Ripley’s Aquarium Myrtle Beach Review

This time last month we were vacationing in the very beautiful and peaceful North Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. While at the beach, we always take our kids to a few attractions. This year we chose to visit MagiQuest and Ripley’s Aquarium. We previously shared with you our review of MagiQuest and today I wanted to share our Ripley’s Aquarium experience.

Ripley’s Aquarium is the most visited attraction in South Carolina which isn’t surprising considering how breathtakingly beautiful, educational, and fun it is for families. The Aquarium, located on Broadway At The Beach, is home to thousands of both local and exotic fish as well as other marine life from around the world. You can view fearsome sharks, mesmerizing sting rays (my favorite exhibit), colorful tropical fish, and so much more! There are 10 different exciting exhibits from being surrounded by sharks while gliding through the glass Dangerous Reef tunnel to petting Sting Rays in Ray Bay. There is also one exhibit that is ever-changing. Right now this live exhibit is “Living Babies In Incubators’ where it is home to all things babies. Younger children will enjoy visiting The Discovery Center which is a multimedia playground. In this area, you and your children can attend a brief class, pet horseshoe crabs, or play inside a deep sea angler fish among other things.

Overall, we definitely recommend visiting Ripley’s Aquarium in Myrtle Beach for a fun family adventure. Normally I recommend visiting attractions on rainy days but if you want to make the most of your aquarium experience I suggest going on a regular non-rainy day. That way it will be much less crowded and you will get to see one of the hourly dive shows up close. My only complaint with the aquarium is that you HAVE to exit the aquarium through the pricey Cargo Hold gift shop. You should have an option to visit the gift shop. It certainly should not be mandatory considering tickets are already $18.99 for kids 12 and older up to adults, and from 3.99-9.99 for kids up to age 11.

The aquarium is open 365 days a year. Hours are from 9am -7pm Sunday through Thursday, and 9am-9pm on the weekend (Fri& Sat) which gives families plenty of time to visit.

For more information, visit the Ripley’s Aquarium Website

Disclosure: We were provided with 4 free tickets ( one for each member of our family, 2 kids/2 adults) to attend Ripley’s Aquarium for review consideration. To read our full disclosure policy, click here.

November 15, 2009 · Filed Under Fun Activities, family, travel