Pine Knoll Shores is home to the North Carolina Aquarium where you can watch river otters play and touch a stingray! With more than 3,000 specimens of NC’s most colorful aquatic life, it is the largest saltwater aquarium in the state of North Carolina. One of the most exciting exhibits is the “Living Shipwreck” which features a life-sized replica of a German U-352 submarine and Blackbeard’s infamous ship, The Queen Anne’s Revenge. Other exciting attractions include the jellyfish gallery, sport fishing gallery, a rare albino sea turtle named Nimbus, and of course, the stingray touch-tank and river otter exhibit. Plan your timing right and arrive during feeding times to experience an extra special aquarium visit!

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Where Pine Knoll Shores and Atlantic Beach meet are two public piers: an oceanside pier and a soundside pier. Enjoy a walk to the end of the oceanside pier for sweeping views of the ocean and beach, and then eat at Molly's Restaurant and Bar right on the pier. The oceanside pier is a pedestrian (non-fishing) pier, so if fishing and a little solitude are what you are looking for, head just across the street and down Pelican Dr to the lesser-known soundside pier for fishing and
picturesque views of the sound.