Ripley's Aquarium, Myrtle Beach, SC - Review

My family and I went to the Ripley's Aquarium in Myrtle Beach, SC on Sunday August 1, 2010.  Ripley's Aquarium is located in the Broadway at the Beach complex which is one of our absolute favorite places to visit in Myrtle Beach, but I'll save that for another review.  We were last in Myrtle Beach two years ago and I remembered not being overly fond of the Ripley's Aquarium, but Magic Quest was overcrowded and we had to get out of the sweltering heat, so we set off around the complex toward the Aquarium hoping to please an 11 year old boy, 4 year old girl, and a baby.  When we got there, the ticket lines were immensly long, a clue we should have taken to heart,

Sting Ray water sulpture and
brick building housing visitor's center.

but instead we stopped into the visitor's center in the brick building next door and purchased our tickets after waiting in a very short line and saved a few dollars too.  By passing the ticket line, went straight inside and handed over our tickets. 

After stepping through the turnstiles we were greeted by chaos.  Allow me to explain further:  A few steps in traffic is stopped and blocked by two employees roping every passerby they can into getting souvenir photos taken.  Once you get around them, you'll stand there for a few seconds and try to decern where you're supposed to go among the throngs of people.  And since they keep letting people into the building as quickly as they can issue and collect tickets, the crowds on a busy day are unbelievable.  The room just opens up and everyone roams willy nilly.  There is no set path of travel to keep people moving in an organized fashion, nor to make sure you've seen all the sights before you leave.  In fact, the snaking line for their main attraction - Toxic and Lethal Creatures - was so long we did not even attempt to see it.  There was no way the little ones would have been that patient and it didn't even look like the line was moving.  I'm sure the crowds are not as bad on weekdays and off season - but I've been to plenty of aquariums all over the country and they all had better crowd management and traffic flow floor plans to make even a busy day a pleasant visit.

We waited for a few minutes and finally grabbed a front row spot at the Sting Ray tank.  This is always a favorite for the kids because they get to splash in the water and try to touch the rays.  While we were there, a group of visitors in wet suits actually got to go into the tank.  Apparently you can reserve a place for this activity in advance of your visit.

Another kid favorite is the touch tank.  In most aquariums this means the kids get to touch horseshoe crabs, star fish, and sea anemones.  During our visit the only thing in the touch tank were horseshoe crabs.

I will give the Ripley's Aquarium credit for their Rainbow Room exhibit.  The Rainbow Room is a long twisting tunnel with a moving sidewalk that takes you through their main tank.  While the line was long to get into this exhibit too, the moving sidewalk ensured that the line kept moving at a tolerable pace.  The up close view of the sharks and saw fish really couldn't be beat.

Overall, the Ripley's Aquarium is a nice, small aquarium that is pleasant and fun to visit on a quiet day, if a bit pricey.  However, avoid the Ripley's Aquarium when the crowds are heavy.  If you are on a very tight budget, there are probably better places to spend your money.  If you or more importantly, your children, are used to some of the big city aquariums in other parts of the county, you'll find this small aquarium disappointing.