Ripley's Aquarium - Myrtle Beach, South Carolina - popular aquarium and tourist attraction in Myrtle Beach

Myrtle Beach is well known for its many golf courses and live shows, but the resort is also home to the most popular attraction in South Carolina - Ripley's Aquarium. The huge state-of-the-art facility, which covers almost 90,000 square feet, offers visitors the chance to observe and learn about some of the world's most well known, fascinating and beautiful sea creatures.

The aquarium was opened in the heart of Myrtle Beach in 1997 at a cost of around $40 million. Ripley's followed this success by opening a second aquarium a couple of years later in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Since their opening, both of the aquariums have been accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and both have become two of the most visited aquariums in the United States.

Ripley's, who are better known for their "believe it or not'' themed attractions have gone to great lengths to ensure that the exhibits at the aquarium are educational as well as interesting to all age groups. The facility features not only live marine displays, but also hands-on exhibits and interactive displays in Discovery Center, as well as hourly presentations given by knowledgeable staff members. A rotating program of temporary exhibits ensures that repeat visitors have something new to see.

The aquarium has several different themed areas, all of which offer opportunities for viewing the fish from different angles. Ray Bay features rays from different parts of the world, while Rainbow Rock is home to brightly colored fish from the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The Rio Amazon exhibit highlights fish from the Amazon rain forest of South America - including the deadly Piranha fish - while the specialty of the Schooling Fish Tank is fish from US coastal waters. One of the newest exhibits, which opened in early 2009, features over thirty baby fish

But the aquarium's biggest attraction is the Dangerous Reef - a 300 foot long moving walkway which takes visitors along a recreation of the ocean floor, while huge sharks swim around and above them. It's about as close as people can get to these dangerous creatures without actually getting wet. The enormous tank, which forms part of the exhibit, holds around 750,000 gallons of water.

When the doors of the aquarium close each night, guests can actually stay and sleep among the sea life with the aquarium's extremely popular "Sleep with the Sharks'' program, which allows groups of fifteen or more to spend the night. The program includes a self-guided tour of the aquarium, an educational presentation, a scavenger hunt, a late night snack, and other memorable and unique experiences, especially for children.

Ripley's Aquarium is located in the Broadway at the Beach Center, just a few short blocks from the beach and close to the resort's several other Ripley's attractions and tourist locations. It is open daily from 9:00 AM until 10:00 PM. Guests should allow at least a couple of hours to visit, although many visitors may well that they need a whole afternoon or even longer to see all of the exhibits.