Ripley's Aquarium

Description:

• This is the most visited attraction in South Carolina, and deservedly so. Located in Broadway at the Beach, this aquarium -- one of the greatest in America -- was built at a cost of $40 million and is maintained in state-of-the-art condition. Visitors are surrounded on all sides by menacing 10-foot sharks as they travel through Dangerous Reef, a 750,000-gallon tank. The question always asked is why don't these monsters gobble up the other fish in the tank. The answer: They're so well fed they don't bother. Most of the habitats in the various holding tanks are saltwater. The only freshwater exhibit is the Rio Amazon, displaying fearsome piranhas, aruanas, and pacu. You can spend at least 4 hours here, enjoying such pleasures as Rainbow Rock, with its view of thousands of brilliantly colored fish from the Pacific. Children are drawn to the Sea-for-Yourself Discovery Center, an interactive, multimedia playground. Newly installed in 2008 is Pirates: Fact and Folklore, an exhibit about the privateers who once sheltered themselves in South Carolina's coves and inlets. Dive shows and marine education sessions are presented hourly.

• © Frommer's 2013

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Highly Recommended 2010