are the Touch Tank, where visitors can touch horseshoe crabs, Atlantic stingrays, even small sharks, and the Sea Turtle Care Center, a hospital where injured or sick or stranded sea turtles are nurtured back to health. For many, this is the highlight of the visit. For others, watching scuba divers feed stingrays and talk about the animals is worth the price of admission.

This aquarium was very nice. However, there were only two floors and I felt the ticket price was a little bit high. Yes some of the money goes for sea turtle rescue. It’s definitely more for young kids. They had some hands on things for them to do. FYI- You must buy your tickets online and select a day and time.

Takes about 90 minutes. This aquarium really specializes in regional aquatic life. The sea turtle rescue exhibit was the best part. Good for families with kids. IMO a little overpriced but everything is becoming so.

This is a nice aquarium, and easy to park….a convenient garage across the street. Be wary of aggressive panhandlers in and around the garage areas. We visited on a weekday and the exhibits were not excessively crowded. As you move from exhibit to exhibit, there is a prevailing theme that mankind is evil. If your kids can read, be prepared if they come away with feelings of “self hate” or the feeling that they are responsible for killing sea turtles and other lovable sea creatures. While the exhibit creators intentions are good, they can induce a psychosis of “self hate and self loathing” especially in underdeveloped minds or the feeble minded. If your kids seem withdrawn after visiting this exhibit, be prepared to talk things over with them.

Great exhibits but a little small for the price. Only took us about an hour to see everything. But we understand the ticket proceeds go towards the animals.

We enjoyed our visit to the aquarium. There are lots of touch and feel activities for young children, and our kids had fun. The only negative is the cost…for a total price of over $100, our family of four was able to enjoy the activities. We will absolutely come again.

Initially I got sticker shock when I was charged $40 for a single adult entry, but it turns out that this is an amazing aquarium! I love visiting aquariums, this might be the 3rd best I've been to...Monterrey Bay and Boston are still 1 and 2. The two large floors are packed with a pleathora of sea creatures and winged creatures, and scaly creatures. I had never seen a Striped Burfish ever...they're scary, spiky, and cute at the same time. The injured eagle is majestic and beautiful. Fishes, sharks, turtles, frogs, reptiles, snakes, birds, jelly fish, lobsters, shrimps, and much much more...as an aquarium nerd, I loved this place!

My wife and I visited the aquarium today. This is an amazing facility. We have some experience with aquariums, since my wife was a volunteer at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The staff at this aquarium is fantastic. We were especially impressed with Bob, a Kansas transplant. His knowledge of the various species of animals at the aquarium was impressive enough, but he went above and beyond in making sure our experience at the aquarium was the best. He answered all our questions, gave us an impromptu behind the scenes tour and made sure everyone he came into contact with had a good experience. Well done South Carolina Aquarium!

Great aquarium for families. Large tank has sharks and sea turtle. There are several touch tanks and the opportunity to feed stingrays. We spent several hours here.

I was so pleasantly surprised. We came from Atl and have a great aquarium so I was surprised by how much we loved this one! The turtle hospital and turtle talk was wonderful. We all loved the marshlands exhibit. We loved feeding the stingrays. We loved the touch tank with the hermit crabs et all. The staff and volunteers were friendly and helpful. It wasn’t crowded. We had a great time. Highly recommended.

Wonderful way to spend an hour with the family. Our 2yo and 4yo were in awe of the exhibits. The three story ocean tank is a marvel. The aquarium sections are nicely laid out, really neat in their differentiation, and beautifully kept. The staff was so kind and friendly. We’ll definitely be back.

There is a parking garage for the aquarium off Calhoun before you enter the aquarium. For the time we were there it was maybe $5. After you exit the garage , walk the direction to the water and you will see the aquarium on the left and the area where you take the ferry to Ft Sumter off Liberty Square. You pay based on a fluctuating daily rate. It was $117 for three adults for our trip. You walk up the ramp and see the stingrays that you can pet , then you walk in and see the gift shop . and bathrooms. Then you can either go upstairs or downstairs and tour both levels. There is a 60 foot tank inside. Stingrays and the huge tank were my favorites.

I confess it took a rainy day to finally get me here. It was an enjoyable couple of hours. There were a lot of volunteers offering information and pointing out things I found fascinating, and would probably have missed, like the octopus mom watching over her eggs. I enjoyed petting the small alligator too. Liberty, the resident eagle was kind enough to do some talking while we were there, and I loved the turtle information .

Fun activity for adults and kids.
Escalator and elevator for mobility challenges. Plenty of benches and places to sit and rest if needed.
Loved the harbor view quiet area.

The exhibits were not particularly appealing. The most crowded areas were the childrens' playground which had nothing to do with aquariums! I have visited aquariums in New Orleans, Atlanta, and Chattanooga - all much superior to this one. I would not recommend to anyone.

Very nice aquarium with friendly staff and educational exhibits. Regardless of age, young or old, there is something to enjoy here and it is worth the visit!

We went to the Holiday evening show (Aglow), and regardless of the time, I'm sure it's a very child friendly experience, with lots to see & do! Our 2 yr old had a wonderful time as did we! Great experiential exhibits.

I love aquariums and zoos. This aquarium is so cute and right on the water. The employees were very friendly and loved telling us about the animals

My 5-year-old boys and I had an amazing time at the aquarium. The technology around at the different exhibits allowed them to engage with the aquarium in a way different than just walking by the placards with information on them. They also really enjoyed feeding the rays...for $5 each, it was a great experience! Last but not least, the built-in STEM activities for kids on the second floor would have been enough for them to stay entertained all day!!

Hard to say what my favorite part was. I really enjoyed the stingray tank. They are so beautiful and graceful. But I am in love with the sea turtle care center! Made my heart full to see efforts to help ocean wildlife. ❤️ They had a cool touch tank with starfish and little sharks and horseshoe crabs. They also had an adorable turtle named Gus we got to meet. Definitely worth going. (Yes, I am an adult. Haha. I just love ocean life!)

The only thing I wish they had is they have this cool touch screen that tells you what types of fish/mammals they have in the large tank. I wish it had more fun facts on it like how long the sharks live or what their diets consist of or anything like that.

Beautiful Aquarium.

Not worth the price. My wife and I took our 6 and 8 year old grandkids. We live in Charleston but have never been to the aquarium. The aquarium was pretty good with a nice setting overlooking the river and harbor. Parking was easy with a short walk to get in. It was $35 for adults and $25 for the kids. We were done in about an hour. The cost was too much. I looked at a couple other Aquariums (Columbia and Charlotte) and they were about $10 person cheaper. Obviously they are taking advantage of Charleston being a tourist destination. The price was too high for the time spent and the value of the attraction.

Tickets for 4 adults and 1 child were $188.00. Got there at 10 am on a Sunday and by the time we were leaving the place was completely full. Some people may enjoy leaning around others to see exhibits but it was too much for me.

Having previously visited aquariums in Atlanta, Baltimore, and Chicago, this small aquarium that has exhibits on only 2 floors, is clearly not worth the high cost, which is not that much cheaper than the others mentioned. Even the aquarium in Myrtle Beach, where I lived for 17 years, prior to moving to the Charleston area, has much more to offer.

My husband and I visited the South Carolina Aquarium on New Year’s Day. We were expecting to only spend an hour but ended up staying for three hours. We found the presentation on how much is done to help sick and injured sea turtles really interesting. The aquarium has released about 280 turtles back into the wild after nursing them back to health. It’s a turtle hospital. Amazing! We also met Liberty, the eagle that was injured and can no longer fly, and Pippin, the barn owl. The stringrays are fun to watch and feed and the otters are always entertaining. Plenty of sea- and fresh-water fish to see. I also noticed the tee-shirts in the gift shop are made from recycled plastic. That is cool and shows the importance of educating people about plastic in our rivers and oceans. Great place to visit.

Pretty substantial price for three adults. Luckily they have an otter exhibit that took the sting out of the cost a bit. Place was crowded with families (understandable as it was a rainy day), but recommend limiting the size of strollers. These big double and triple-seaters (with no kids riding in them) may work well at the zoo, but ridiculous in such a confined space.

We paid almost the same to go to Ripley’s Aquarium in Myrtle Beach and they are double the size of SC Aquarium. I did like the touch tanks and the bald Eagle. The snakes need more room. Three huge snakes in one enclosure is sad to see and I’m not even a snake fan. I was very disappointed in the otter enclosure. This aquarium needs to be expanded and add more animals. I can see it being an amazing aquarium. Definitely not worth the price for what it is now.

Very nice displays, educational items, and great rescue work.
This place has it all, display after display with something for everyone to see. From rattlesnakes to sea turtles the displays are incredible. Many sea turtles with various injuries are on display with explanations as to what happened to them....many caused by humans :( it was nice to see a lot of them get rehabilitated and returned to the wild.
The staff are all very helpful and the grounds are very clean. Overall a excellent day and highly recommended!

The aquarium was a great experience for our two kids, ages 8 and 7. Laura from Nebraska was a great source of information and took a lot of time to personally ensure our kid's questions were answered, as well as giving them an advanced learning opportunity in their classroom setting. We spent 2 hours there and could have spent another 30 minutes. A wonderful experience.

We enjoyed our visit. We are a family with a five month old baby and went during the week! The parking, aquarium itself, and surrounding area are all nice. I do feel like the aquarium is a little expensive for how small it is (small amount of exhibits). The staff was friendly and passionate though.

It was a nice enough aquarium. No penguins, which are my favorite, or sharks, which seemed odd. Great sea turtle Hospital. Love what they are doing to help them. Only took us about an hour for two adults to see it all.

This is a very good aquarium, plenty of fish to see. You will need to use the city parking deck about 2 blocks away.

We stopped here for several hours and got to feed the fish and stingrays. The staff were nice and very knowledgeable about the animals. The kids loved the interactive displays.

Beautiful holiday experience at Aglow. We saw the aquarium attractions and saw Santa swimming in the big tank. Beautifully decorated and the price was very reasonable. Worth the trip. 🎄

We stopped by the South Carolina Aquarium as a pit stop on a longer roadtrip, and we had SUCH a wonderful experience. We have a 4 year old and a 2 year old, and we had to make it a fairly quick trip but they both could have spent hours longer there. There is a giant 2 story aquarium with a huge number of really big fish and a few sharks that swim by now and then as a real treat. My kids were mesmerized (and to be honest, my husband and I were, too). There are several interactive exhibits—the kids got to touch small sharks, horseshoe crabs, and stingrays. We paid a small extra fee, $5 I believe, to feed the stingrays. We’ve done “feed the animal” experiences before at zoos and they’re generally pretty hit or miss, but this one was well worth it. You actually get small whole fish, hold them between two fingers under the water, and the stingrays grab it from your hand. And you do it right along the side of the glass tank, so when they come to eat it you get to see their undersides and their mouths, which is really cool. The staff absolutely could not have been more accommodating and dedicated to making sure the guests, especially children, had both an enjoyable and an educational experience. At one point we passed little roped off area with a sign that said “Animal Encounters.” We stopped at the information desk to ask when the next show would be, and the wonderful employee working at the desk said “you know what? I’ll call right now and have someone bring an animal down. What would you like to see?” Within 5 minutes, another wonderful employee was there with a tiny alligator teaching my 4 year old all about it.
We were a little nervous about Covid, of course, but the Aquarium has clearly taken steps to ensure safety. Admission was limited, and required reserving tickets for a specific time slot. Masks were required for everyone over 3. It looked like there is usually a small restaurant that serves snacks and light food (pizza, sandwiches), but that has been closed for now. Social distancing was in effect—there were divided spaces set up at every exhibit where groups might gather, and only one family could be in each space. I actually saw this one enforced at least twice by aquarium staff, who clearly took the requirements very seriously. Lastly, each time we went to the restroom there was an employee actively sanitizing things—wiping down toilet seats, spraying the sink space, and mopping. Everything was extremely clean and we felt very safe.
The aquarium is absolutely worth a trip to Charleston. We are already planning a return.

Me and my 7yr old enjoyed the hands on with sting rays and small sharks my son loved touching, very educational and staff friendly. We purchased annual membership and plan on many visits to come.

First time visit here--the aquarium is organized by type of region the SC-native animal or aquatic animal would be found -- mountains, piedmont, low country, ocean, etc, which educates visitors about natural habitats.

We enjoyed the "touch" pools where visitors are allowed to dip their hands in to touch the backs of some fish with two fingers.

They had a sea turtle rehab area where visitors can go through a touch screen to learn more about each of the patients that are in the tanks. It would have been helpful to say what the likely prognosis would be for each patient--that they'd be re-released in X months or would stay at the aquarium for the rest of their lives due to the injuries they had.

This is a good place to take the kids but it can be very expensive. It is not a larhge operation but has many exhibits. The main tank is 2 story and well populated, You cna buy year round ticked, expensive, but worth it if you are taking kids several times.

I love to SCUBA dive, When I can't get my fix, I visit an aquarium. They can be quite disappointing - gearing every exhibit toward children and trying to get those kids to pester their parents to spend a ton of money in the gift shop. Not here. Don't get me wrong, the South Carolina Aquarium is a fantastic place to visit with children. However, adults, traveling without kids, seeking to learn more about local marine life, will be pleased with their visit. The exhibits are instructive and visually appealing. This was my first visit to Charleston where this is much to see and do. I am glad I carved out a few hours to visit The South Carolina Aquarium.

This aquarium experience was very enjoyable. We took tons of pictures and enjoyed everything. It was a little costly but we did not regret going.

A little disappointing. Expensive admission cost and really only had species native to the area. It was nice to see the work they do to rehabilitate the turtles though

It was incredible to see the sea turtles in rehab here, where they are on call at all times to care for the injured turtles all along the coast! The behind the scenes tour was amazing, too. I would highly recommend this for anyone!

The aquarium was great well maintained clean and had a wide variety of wild life not just fish. The had a bald eagle! It’s right on the water and has amazing views inside and out. Take the backstage tour is a little pricey but you get to see the inner workings of the aquarium and you get to feed the fish in the big tank! So much fun

This is a pretty limited aquarium especially for the price. There big thing is turtle rescue and rehabilitation although they didn’t have a ton of stuff on turtles. We have been to a lot of different aquariums and this one ranks lower on the list. Not a bad thing to do and gets you out of the heat. It if you don’t make it there, don’t get too upset about it. The staff was very friendly and answered your questions.

We had heard this was a small aquarium, but still wanted to visit. It was just my husband and I, almost 50 years old, but that didn’t stop us. We had little expectations due to the reviews, but really did enjoy it. I know other reviewer’s say it’s pricy, but honestly, we can spend that on 2 drinks each in this city. If you are bored or here for a while or its raining, I would suggest visiting.

Very nice museum with thoughtful exhibits. Unfortunately it’s not that large. We paid $82 for my family of three plus parking and were there just under an hour. So pretty expensive.

I've visited many aquariums, and this one is among the best in my opinion, based on the cleanliness and diversity of the marine life available to see and learn about. I really lucked out in that it was not crowded in the least, so I was really able to see everything an adequate amount of time, and quickly. Perhaps too quickly - despite the size of the building - I was able to see all in about 45 minutes (I didn't watch any of the videos, or visit the small children's play area). For the price I expected it to occupy more of my time. I didn't have my kids with me but most others had pretty young kids with them - and everyone seemed to be having a good time.

The guides were very, very friendly, and seemed pretty available throughout.

A nice sight to see on a rainy day. Fun for the whole family. And while I would not disagree that this is not a large display, it was enjoyable nonetheless.

Felt so comfortable going through the aquarium - loved the timed entries, the social distancing inside and even a beautiful eagle to boot. Great time visiting.

It was raining on our visit to Charleston, so we decided on the aquarium as a rainy day activity. This is a mediocre aquarium compared to others we have been to (NJ, Baltimore, Atlanta). I feel like $30 was too high of a price for what they offer. One big tank in the middle and smaller tanks for everything else. We weren’t even there for an hour...

Lots to do for kids if you need to get them out of the house. Staff was helpful and friendly.

Always love visiting the SC Aquarium! Lots of things for the little ones to touch and play with, like feeding the stingrays and touching the starfish and corn snake. The location on the harbor is beautiful as well.

Nice aquarium, worth a visit. Although not as big as I had hoped, it was still nice. My favorite part would be the Bald Eagle exhibit. There is a nice area for kids to play and a good-sized gift shop. Check it out!

We really enjoyed our visit here on a hot and humid Spring day. We stopped in while waiting for a departure time to Fort Sumter. Definitely go in expecting a very well done medium sized aquarium and you will not be disappointed. Expect aquarium standards such as a shark tank, ray petting and touch tanks. Unique to Charleston was a seaturtle rescue hospital. We still enjoy following the rescue efforts via e-mail.

If you have been to an aquarium before, this one will not WOW you. They are all pretty much the same. They have a large tank with different species of fish and smaller tanks with fish indigenous to the the SC coastal area

Chose to stop here on a rainy day. I very much enjoyed the sea turtle exhibit and the otters; they were adorable. Being from Florida, we have seen many of this before. Especially in the wild. But with crummy weather, this was the perfect spot to visit. The architecture is beautiful! Great job to the state of South Carolina on the work they do to protect and raise awareness of our wildlife.

We combined our visit with the ferry out to Fort Sumter and parked our car in the garage very close by. After both activities, paid $13. If your purchase tickets with cash, no need to do it online. Just get them from the ticket window.

Not as large as some of the major cities aquarium, but this one is still very enjoyable. We were there when they did the 3 pm diver in the center tank show. That center tank is their pride and joy. It’s the deepest tank in North America. You could spend quite a bit of time looking at all the different types of fish here. Including lots of sharks.

We also liked the sting ray exhibit. The staff was very helpful there with information about the exhibit. Also rehabilitate sea turtles back from injury and illnesses.

Very clean facilities. We visited in the later afternoon, think the crowd is way less than mid morning when we took the ferry out. Spent about 90 minutes here.

Spent a cold winter afternoon in the aquarium. Surprised at how small the aquarium was but spent several hours checking out every nook and cranny. Lots of activities for kids and especially loved the turtle rehab. Glad I visited but not on my list for another visit.

Aquariums are tough for me because they can be pretty expensive for a family but unlike zoos, the fish are almost always present and swimming/moving. I've enjoyed them once I get in but you just have to get over the cost. The nice thing about this aquarium is that, compared to other aquariums, this one is actually quite economical. That made me worry that it was going to be a disappointment but it was very good. The variety was excellent and for someone who is trying to teach their three year old daughter that fish are more than just Finding Nemo/Dory (and they are also friends, not food), to have them subdivided into regions is also really nice.
There is the local fish scene as well as a bigger open water section. It has, I believe, the tallest aquariums in the world at something like thirty + feet tall and it is filled with their big ocean fish including their rescued loggerhead turtle. Speaking of that, they have an entire section dedicated to turtles they are rescuing which my kids found fascinating. They even have an outdoor section which features the harbor dolphins. I figured this was just a sign they put out there because they saw of them once but nope. I looked out and not 20 seconds later, I saw two of them pop out to get some air (I also some or maybe the same one jumping with a passing freighter).
Its not just fish either. They also have reptiles, salamanders, and other non-fish that are local to the area.
One things that really impressed me was the display of "invasive species" like the Lionfish. Normally they are hunted out but for this aquarium to bring them inside to talk about the importance of maintaining an ecosystem is really cool.
Parking is in a structure a little bit down the road. It was raining when we went so I ran the few hundred feet to the car, picked it up, and met my family outside the main walkway to get them. I think it is the bus loading and unloading zone but either way, you can pick up people rather than making them walk all the way back to the structure. It looked like they had a place to eat inside but when I researched, all I saw was stuff about food trucks. We ate at the East Bay Deli down the street before we entered and it was well worth it.
Overall, this is an excellent aquarium given the cost and what you will see. I didn't think I would call it a must see but if you are traveling with family and you don't want to crush them with Museums, this is a nice afternoon to spend.

It’s a little expensive for this aquarium. Plenty of local species represented. Touch tanks are great. Turtle rescue area also great. Took little less than hour to do whole thing so only negative is price.

Not worth the money. There were pretty lights, but the tanks themselves were not "aglow". If you want an aquarium, go to Myrtle Beach. If you want lights, go to James Island.

The South Carolina Aquarium is in Liberty Square. Entrance might require that you mortgage your house, but, then again, I did not purchase the tix in advance so I left myself in for a shock. Once inside, you'll see a variety of sea creatures, fresh water creatures, slithering creatures, and a rather sad but majestic bald eagle. Everyone I spoke to was friendly and knowledgeable, so, ultimately, I felt I had contributed to the salaries of some bright, outgoing recent college grads who are trying to survive in Charleston.

I've visited the aquarium when in the area years ago and I was looking forward to taking my mother. We were unable to see and enjoy all of the aquarium due to the bus loads of children running around inside. Had our stay in Charleston been longer we would have went another day, but we had bought the package deal with the tour of Fort Sumter. So it was very disappointing.

Really nice aquarium with a lot of information about eco health and local species. Very knowledgable staff, and lots of them about to answer questions and give more information. Even the greeters at the door were great resources! Lots of additional information in print at each display

The turtle rescue area was very interesting. The aquarium has a lot of interactive activities for children and kids at heart. When the aquarium closed, there were all these crying kids that didn't want to leave the aquarium.

The South Carolina Aquarium on the harbor in Charleston is a great, regionally-focused aquarium. There are displays appropriate for every age group. Their focus on conservation and education is wonderful. The touch tank with the rays was especially fun. The sea turtle rescue clinic fascinated all of us! It’s small enough to not overwhelm families with small children. The snack bar was closed during our visit but the gift shop was open. Make sure you look at their website for the health and safety precautions and for online reservations. Membership is especially good value!

I wanted to love this more than I did. It’s a great small aquarium but I was just expecting more. The cost made me also expect something a bit better.

The touch tanks with sting rays and horseshoe crabs were a hit but I really think it was just lacking in something.

Could not get into the large parking garage for the aquarium because the ticket vending machine was broken. The call button did not help. Parking on the street is hard.

We went to the aquarium on a Saturday afternoon. Definitely buy tickets online in advance as they only allow a certain number of people in at each time slot. People were being turned away when we showed up. The aquarium was very clean, people were respectful of social distancing. It's smaller than other aquariums I've been to but a highlight was the turtle rehab hospital that is unique to the South Carolina Aquarium.

Visit for the sea turtle hospital, two touch-tanks, play space for kids, amazing views of wild dolphins. There is a lot to explore, but we spent just under two hours at the aquarium and were able to enjoy everything it had to offer! Very stroller friendly and super kid friendly. You won’t need to lift your kiddos up to see the tanks as many are low to the ground or have steps to allow littles to get a good view.

There are no discount tickets rates unless you have a membership. Adult tickets were $35 when we purchased, and kids were $27. The aquarium uses “dynamic ticket pricing” that encourages you to buy advanced tickets, to prices vary slightly by the day.

Great aquarium! Petting the stingrays was our kids favorite part, but they enjoyed everything else too. Can easily spend a couple hours here.

The exhibits were interesting with good information. Friendly and helpful staff. Turtle rescue exhibit gives you the history of the turtle and the turtle's health updates, which was educational. Enjoyed the visit very much.

My husband and I were in town for a weekend last month, and it was very rainy so the only “touristy” thing we did was the aquarium (I love animals!). We purchased tickets ahead of time so it was easy to get in. There is a parking garage not too far a walk (maybe a block?) so that was convenient. Anyway, the price seemed a little high for what was there EXCEPT for the bald eagle, Liberty, the coolest part of the entire place. I think was the first time I saw one up close. Well worth the visit (and the otters were cute too!) even if I think the price worth should be a little lower.

Wonderful aquarium but except for the main exhibit I thought additional exhibits would be helpful. Nice staff who will answer questions.

Not on par with Atlanta or Chattanooga. $70 for 2. The facility is clean and the staff is nice but you can see the whole yhing in an hour.

This is a nice aquarium but not very large. Too expensive considering there is not that much to see. My granddaugher loved the eagle, and we all love seeing the otters.

We went for the Holiday Light Show and had a great time. The aquarium is very Kid-Centric and easy to get around. It also has a beautiful waterfront view of the Ravenel Bridge and Patriot's Point. Easy parking as well.

This was one of the worst aquariums I have been to. There were hardly any exhibits to see. For such a big tank, where were more sharks? We were there for only an hour. It was defiantly not worth the money. Some of the exhibits were closed, so we were unable to see otters or any of the outdoor exhibits. The only really cool thing was the feeding of the stingrays, but $5 for 3 tiny fish was a bit crazy.