Pine Knoll Shores Aquarium

Last weekend, Dylan asked me on a date to go to an aquarium in the area. There are quite a few out towards the coast, so he picked one that looked more interesting, and we headed out there on Friday afternoon. It turned out to be a pretty bad weather day, which was okay since the aquarium was mostly indoors. I brought my 'big camera' and had fun taking pictures, especially of the big dive tank. At this aquarium, they have a remake of a sunken 'pirate' ship in their big tank, which was a fun way to see all of the fish and sharks. Now, you have to know something...Dylan is VERY afraid of sharks, and pretty much anything having to do with underwater animals. So it was really awesome that he still wanted to go here, and go face-to-face with SHARKS, of all things. I don't love them either, with their nasty teeth and wee beady eyes, but it was pretty cool to see them so close.
We also got to see a sea turtle in the tank (an hour or so after feeding time was over - no turtle dinner for these sharks, no no no), and baby sea turtles in small containers nearby. North Carolina does an awesome job of helping sea turtle nests survive (as much as they can), and helping them get to the ocean safely. The babies were SO cute - I mean, ridiculously cute.
Dylan braved up and petted the stingrays in the petting tank...after a 'close encounter' the first time he tried to pet one. Let's just say that he didn't expect it to be so slimy, or to be staring him in the eyes while he tried to pet it.
They also have a cool outdoor part of the aquarium, with marshes and great views...and HUMID smelly air.
Dylan also got some cool maternity shots of me, in silhouette, next to the dive tank (and I may have thought it would be funny to get one of him next to the tank, holding his 'belly,' too), and we got pictures of each other out by the marshes.
All in all, we had a great time. It was fun to venture outside of our normal day-to-day, and to get to see a part of North Carolina that we would both enjoy. We just might have to visit different aquariums, once little Eloise is born and ready to sight-see!