North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke IslandPosts

Celebrate 50 years of coastal conservation, community, and connection at Golden Tides: A 50th Sea-lebration, an elegant adults-only (21+) anniversary event benefiting the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island. 🐟
Join us for an unforgettable evening as the Aquarium comes alive after hours with live jazz, fresh local seafood, and beautiful waterfront views. Savor freshly shucked oysters from Cousin's Oysters, indulge in delicious heavy hors d'oeuvres by Café Lachine, and enjoy beer, wine, and other libations while exploring the Aquarium in a unique nighttime setting!

A Summer of Progress at Jennette’s Pier 🎣 The biggest accomplishment is the completion of the pier's deck re-planking project. The new fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) decking is designed to withstand the harsh marine environment, providing a durable, long-lasting surface that is expected to serve visitors for decades. Another successful conservation initiative at Jennette's Pier—its wildlife-friendly amber lighting—has also inspired neighboring fishing piers to make similar upgrades. These lighting improvements help reduce impacts on nesting sea turtles while maintaining a safe environment for visitors.

Many of these conservation efforts have been made possible through grants from the Network for Endangered Sea Turtles (N.E.S.T.), a valued partner in protecting North Carolina's coastal wildlife!

TOMORROW... Join us for Breakfast with the Rays! 🌊🪸🐟

Get an exciting start to your day at the Aquarium as you assist our staff with a stingray morning feeding, while learning about a few of the resident species. Participants will visit a behind the scenes prep kitchen, broadcast feed the stingrays at the touch pool, and then eat a continental breakfast in our classroom while learning a little more about stingrays!

The North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island is excited to share that one of our long‑standing non-releasable sea turtles, Phantom, has been successfully transferred to the Kansas City Zoo. Phantom, a Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, now calls the Sobela Ocean Aquarium at the Kansas City Zoo home. 🐢 There, Phantom joins green sea turtle Tortellini—another non-releasable resident. Tortellini uses an adaptive buoyancy device to help manage floating challenges caused by a shell injury from a likely boat strike.

Kemp’s ridley sea turtles are the smallest sea turtle species and are classified as critically endangered. You can follow Phantom’s continued success at the Sobela Ocean Aquarium at the Kansas City Zoo!