Ripley's Aquarium of Myrtle Beach
The Grand Strand's best rainy day
⏱ 2-3 hours👤 All ages$$
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Dangerous Reef is the reason to go. The tunnel puts big sharks right above you, and the scale of the tank makes it the best shark viewing between Charleston and the Outer Banks. Linger rather than walk straight through — the large animals circle, and the best passes happen when the crowd thins. The tank holds about 750,000 gallons, and a moving glidepath carries visitors through the 330-foot tunnel past sand tiger, sandbar, nurse and blacktip reef sharks, sawfish, goliath grouper, moray eels and Gabby, the resident green sea turtle. In quiet hours you can step off and walk at your own pace; at busy times everyone rides straight through, which is the best argument for an early or late visit.
The rest of the building is designed for families: Ray Bay for hands-on time, the penguins as the cute finale, and daily dive presentations that explain the animals. Rio Amazon is the only freshwater gallery, with piranhas, arowanas and pacu; Rainbow Rock shows off thousands of Pacific reef fish; and the discovery area and Norman's Water Lab give younger children touch tanks and simple science activities. Sloth Valley, home to a pair of two-toed sloths, is a gentle detour, and in the holiday season the building fills with decorated trees for its Festival of Trees. The Tiqets listing also offers a combination ticket that adds two other Ripley's attractions on the Broadway at the Beach boulevard — good value for families staying several days.
Practicals: the aquarium sits at Broadway at the Beach with free on-site parking, and same-day re-entry is available with a hand stamp. Plan two to three hours. Pair it with the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston, about two hours south, or with Ripley's Gatlinburg for a Ripley's aquarium double on a Southeast road trip.
What to Expect
Format
A polished Ripley's aquarium with more than 10,000 animals — the Dangerous Reef shark tunnel, Ray Bay touch pool, Rio Amazon, Rainbow Rock and Penguin Playhouse — at Broadway at the Beach.
Best Time
Opening time or late afternoon; rainy beach days bring the biggest crowds.
Duration
Two to three hours.
Tips
Book online before a rainy day hits. Slow down in the shark tunnel. Keep your hand stamp for same-day re-entry if you want lunch at Broadway at the Beach.
⚡ Quick Picks
Best For
The rainy-day plan for a Myrtle Beach vacation.
Families
Excellent — sharks overhead, rays to touch and penguins.
Couples
Fine as part of a Broadway at the Beach evening.
Pair With
The South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston or Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies.
Time Needed
Two to three hours.
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Get Tickets →Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Ripley's Aquarium in Myrtle Beach?
At Broadway at the Beach, the entertainment and shopping complex off US-17 Bypass, with free on-site parking.
What is Dangerous Reef?
The aquarium's signature exhibit: a tank of about 750,000 gallons with a 330-foot walk-through tunnel and a moving glidepath, where sand tiger sharks, sawfish, rays and large reef fish swim around and over visitors.
Are there penguins?
Yes — Penguin Playhouse houses penguins, and penguin encounters are available for an additional fee.
Can I leave and come back?
Yes, same-day re-entry is available with a hand stamp.
How does it compare with Ripley's in Gatlinburg?
Similar style and polish; Gatlinburg is larger and more of a destination, while Myrtle Beach is the strongest aquarium on the Carolina coast north of Charleston.
More Aquarium Attractions
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Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies
The mountain-town overachiever — a top-five-ranked aquarium improbably parked in Gatlinburg, with the continent's longest underwater tunnel gliding beneath sand tigers, a penguin crawl-through, and value the coastal giants can't touch.
South Carolina Aquarium
Charleston's harbor-front aquarium follows a raindrop from the mountains to the sea — ending at a 385,000-gallon Great Ocean Tank, and with a working sea turtle hospital on the ground floor.
Georgia Aquarium
The biggest in America — ten million gallons in downtown Atlanta, and the only place outside Asia to swim beneath whale sharks: four of them, cruising a football-field tank past a 61-foot viewing window and a 100-foot tunnel.