My Husbund and I took our 2 grandsons, 5 and 6 year old boys here. I thought the experience was great. I talked to the owner, and she has teen and college student volunteer helpers. All were so knowledgeable, answering my questions. More importantly They were great with the kids! Patiently answering all of their questions, and the hands on experience was also wonderful. They touched large tortoises, star fish, toads, sea urchins. Also got to see 3 week old box turtles, very cool. Everyone was so friendly.

Cute little aquarium. Live feeding at about 1-115. Loved watching the owner feed the sharks and share information about each one.

Friendly and knowledgeable staff.. Got to watch feeding time event, to include the tortoises. To me well worth the entry fee!!

This place is so fun. The staff is friendly, passionate, helpful and knowledgeable. The whole family loved our visit.They have a few sharks which were awesome. They have many reptiles and fish. Each exhibit gave information about the animals and their natural habitat.The owner is passionate about conservation and education.We were so glad they were still open during this uncertain time.

They have a great variety for their size, however the best part was the 12 year old volunteer (we didn’t catch his name). He was so knowledgeable and was able to answer all of our questions with such confidence and extra detail. He did a great job!

This place was pleasantly surprising. It may not look it from the storefront, but inside they have multiple fish aquariums and a larger shark aquarium. The sharks are pretty small, but the staff is friendly and knowledgeable. There are plenty of interactive exhibits for the kids. If you show up at the right time you can watch them feed the sharks and learn about some of the fish in the tank. After, kids can take pictures with the diver.

Enjoyed the shark feeding event at the Apple Festival.

Such an awesome place! Drove over an hour to visit this place and it didnt disappoint at all.

We loved it!Went as a family of four1 yr old and 5 yr old kids both enjoyed itTook about 30 minWe had our own little tour guide volunteer (had to be only like 12) he was great made the experience even betterClean and to the pointVery affordable

Not bad considering its small size. The worst thing is the parking: there is none. It was my first trip to old downtown Hendersonville and we spent 45 minutes (not exaggerating) driving in circles waiting for a nearby parking space to open up. We were about to give up when a space opened at the last second.They may be smaller than a pet store, but you will see exotic animals that you do not find it typical pet stores. The staff is knowledgeable and more than eager to volunteer information about the species you will encounter in their displays.

The people that had this aquarium are so knowledgeable. What they are doing and what they are teaching people really is beyond reproach. We learned so much today and all of the people we talk to our volunteers. What a great place. Definitely worth the cost to go in and to support this worthy cause.

Staff is friendly and knowledgeable. Took my children hoping to have a good time. They really wanted to see sharks. They were pretty underwhelmed to say the least. The turtles were the best part.

Very small but very cute. The lil boy (Im bad at names🤦‍♀️) was so helpful and knowledgeable, he new all about the fish. He was the highlight of the experience. He aloud us to hold some of the water life briefly (my kids favorite part).

Sad excuse for an aquarium. Was definition not worth the price.

Great small aquarium, especially for smaller kids.

Wonder community resource and great for small children!

What an awesome place!! I live in Hendersonville, I’m just sad that I’m just now experiencing this great aquarium! My son is four and absolutely loved it!Everyone there is super knowledgeable and was happy to answer any questions.

Not even worth six dollars. It’s a very small aquarium and the animals are very clearly stressed and not properly taken care of.

Great quick experience.I was so excited to see an aquarium downtown in a small town, miles from the sea. As someone with a passion for conservation, I love that people are taking time to stop in and learn about the wonders of the ocean and the ways that we can help preserve it. The staff was friendly, there was a pretty good biodiversity considering the small size, and the large tank is pretty neat for such a small space.The animals seemed to be well cared for, the tanks were clean, and there was a lot of information displayed to take in. For anyone complaining about the size, this aquarium was only $5 for me to enter, which is a tiny fraction of what most aquariums cost. Worth a stop, especially if you have children.

Nice little aquarium downtown! The interns and workers are super knowledgeable and make it an even better experience for the little ones or those interested 🤗👌

The aquariums were nice(: but I was severely disappointed in the reptile care. As someone who is studying herpetology the Leopard Gecko enclosure broke my heart. A gecko of any species should never be housed together. They are territorial animals who do not have the brain wiring to form bonds. Not only that but they were housed with a Crested Gecko. A species requiring 60-80% humidity as opposed to the Leopard Geckos 20-30%. The lack of under tank heating was also an issue. Leos do not bask and benefit the most from belly heat. The workers were very nice and seem very excited to learn more which i think would be beneficial to both them and the animals. I’d personally recommend a 24x18x18 exoterra vertical tank with coconut fiber bedding and foliage for the crested gecko. For the Leopards they would thrive in two separate 20 gallon long enclosures with coconut fiber/tile substrate, three hides(one being moist to aide shedding) and an under tank heater connected to a thermostat. Other than the poor gecko husbandry the aquarium was very cute. I hope you can take this and research on your own to see what would fit best for your little guys!

Very fun

Small business. Has turtle panting

The average pet store is much bigger than this place, but I truly enjoyed my visit. The fish tanks and other animal habitats are well maintained. I applaud the management, staff and volunteers.

We brought our son for his 1st birthday and again right after his 2nd. He loves all things aquatic and would stay all day if we let him - if we lived closer, Im sure wed be there every week!!! All staff and volunteers are so kind and patient, and Ms. BJ is very informative and willing to answer any questions - you can tell how much she loves all the life there and what she does. HIGHLY recommended and we will DEFINITELY be back very soon!!!

We took a trip from Greenville to come up here. Since it had pretty good reviews we thought it might be worth our time. They advertise pretty extensively about their sharks so thought our kids would love that. We paid our $21 (two adults, two kids) and walked in. I was kind of wondering where the exhibit was, thinking we were in the atrium or something. Well that was it. It was almost like walking through the fish aisle at your pet store. The sharks are in one tank on the floor and are about 12-18 in length and about 3 wide. These nurse sharks just sit at the bottom of the tank. So we spent about 15 minutes there and went over to the kids museum down the street. It was the quickest I ever lost $20. I do understand they need money to pay for their store, but they need to be upfront with you on what this really is...

Couldnt imagine a cooler place to visit downtown than the ocean in the mountains. Go visit the whole staff there and learn about everything they do! While the aquarium and shark lab are awesome, they do even more for our community. Thanks for what you do guys!

Great place to have fun. Informative staff that does a great job of answering questions. Kid and adult friendly highly recommend.

This place was great for being in the mountains, these people leaving bad reviews, get a life.I have read studies that people who leave bad reviews for no reason other but to feel they have power have the lowest IQ.

Christy made this an amazing experience for my husband and I. We love nature and she had answers to ALL my questions shes very impressive. She even showed us animals and sea creatures that we overlooked very good and educated young lady.

To: OwnerFrom: Carol Masters, Rocky Mount, NCDear Sir,My husband and I have had Lionhead Orandas for 6-7 years, we relocated to Rocky Mount, NC about 3 years ago, lost our last Oranda about 6 months ago. We had each of them about 3-5 years. Losing them was as bad as losing any other loved pet, family member. With all that said, just to give you our background, do you have Lionhead Orandas, can you get them, medium to large? If not, could you point me in the right direction please? My fallback is Petsmart and that is SOOOOOO NOT going to happen. Thank you for your time and advice.Sincerely

Inexpensive and hands on. Not a big place but worth going.

Great staff and educational outreach!

Great place to visit, and doesnt take long. Right on Main Street, just down from Masts. They have a wide variety of aquatic life and some specimens I havent seen in much larger attractions. They are great people, and often have special events. You can keep up with them on their website or facebook page. Great place for kids and adults both.

My family had a great time! Awesome team of knowledgeable staff and volunteers and a very hands-on experience that will definitely keep us coming back

For a cute, boutique aquarium in the mountains, they have more than I expected to find. Team ECCO strives to share knowledge and research around bamboo sharks as well as fostering education in people of all ages!My daughter and I love staying up to date on all events and new things changing here, even though we live near Asheville.. she always wants to go to the aquarium in Hendersonville!

Adorable, small and incredibly friendly staff. Spent about half an hour here and our two toddlers loved it.

A nice little aquarium, I was pleasantly surprised.

Absolutely amazing place to learn and explore!! Much love from Michigan!!

Quant little place but basically just fish tanks one tank bigger then 20gal. around a room. People working knew very little about the fish they had. One shark in the whole place and its very small. Took kids maybe 20 mins to see and touch everything.

C L O S E D ! Sorry for 1 star 12/17/2020

This place sucks even when you try to have fun there is only like 20 animals you can see do not waste time trying to go to this place

We had our sons 6th birthday party here and it was an awesome experience, the staff was great, everything was well planned by them we just needed to invite people and bring the food they took care of everything else. Highly recommended

The staff is knowledgeable, the sea life is interesting. Definitely worth a visit.

Fun and educational.

Wonderful marine education and research center with passionate staff and volunteers!

This is one of my favorite places to take my children. We went ahead and got a membership so we can go as much as we want. I enjoy taking my children here because it gives them a chance to enjoy science and nature in a safe place. It keeps them away from the television, internet, etc. It is set up great for moms and dads to be able to watch their kids with ease. I am hesitant on where I take all three of my kids on my own. I want to always have a view of all three of them at once. Well this place is set up just so. Moms and dads can come here and relax and have a great view of the whole aquarium and their childrens whereabouts. The lighting is dim, the music is relaxing, and there are plenty of seats to sit on while watching your children explore and learn. There are always plenty of volunteers available to answer questions and assist children with the touch tank and turtle exhibit. I always leave here feeling relaxed and happy that my children did something other than watch tv or play on an iPod or tablet. Brenda Ramer is doing an awesome job educating WNC on sea life. Her staff is awesome too!

I went with my husband today to check our their facility. I assumed that they would be small but the animals would be well cared for and the staff would be knowledgeable. That couldnt be further from the truth! They are a small operation, conveniently located on Main Street in Hendersonville however it was absolutely tragic inside.The area in which the tanks are housed is a single room with a hodgepodge of setups. All were extremely outdated, many cracked and chipped and all were neglected. Most of the fish were in aquariums that were very undersized (Longhorn Cowfish in a 29gal) and were with inappropriate tankmates (such as seahorses with a Coris Wrasse and other aggressive fish). The tanks were also covered in algae, majanos and aiptasia. There was only one tank with some living coral such as mushrooms and a maxi mini carpet anemone. Most tanks were decorated with artificial plants and some fake corals as well, making everything look very unnatural and unappealing. Very few of the animals were labeled and the ones that were were mislabeled (a Stars and Striped labeled as a Dogface). We told the attendant and she gave us a blank stare. All the employees I saw were very young and knew little about the livestock or the systems.There are some freshwater turtles and lizards as well. They seem very out of place but they are better cared for than most of the other inhabitants.The bottom line is that this place is deplorable. You do not need an extensive knowledge of marine life to know that these creatures are in poor care and that the organization needs to step up to the responsibility of displaying and educating the public about these beautiful animals.

Very friendly and the encourage the kids to touch

It is okay. I wish there was more things though.

Not worth $5. Very disappointing. No activities for children and nothing exciting to see. Dont go.