Pine Knolls Aquarium

Russell loves fish, so I was really hoping we'd have a chance to go to the NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. It was only 20 minutes from where we were staying. Luckily, Paw Paw and Kacki wanted to go as well, so we made a morning of it on Thursday. Russell did enjoy parts of it, but what can you expect of a toddler? He was pretty good while we were there.

Statue outside the aquarium:

Turtles!

Photography note: Lighting is horrible in aquariums, and you really can't use the flash with all the glass in there. It was challenging! (Like in the pic below, I had to use the slowest shutter speed ever to let in more light - hence the blur.)

Russell was a fan of the tanks where you could touch the fish. He didn't really want to touch them; he just wanted to play in get in the water.

By far my favorite aquarium photo (below): silhouette of Paw Paw and Russell watching the fish.

Russell's favorite part: a big tank full of colorful fish near the exit.
My favorite part: the otters! I wish I could have photographed their flips and tricks!

Jason's favorite part: scuba-diving aquarium employees lecturing about the sharks from inside the shark tank.

I definitely recommend the aquarium if you get a chance to visit. Beautiful and informative.