Aquarium At Fort Fisher Research Paper

North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher: Something Everyone Can Enjoy
English 114, Section 51N
Miss. Cancelli
February 3, 2014

North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher: Something Everyone Can Enjoy

The North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher is located in Kure Beach, NC at the mouth of the Cape Fear River. The Aquarium brings thousands of people through its doors each year, according to Gwynne Moore, “In 2012, 433,954 visitors came to learn about all things aquatic. This outstanding attraction is deservedly one of the most popular in the area” (n.d.).The theme of the Aquarium is Animals and Ecosystems of Fresh and Salt Water, including those of the Cape Fear River. With a building size of 93,000
The primary goal of the playground is to keep children active and outside, says Corey Strickland (2012), Star News. In an interview Strickland conducted, Peggy Sloan the Aquarium director, said “What we know about our visitors is that spending time together, whether it’s a couple or a family, is import. It (the area) was not built to bring new revenue, but to extend the time families spend here, we want them to have more things to do” (2012). Adventure Reef “dares children of ages 2-12 to climb, crawl, wiggle, leap, balance, swing and slide their way to fun in a safe and engaging way” says Fort Fisher on their website, “In addition to the play structure, families can explore together to find fossilized shark teeth and other treasures in a new fossil dig area shaped like a spiraling nautilus shell” (“North Carolina,” 2012). The $78,000 project was made possible through donations from the North Carolina Aquarium Society, along with a sponsorship from Time Warner Cable, Pizza Hut, PotashCorp-Aurora, and the Weston Foundation (“North Carolina,” 2012). Though the attraction took longer to build than planned, and was not able to be constructed in the shape of a coral reef, Sloan could see that the playground was already “a big hit” (Strickland,
With chances to touch live animals and talk to SCUBA divers swimming with sharks, it is a place worth seeing. The variety of programs at Fort Fisher Aquarium are not only enjoyable, but are filled with numerous learning opportunities. The addition of Adventure Reef provides children with a chance to get out their energy, and Outdoor explorations is a great way to learn about the Natural world. With so many things to get involved in, The Aquarium at Fort Fisher is a great place to take the family and spend a special day