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In Pictures: Charleston aquarium entertains with much more than fish
By Tom Adkinson
April 5, 2024
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CHARLESTON, S.C. – When Charleston’s abundant history and eye-catching architecture have worn thin on a family’s younger members, the city can charm them with another attraction, the South Carolina Aquarium, whose more than 5,000 residents go far beyond the many species of fish you expect to see. Among the most popular are sea turtles that the aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital is nursing back to health after being injured in the wild, rescued and brought to Charleston. One of them, a 220-pound loggerhead named Caretta, is a star in the Great Ocean Tank, which holds 385,000 gallons of seawater. Otters, snakes, a bald eagle, a bullfrog named Jeremiah, Caribbean spiny lobsters and alligators also vie for the attention of kids – and adults. (The aquarium is strategically located near the new International African American Museum and the National Park Service dock where boat tours to Fort Sumter depart.)
“Hey, no giant claws’
Caribbean spiny lobsters don’t have the menacing giant claws you see on Maine hard shell lobsters, but they do sport some impressive colors, as this purple, orange and tan specimen proves. Image by Tom Adkinson
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Turtle doctor in training
A youngster reaches to move a pretend x-ray camera over a model of a sea turtle. The setting teaches young and old visitors alike about techniques that Sea Turtle Hospital veterinarians and technicians employ to nurse injured sea turtles back to health. Image by Tom Adkinson
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’Fins to the left, people to the right’
Finny residents of the aquarium’s 385,000-gallon Great Ocean Tank lazily circle their domain while human visitors observe them from two levels of the popular attraction. Image by Tom Adkinson
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Feel free to touch the snake
An aquarium docent shows a crowd of young visitors what snakes feel like and explains their role in nature. This docile rat snake is a good neighbor since it won’t hurt humans, but it will dine on mice and rats. Image by Tom Adkinson
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‘Yes, I see you’
A bald eagle engages in a stare-down with a trio of visitors in a display you might not expect in an aquarium. The eagle was injured and rehabilitated, but it lives a quiet life at the aquarium because it no longer can survive in the wild. Image by Tom Adkinson
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Squid sculpture fills stairwell
Not every display at the aquarium is a live animal. This giant squid sculpture gets visitors’ attention as they climb a stairwell between exhibit floors. Real giant squid are deep-ocean dwellers that can grow to more than 30 feet long. Image by Tom Adkinson
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Reaching for sea turtle heights
This youngster is taller than two species of sea turtles (Kemp’s Ridley and loggerhead) almost as tall as another (green) and never will be taller than the biggest (leatherback). Image by Tom Adkinson
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Trip-planning resources: SCaquarium.com, ExploreCharleston.com, DiscoverSouthCarolina.com and SeldonInk.com (for a city guide titled 100 Things To Do in Charleston Before You Die)
(Travel writer Tom Adkinson’s book, 100 Things To Do in Nashville Before You Die, is available on Amazon.com. |
