North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher Reviews

Reviews

+5 User photos

• Sarah Sent on 05/24/2019
  5 out of 5 rating

  5.0
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  Memorable & fun

  My husband and I hosted our wedding reception at the aquarium and our guests LOVED it. It was so much fun for our guests and their kids alike. We really appreciated

  My husband and I hosted our wedding reception at the aquarium and our guests LOVED it. It was so much fun for our guests and their kids alike. We really appreciated

  • +3 photos
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  User2331774 Sent on 09/24/2015
  5 out of 5 rating

  5.0
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  BEST PLACE TO GET MARRIED! My husband and I absolutely adore the beach, and my favorite animal is a sting ray, so the aquarium was a perfect fit for us! Plus we both grew up visiting Carolina/Kure beach and it is so much better and a little quieter than surrounding beaches like myrtle....
  The coordinater at the aquarium was more than helpful with anything I needed and even helped with a floor layout for my vendors 2 weeks before hand!
  The aquarium is such a beautiful venue and my guests were never bored!

  BEST PLACE TO GET MARRIED! My husband and I absolutely adore the beach, and my favorite animal is a sting ray, so the aquarium was a perfect fit for us! Plus we both grew up visiting Carolina/Kure beach and it is so much better and a little quieter than surrounding beaches like myrtle....
  The coordinater at the aquarium was more than helpful with anything I needed and even helped with a floor layout for my vendors 2 weeks before hand!
  The aquarium is such a beautiful venue and my guests were never bored!
• June Sent on 06/23/2015
  5 out of 5 rating

  5.0
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  This was such an awesome place to have our reception! I had many guests that don't dance a lot so they enjoyed it very much being able to look at all the exhibits. Keely was great to work with and I didn't find the rules to be very restrictive, she always had suggestions for how to work with them and none of them really changed our vision of our wedding. Being that the fee includes tables and linens we felt it was a great value for our money as well.

  This was such an awesome place to have our reception! I had many guests that don't dance a lot so they enjoyed it very much being able to look at all the exhibits. Keely was great to work with and I didn't find the rules to be very restrictive, she always had suggestions for how to work with them and none of them really changed our vision of our wedding. Being that the fee includes tables and linens we felt it was a great value for our money as well.
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• Kathleen Sent on 07/02/2013
  5 out of 5 rating

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  Keely did a great job helping to organize our wedding reception. She always answered my questions promptly and was willing to help in any way possible. The staff was extremely helpful during our event and we could not have asked for more. Our guests loved the vendor and said it was one of the most amazing places to have a reception. The kids had plenty of things to do which gave the adults time to enjoy the wedding festivities. We could not have asked for a better night!

  Keely did a great job helping to organize our wedding reception. She always answered my questions promptly and was willing to help in any way possible. The staff was extremely helpful during our event and we could not have asked for more. Our guests loved the vendor and said it was one of the most amazing places to have a reception. The kids had plenty of things to do which gave the adults time to enjoy the wedding festivities. We could not have asked for a better night!
• 275665Aca507997298Be010Fae9A94C63B552A0D Sent on 07/01/2018
  4.9 out of 5 rating

  4.9
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    4.5
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  The Aquarium was the only venue we needed to see for our big day! We knew from the beginning that we wanted a unique location that could accommodate both the ceremony and reception, and the Aquarium gave us all that and more! Keely was such a pleasure to work with from start to finish, and the entire aquarium staff goes above and beyond to make the whole process easy. We were able to do a full tour of the venue before booking, a full walk-through with all of our major vendors, and then an easy rehearsal. Our guests were so impressed with the location and how nice everything turned out, they thought we spent a fortune! We used the Aquarium chairs and tables and their staff set up, broke down, and moved our chairs between the ceremony and reception areas. If you're looking for an affordable, but beautiful and unique location for your wedding, look no further than the NC Aquarium!

  The Aquarium was the only venue we needed to see for our big day! We knew from the beginning that we wanted a unique location that could accommodate both the ceremony and reception, and the Aquarium gave us all that and more! Keely was such a pleasure to work with from start to finish, and the entire aquarium staff goes above and beyond to make the whole process easy. We were able to do a full tour of the venue before booking, a full walk-through with all of our major vendors, and then an easy rehearsal. Our guests were so impressed with the location and how nice everything turned out, they thought we spent a fortune! We used the Aquarium chairs and tables and their staff set up, broke down, and moved our chairs between the ceremony and reception areas. If you're looking for an affordable, but beautiful and unique location for your wedding, look no further than the NC Aquarium!
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  User2743033 Sent on 08/26/2016
  4.9 out of 5 rating

  4.9
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    4.5 out of 5 rating
    4.5

  Everyone had a blast at our wedding reception! We had guests ranging from 8 months to 80 years old and they all enjoyed looking at the exhibits. I have had several guests tell me that it was the best wedding they had been to. My mother-in-law, who is an event coordinator for a popular wedding venue in my husband's hometown, even said that she had never seen a better event!
  
  Keely and her staff were awesome at helping us during the planning period. They answered all of my questions quickly and even spoke directly with our other vendors to make sure things went smoothly.
  
  The aquarium was also our back up ceremony location. Luckily we got our wish of an outdoor wedding but I was happy to know that we had a very clear plan in case of bad weather.
  
  The only reason I gave a slightly lower score on flexibility is because as a state park with live animals, there are some things that they cannot allow. All the these things are completely understandable and most actually worked in our favor -it was a built in excuse to save money by serving wine and beer only- but be prepared to work within some guidelines.
  
  I highly recommend having your event at the Fort Fisher Aquarium. You won't be disappointed!

  Everyone had a blast at our wedding reception! We had guests ranging from 8 months to 80 years old and they all enjoyed looking at the exhibits. I have had several guests tell me that it was the best wedding they had been to. My mother-in-law, who is an event coordinator for a popular wedding venue in my husband's hometown, even said that she had never seen a better event!
  
  Keely and her staff were awesome at helping us during the planning period. They answered all of my questions quickly and even spoke directly with our other vendors to make sure things went smoothly.
  
  The aquarium was also our back up ceremony location. Luckily we got our wish of an outdoor wedding but I was happy to know that we had a very clear plan in case of bad weather.
  
  The only reason I gave a slightly lower score on flexibility is because as a state park with live animals, there are some things that they cannot allow. All the these things are completely understandable and most actually worked in our favor -it was a built in excuse to save money by serving wine and beer only- but be prepared to work within some guidelines.
  
  I highly recommend having your event at the Fort Fisher Aquarium. You won't be disappointed!
• Hillary Sent on 06/02/2012
  4.8 out of 5 rating

  4.8
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    4.0

  Our wedding reception at the Aquarium at Fort Fisher was so much fun and provided a backdrop for hundreds of beautiful pictures. The event coordinators who work at the aquarium were very responsive to all of my emails and phone calls. We enjoyed being able to visit the aquarium with an appointment during the planning phase to ask questions and work on the event set up. We really liked the different space options and thought the prices are OUTSTANDING for the unique venue that you get. The only category we gave less than a 5/5 to was flexibility. This is because the rules and guidelines for having an event here are strict and must be followed. These rules are in place for insurance reasons and to protect the exhibits so it's completely understandable. The event coordinators were always upfront about the restrictions and responsive to any questions we had. We very highly recommend having your event at the aquarium!

  Our wedding reception at the Aquarium at Fort Fisher was so much fun and provided a backdrop for hundreds of beautiful pictures. The event coordinators who work at the aquarium were very responsive to all of my emails and phone calls. We enjoyed being able to visit the aquarium with an appointment during the planning phase to ask questions and work on the event set up. We really liked the different space options and thought the prices are OUTSTANDING for the unique venue that you get. The only category we gave less than a 5/5 to was flexibility. This is because the rules and guidelines for having an event here are strict and must be followed. These rules are in place for insurance reasons and to protect the exhibits so it's completely understandable. The event coordinators were always upfront about the restrictions and responsive to any questions we had. We very highly recommend having your event at the aquarium!
• J'aime Sent on 06/25/2018
  4.7 out of 5 rating

  4.7
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    4.5 out of 5 rating
    4.5

  My husband and I fell in love with the venue as soon as we stepped foot in the aquarium! Keely was so helpful and professional however on the day of our wedding the security guard kept everyone out in the parking lot in the hot sun instead of allowing them to walk through the garden area with shade and to our cocktail hour on the deck. Another draw back was that you can not set up the day before hand however even though we kept our decorations simple and he had lots of hands to help set up, the aquarium stole the show and we could not have asked for a more beautiful venue.

  My husband and I fell in love with the venue as soon as we stepped foot in the aquarium! Keely was so helpful and professional however on the day of our wedding the security guard kept everyone out in the parking lot in the hot sun instead of allowing them to walk through the garden area with shade and to our cocktail hour on the deck. Another draw back was that you can not set up the day before hand however even though we kept our decorations simple and he had lots of hands to help set up, the aquarium stole the show and we could not have asked for a more beautiful venue.
• Laura Sent on 07/19/2017
  4.7 out of 5 rating

  4.7
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    3.5 out of 5 rating
    3.5

  We LOVED having our wedding ceremony and reception at the aquarium! Our guests had a fantastic time looking at the exhibits. While you could make this venue as fancy as you like, this definitely a family/child-friendly place! The kids at our wedding (of which there were many) had a great time. Keely (the aquarium event coordinator) was super responsive to questions and concerns, and did two walkthroughs with us on-site. She also helped us with the layout of the tables, which was much appreciated.
  
  The aquarium has several add-on options, and we highly recommend springing for the touch pool. We love the photos of kids and adults interacting with sea creatures!
  
  The only place we didn't give them 5 stars is on flexibility, because they have a lot of restrictions due to the safety of the animals and being a state facility. BUT, none of the restrictions were onerous! For example, we couldn't have hard liquor, and needed to be out of the aquarium at the end of the night in a timely manner so the animals could sleep. Keely is super helpful in walking you through the regulations. Any (small) sacrifice made in that realm is more than worth it for such a beautiful venue.

  We LOVED having our wedding ceremony and reception at the aquarium! Our guests had a fantastic time looking at the exhibits. While you could make this venue as fancy as you like, this definitely a family/child-friendly place! The kids at our wedding (of which there were many) had a great time. Keely (the aquarium event coordinator) was super responsive to questions and concerns, and did two walkthroughs with us on-site. She also helped us with the layout of the tables, which was much appreciated.
  
  The aquarium has several add-on options, and we highly recommend springing for the touch pool. We love the photos of kids and adults interacting with sea creatures!
  
  The only place we didn't give them 5 stars is on flexibility, because they have a lot of restrictions due to the safety of the animals and being a state facility. BUT, none of the restrictions were onerous! For example, we couldn't have hard liquor, and needed to be out of the aquarium at the end of the night in a timely manner so the animals could sleep. Keely is super helpful in walking you through the regulations. Any (small) sacrifice made in that realm is more than worth it for such a beautiful venue.
• Jennifer W. Sent on 03/01/2020
  4.6 out of 5 rating

  4.6
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    3.0

  Amazing - But with some warnings

  The venue was beautiful and the event staff were amazing! I am so glad we chose this venue and we would recommend it to everyone! That being said, it is an unusual venue and did have some quirks. The aquarium is very upfront about their rules and restrictions. They give you all important information before you sign a contract. The aquarium does not allow hard liquor - beer and wine only. This actually turned out to be a positive for us as open beer/wine bar is much more affordable than full bar. Due to normal operating hours, time to set up for the wedding is very short. Almost all of my vendors required extra staff to pull off setup and breakdown in the required time frame. The lighting is also a bit of a challenge. I only looked at photographers who had shot at the venue before - and I'm glad I did. Again, not the easiest venue, but soooo worth it!

  The venue was beautiful and the event staff were amazing! I am so glad we chose this venue and we would recommend it to everyone! That being said, it is an unusual venue and did have some quirks. The aquarium is very upfront about their rules and restrictions. They give you all important information before you sign a contract. The aquarium does not allow hard liquor - beer and wine only. This actually turned out to be a positive for us as open beer/wine bar is much more affordable than full bar. Due to normal operating hours, time to set up for the wedding is very short. Almost all of my vendors required extra staff to pull off setup and breakdown in the required time frame. The lighting is also a bit of a challenge. I only looked at photographers who had shot at the venue before - and I'm glad I did. Again, not the easiest venue, but soooo worth it!
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  User2097464 Sent on 04/15/2015
  4.6 out of 5 rating

  4.6
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    3.0 out of 5 rating
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  The aquarium is a unique venue and everyone of my guest said it was the best wedding they have ever been too. I gave a 3 for flexibility but that is understandable because it is a state facility with live animals. Keely the aquarium event coordinator was awesome! She responded quickly and answered all questions she helped make my event perfect.

  The aquarium is a unique venue and everyone of my guest said it was the best wedding they have ever been too. I gave a 3 for flexibility but that is understandable because it is a state facility with live animals. Keely the aquarium event coordinator was awesome! She responded quickly and answered all questions she helped make my event perfect.
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  User2124828 Sent on 05/09/2015
  4.6 out of 5 rating

  4.6
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    4.5 out of 5 rating
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    4.5
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    4.5 out of 5 rating
    4.5

  My husband and I could not have chosen a better place to have our afternoon reception!! It was wonderful! The woman in charge were very easy to plan with and accommodating! I could not have asked for an easier planning experience! My guests loved being able to walk around the aquarium after the reception!

  My husband and I could not have chosen a better place to have our afternoon reception!! It was wonderful! The woman in charge were very easy to plan with and accommodating! I could not have asked for an easier planning experience! My guests loved being able to walk around the aquarium after the reception!