While staying in Carolina Beach we went to the State Aquarium. The aquarium is quite nice. It is broken down into ecosystems. The first was a freshwater swamp area with live alligators, these fish alligator gar, and snapping turtles. There was a big hubbub about an albino alligator coming to the aquarium from Louisiana. Where they have all but died out. If you visit the aquarium after July this year you should be able to see this animal.
Then the building opens up into its marine exhibit. Here we saw loggerhead turtle, morey eels, large fish and a tank that holds sharks skates rays and many large salt-water game fish. There was even a show where a diver with an underwater microphone spoke with the audience outside the tank and answered questions the kids had. This was very entertaining for our whole family. Stevie especially liked what I affectionately call the touchy feely pool where kids are encouraged to interact with sea life hands on. They're where numerous stingrays and horseshoe crabs in one tank and we were able to see them close up.