North Carolina Estuarium — Attraction in Washington

The staff was friendly and informative, but this place is not worth the $5 it costs to get in, which is sad.

When you enter, you're greeted by a "sculpture" made of driftwood that supposedly represents the state. The top is pinecones, to represent the mountains, the middle is washed up bottles to represent the Raleigh/Durham area, and the coast is represented by parallel sticks. The pinecones are pretty clearly from long leaf pines, which don't grow in the mountains, the bottles look trashy (are they saying RDU is garbage??), and if you were not told that the parallel sticks were supposed to be plowed fields, you'd have no idea. Dumb.

The demonstration of the water cycle is neat. They have a small elevated track around the sculpture and lobby with a rubber ball that represents a water droplet.

There is a short video presentation that includes some aerial photography, shot in standard definition, and seems to be more of a music video then an informative presentation. If the presentation were updated, in the vein of the BBC Life series, it would be worth watching.

There are a few small aquariums, whose few fish only sometimes match those on the plaque.

The location is very scenic, which is simultaneously the best and most disappointing part... I'm just not sure the building is worth going into at all in its present format and condition.

The whole place feels like some politician's Pet Project, that was underfunded, and constructed by that same politician's buddies, regardless of scientific qualifications, or vision.

There is a lot of potential here, but sadly, it's not being fulfilled. You'll be better off heading on out to the aquarium, and stopping at Goose...

Our visit to the North Carolina Estuarium was a fantastic experience! The exhibits were beautifully put together, and the entire space felt thoughtfully curated. We were thrilled to see live turtles and even a few small alligators up close, which was such a treat and added an exciting element to our visit. The local volunteers who help run the Estuarium truly make this place special. They were engaging and clearly passionate, adding an extra layer of fun and enjoyment to our day. We loved how they added cute Halloween decorations to spook up the space, giving it a festive vibe.

The Estuarium offered a perfect balance of education and entertainment, with each exhibit providing insight into the local ecosystems in a way that was both informative and engaging. Every person we encountered was warm, kind, and professional, making our visit even more enjoyable. As an added bonus, they offer free entry for active-duty military, which we really appreciated. The North Carolina Estuarium is a wonderful place to explore, and I’d highly recommend it to anyone...

First time here, was something different to see and do. Beautiful location right on the water. Very nice, informative set up. Super friendly, knowledgeable staff. There's a nice theater to watch a short informative movie. The rest is a self walk thru exhibits, with many interactive displays. They have a snake, turtle, fish and crab to see. Although they had a few different tanks with a turtle & a crab it said no touch tanks. But other online info I seen said they had touch tanks. They are re-doing some things and expanding soon ,so those may return later. A staffer said they do alot of events throughout the year. There is a boat tour but we didn't become aware of it until we were leaving. No one told us about it, not sure if it wasn't currently operating or if it only operates during the week. Definitely would return. Great for kids. Recommend. Small $5 admission fee. I think kids...