Ripley’s Aquarium

Explore the ocean depths without getting wet at Ripley’s Aquarium, the top-rated family attraction in Myrtle Beach.

Located at Broadway at the Beach, Ripley’s Aquarium features more than 85,000 square feet and more than 1.4 million gallons of water housing wide variety of aquatic life. From sharks and stingrays to sea turtles and seahorses, Ripley’s Aquarium offers lots of opportunities for interaction and education involving some of the planet’s rarest species.

Among the most popular exhibits inside the multilevel complex is Dangerous Reef, where visitors come face to face with some of the most feared creatures in the sea. Glide along a 340-foot moving walkway through a tunnel that is surrounded on all sides by sand, nurse and tiger sharks, hammerheads, moray eels and green sea turtles.

The Discovery Center and Ray Bay are also top exhibits, featuring interactive displays where visitors get up close and personal with the animals and learn all about them at them at the Marine Education Center. Patrons can pet the horseshoe crabs and stingray rays in shallow pools at the Discovery Center Touch Tank and Friendship Flats.

The Living Gallery and Rainbow Rock feature some of the most colorful and unique animals under the sea, and Ripley’s Aquarium routinely sends divers down to swim with the rare species. Other displays include coral reefs, endangered tropical fish and the Amazon River Basin.

Newly added is also the Penguin Playhouse! At the penguin playhouse, located on the upper level of the aquarium you can see live penguins! Ripley’s Aquarium features 20 different penguins and a couple different species of penguins. Be sure to also keep an eye on their live penguin cam for all activity of the penguins all throughout the day. They also offer a penguin encounter where guests can pay to see the penguins up close and even touch them!

Ripley’s Aquarium offers a series of live programs, including sharks and octopus feedings, dive displays and live mermaid shows. Visitors can take a tour behind the scenes to see the remarkable technology used to make all the sea creatures feel right at home, and climb aboard a Glassbottom Boat Ride to catch the aquatic life in action.

Families can dine at the Feeding Frenzy Cafe and shop for souvenirs at the Cargo Hold Gift Shop. Be on the look out for Sharky, the official mascot, who roams the facility and poses for photos with guests. Ripley’s Aquarium also hosts birthday parties, sleepovers, group tours, summer camps and other programs.