Booking

School Groups

 

 Visiting the aquarium with your school is a great way to bring education alive. We offer many opportunities for your students to learn more about marine environments. You may choose one free program for your group during your visit. Program times vary between 20-30 minutes and are offered Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 10:00 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.thru Memorial Day. We do not offer free programming on Mondays and Fridays. Field programs, dissections, and other interactive activities are also offered for a minimal fee.

Given the continued threat of COVID-19 and variants of the virus, face masks are required for indoor areas of each aquarium.

Request a Visit

If you are interested in bringing a school group to the North Carolina Aquarium at Roanoke Island, please submit a REQUEST FORM.

 

The aquarium offers many exciting hands-on programs for a variety of ages, ranging from animal encounters and field experiences, to investigative labs and overnight adventures! Check out these more in-depth opportunities for your students. Additional fees apply.

 

Behind-the-Scenes Tours

Outdoor Field Programs

Labs & Dissections

Special Indoor Programs

Overnight Programs

NC State Science Standards Reference:

K-2nd NC Essential Science Standards.pdf

3rd-5th NC Essential Science Standards.pdf

6th-8th NC Essential Science Standards.pdf

Teacher Led Tours

North Carolina Schools

A teacher led tour allows your group to explore the aquarium at your own pace. Groups are scheduled to avoid overcrowding and to make sure your visit is a memorable one.
Request

Out-of-State Schools

A teacher led tour allows your group to explore the aquarium at your own pace. Groups are scheduled to avoid overcrowding and to make sure your visit is a memorable one.
Request

Kindergarten thru 2nd Grade

School Program Kindergarten - 2nd

Live Animal Programs

  • Snakes: NCES-  K.L1.1, 1.L.1.1, 1.L.1.2, 2.L.1.1
  • Freshwater Turtles: NCES-  K.L.1.1, 1.L.1.1, 1.L.1.2, 1.L.1.3, 1.L.2.2, 2.L.2.2
  • Superphibians: NCES-  K.L.1.1, 1.L.1.1, 1.L.1.2, 1.L.1.3, 1.L.2.2, 2.L.1, 2.L.2
  • No Bones: NCES-  K.P.1.2, K.L.1.2, 1.L.1.1, 1.L.1.3, 2.L.1.1, 2.L.2.2

Educator Programs

  • All about Sharks: NCES-  K.L.1.1, 1.L.1.1, 1.L.1.2, 2.L.1.1
  • Sea Turtle: NCES-  K.P.1.2, K.L.1.1, 1.L.1.2, 1.L.1.3, 2.L.1.1, 2.L.2.
  • Octopus

Videos

  • Saving a Species; Polar Bears
  • Saving a Species; Manatees
  • Planet Earth; Ocean Deep
  • Wild Kratz
  • Leave it to Beavers
  • Baby Sea Turtles of the OBX
  • Charlie & the Curious Otters
Request

3rd thru 5th Grade

School Program 3rd - 5th

Live Animal Programs

  • Snakes: NCES- 3.P.3.2, 3.L1.1, 3.L1.2, 4.L.1.1, 4.L.1.2
  • Superphibians: NCES- 3.P.3.2, 3.L.1.2, 4.L.1.1, 4.L.1.2
  • Noxious Nature
  • Fresh Water Turtles

Educator Programs

  • All About Sharks: NCES- 4.L.1.1, 4.L.1.2
  • Marine Mammals: NCES- 3.P.3.2, 4.L.1.1, 5.L.2.2
  • Believe It or Not (Game): NCES- 3.L.2.3, 4.L.1.2, 5.L.2.1
  • Jellies: NCES- 4.L.1.1, 4.L.1.2

Videos

  • Chasing Pluto
  • Forces of Nature: Motion
  • Making North America: Origins
  • Planet Earth: Freshwater

Science on a Sphere Programs (30 total participants)

  • Guide to the Solar System: NCES- 3.E.1.1
  • Weather or Not: NCES- 3.P.3.2, 4.E.1.1, 5.E.1.1, 5.E.1.2, 5.E.1.3

Science on a Sphere Videos (30 total participants)

  • The Wanderers
  • Extreme Weather
  • Meander
  • Water Falls
Request

6th thru 8th Grade

School Program 6th - 8th

Live Animal Programs

  • Freshwater Turtles: NCES-6.L.2.3, 8.L.3.1
  • Slime vs. Scales: NCES-8.L.3.1, 8.L.3.3
  • No Bones About It
  • Alligator

Educator Programs

  • Jellies: NCES-6.L.2.3, 8.P.2.2
  • Ocean Jeopardy (Game): NCES-6.L.2.3, 7.L.1.4, 8.L.3.1
  • Tail Spin (Game): NCES-8.L.3.2
  • Marine Mammals: NCES-6.P.3.1, 7.L.1.4, 8.L.4.1
  • Sea Turtle: NCES- 6.L.2.3, 8.P.2.2, 8.L.3.1
  • Believe it or Not (Game)

Videos

  • Shape of Life: Life on the Move
  • Making North America: Origins
  • Making North America: Life (8th)
  • Making of the Fittest: Birth & Death of Genes

Science on a Sphere Programs (30 total participants)

  • Weather or Not: NCES- 6.E.1.1, 7.E.1.2, 7.E.1.3, 8.E.1.1
  • Disaster Zone: NCES- 7.E.1.3, 7.E.1.6
  • On the Move

Science on a Sphere Videos (30 total participants)

  • Cooking up a Storm
  • Earth: Our Goldilocks Planet
  • The World’s Water
  • Our Pale Blue Dot
Request

9th Grade thru 12th

School Program 9th - 12th

Live Animal Programs

  • Noxious Nature
  • World of Weird
  • No Bones About It

Educator Programs

  • All About Sharks
  • Believe It or Not (Game)
  • Jellies
  • Ocean Jeopardy (Game)
  • Sea Turtle
  • Marine Mammals

Videos

  • Making of the Fittest: Evolving Switches, Evolving Bodies
  • The Silent Invasion
  • Wild Ways
  • Shape of Life: Bones, Brawn, Brains

Science on a Sphere Programs (30 total participants)

  • Creating Change
  • Ends of the Earth
  • Disaster Zone
  • On the Move

Science on a Sphere Videos (30 total participants)

  • 2 Billion More Coming to Dinner
  • Urban Ocean
  • Footprints
  • Energy Revolution
Request

Behind-the-Scenes Tours

School Behind the Scenes Tour

Private Tour. Accompany an Aquarium educator to sneak a peek behind the scenes of different areas in the Aquarium. Visitors will see the exhibits and all the systems that keep them working, from a side normally viewed by staff only.
Closed toe shoes are required.

Ages: 8 and up - Children 12 and under must be accompanied by a paying adult.

$15.30 per Person

Shark Exhibit Tour for Schools

Take a short visit behind the 285,000-gallon Graveyard of the Atlantic Exhibit.  Peek into the dive locker, learn about an out-of-site acclimation holding area, and get an overhead view of the largest exhibit in the Aquarium.

Closed toe shoes are required.

Ages: 8 and up

$6.80 per Person

Outdoor Field Programs

Beach Exploration

Students will accompany aquarium staff for a hands-on, get wet learning experience on the shore. This program takes place at Coquina Beach in south Nags Head, and groups can meet aquarium staff on site. Students will collect animals in the surf zone (temperatures permitting), participate in a marine debris clean up, and focus on the physical and ecological characteristics of the beach. Topics may include waves, tides, sea turtles, sand dunes, beach vegetation, erosion, and others on request. All collected animals will be identified and released.
Closed toe water shoes are required.

NCES:  3.E.2,  3.E.2.1, 3.L.2,  3.L.2.2,  4.L.1,  4.L.1.1,  4.L.1.3,  5.L.2,  5.L.2.1,  5.L.2.2
Grades: 3rd and up.

$8 per Person

Wetlands Walk

Join aquarium staff for a fun-filled learning experience in this catch and release program in a nearby salt marsh. We will travel to Oregon Inlet with nets and buckets to search for and collect some of the many animals that inhabit the marsh! Learn about an estuary, the sound, tides, and about the dynamic ecosystem at the marsh. All collected animals will be identified and released back into the sound.
This program must be scheduled around low tide.

Closed toe water shoes are required.

NCES:  3.E.2,  3.E.2.1,  3.L.2.2,  4.L.1,  4.L.1.1,  4.L.1.3,  5.L.2,  5.L.2.1,  5.L.2.2
Grades: 3rd and up.

$8 per Person

Let's Go Crabbing!

Come to this program prepared to test your luck crabbing! Students will learn some basic biology of the blue crab, experience line crabbing first hand from the Aquarium's soundside pier, and have the opportunity to come face to face with these feisty crustaceans.
Closed toe shoes are required.

NCES:  K.L.1.1, 1.L.1.1, 1.L.1.3, 1.L.2.2, 2.L.1.1, & 4.L.1.1

Grades: K and Up.
We request 1 chaperone for every 5 students.

$9.35 per Person

Night Hike

Meet inside the pavilion at the Nags Head Woods Nature Preserve to talk about nocturnal animals or aspects of astronomy for the first portion of the class. Common themes are the moon, bats, owls, moths and spiders. After the inside portion, we will go outside to hike some of the trails of Nags Head Woods at night.

For all grades.
Children 16 and under must be accompanied by a paying adult.

$7 per Person

Labs & Dissections

Squid Dissection

Students will investigate the external and internal anatomy of a squid in this introductory dissection. Taxonomy, mollusks, and by-catch will be additional topics discussed. Each lab lasts approximately 1.5 hours.  A minimum of 10 students (or the equivalent fee of $100) is needed to hold a class.  Maximum group size = 30 students.


NCES:  4.L.1,  4.L.1.1,   5.L.2.  &  5.L.2.2
For grades 4 and up.

$10 per Student
No Charge for Teachers

To schedule a Squid Dissection Program for your group, please contact the Special Activities Coordinator at 252-475-2327.

Shark Dissection

Students take an up-close look at a dogfish shark to investigate external and internal shark anatomy. An introduction includes the use of video, biofacts, and other mediums. Students will work in groups of four to dissect a shark specimen. Additional specimens can be provided at an additional cost. Each lab lasts approximately 2 hours.  A minimum of 10 students (or the equivalent fee of $150) is needed to hold a class.  Maximum group size = 25 students.


NCES:  4.L.1,  4.L.1.1,   5.L.2,  5.L.2.2  &  5.L.2.3
For grades 6 and up.

$15 per Student
No Charge for Teachers

To schedule a Shark Dissection Program for your group, please contact the Special Activities Coordinator at 252-475-2327.

Marine Invertebrate Lab

Students become detectives as they examine animals such as sea stars, horseshoe crabs, hermit crabs, and whelks up close. Moving from one workstation to another, students work in groups to investigate live animal specimens in search of telltale clues that provide answers to a quiz. Each lab lasts approximately 1.5 hours.  A minimum of 10 students (or the equivalent fee of $100) is required to hold a lab.  Maximum group size = 30 students.


NCES:  4.L.1 & 4.L.1.1
For grades 3 and up.

$10 per Student
No Charge for Teachers

 To schedule a Marine Invertebrate Lab experience for your group, please contact the Special Activities Coordinator at 252-475-2327.

Water Qualitity Testing/Behind the Scenes Tour

Venture behind the scenes of some of the exhibits at the aquarium to observe food prep areas, program animals, and filtration systems in action. Students will also have the opportunity to take part in water quality testing of at least two exhibits in the aquarium. Water chemistry may include testing for nitrates, nitrites, ammonia, pH, temperature, and salinity.
Limited to 12 participants.
Closed toe shoes are required.

Grades: 9 and up

$20 per Person

Special Indoor Programs

Aqua Tots

Children and teachers are encouraged to take advantage of some toddler time in the Aquarium. Designed for ages 2-5, these exciting interactive sessions will encourage hands on learning through free play, stories, crafts, and open time in the Aquarium. We will look at a different animal topic or ocean theme during each class and incorporate shapes, colors, numbers and sounds.

NCES:  K.L.1,  K.L.1.1,   1.L.1,  1.L.1.1,  1.L.1.3,   1.L.2.,  1.L.2.2,  2.L.1 & 2.L.1.1 (Depends on topic)


Ages: 2-5

$7.00 per Child
$4 for Parents
No charge for School Staff

Choose Your Own Animal Adventure

Want your students to learn more, but don't see what you are looking for?  Need some help with your curriculum or a state standard?  Our team of Aquarium educators can help you build your own program tailored specifically to your needs.  Select from a variety of topics including sharks, reptiles, mammals, invertebrates, fish, and more.  Each presentation can include live animals (when applicable), interactive exhibits, and a grade-level appropriate activity.

Minimum of 10 participants; Maximum of 150 participants, or determined by topic selection.

NCES:  K.L.1.1, 1.L.1.1, 1.L.1.3, 1.L.2.2, 2.L.1.1 (Depends on Topic), & 4.L.1.1

Grades: K-12

Half-Hour Program:  $3 per Person

One-Hour Program:  $5 per Person

Gyotaku

Students will learn some basics about fish and have an opportunity to be creative with their fish prints in this artistic program. The program opens with a lesson on fish anatomy and adaptations, and the history of Gyotaku. Students will then have time to design prints of their own and practice the Japanese art of fish printing. One T-shirt is provided for each participant, or students may bring their own t-shirt for an adjusted price. All other art materials are provided.

NCES:  K.L.1,   K.L.1.1

Grades: K and Up.

$16 per Participant
$10 per Participant who provides their own shirt.
No Charge for School Faculty

Lights Out!

Have you ever wondered what the Aquarium animals do when night falls? A guided tour of the building after hours will point out animals and the nighttime behaviors they show, only when the lights go out. Put your skills to the test to see if you could make it as a nocturnal animal – try to find food, find a mate, and avoid being eaten while in the dark.

Grades: 3rd and up

$15.30 per Person

Otter Enrichment Hour

The river otters at the Aquarium love their snacks! Learn about otter behavior, biology, and the importance of enrichment. Students will design an enrichment object to be shared with these playful animals, and get to see the otters enjoy the newly designed "toys" filled with treats.


Grades: K and Up

$10 per Student
No charge for Teachers

Overnight Programs

Sleeping with the Sharks

If you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind experience, join us at the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island for an overnight program that will have your group “swimming” with excitement for months! Groups can slumber in front of the 285,000-gallon Graveyard of the Atlantic exhibit, as sharks and other fish swim close by. This program is for private groups and includes two programs for your education and enjoyment.

Participants must be ages 6 and older.

CHOOSE TWO OF THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS:
 Turtles, alligators, snakes, sharks, touch exhibit talk, Ocean Jeopardy, night hike, and Gyotaku (Fish Printing).

$45.00 per Person
$50 per Person, if there are more than 25 Children
$100 Deposit is required upon making your reservation.

MINIMUM OF 12 PARTICIPANTS OR $540

For more details or to register for an Overnight, please contact our Special Activities Coordinator at
(252)-475-2327.

Test Info