Coastal Companion

Your ultimate guide to the coast

South Carolina Aquarium Celebrates 10 Years

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This weekend, May 14 – 16, 2010,  you can help celebrate the Aquarium’s 10-year birthday with fun, fish and feedings.  Enjoy special dive shows, unique feedings, animal enrichment programs, a mascot parade, crafts and more! Enjoy special celebratory programs at the:10s of each hour.   Check out the newest addition to the Aquarium, a rare albino alligator and watch as this jaw-dropping reptile is fed breakfast at the Gator Feeding Program; catch a glimpse of a fishy cake in the Great Ocean Tank at the ‘Hang 10 with the Divers’ dive shows; watch as one of the Magellanic penguins goes Picasso with Penguin Art, and participate in an Aquarium-wide Mascot Parade including four Aquarium mascots, educators, volunteers and the crowd-pleasing Waddle Wagon.   For a limited-time only, make sure to check out the new historical timeline display which takes you through the years of the Aquarium detailing major events, animal acquisitions, accomplishments and more.

Aquarium guests will not want to miss these Birthday Celebration Programs:

Especially for the early birds!
Visitors can join educators first thing in the morning for a favorite returning program, Harbor Happenings at 9:10 a.m. Enjoy complimentary coffee by our friends from Charleston Coffee Roasters as you hear more about the creatures that swim and play in the harbor.

Happy Birthday Otters!
A species that has been around since the Aquarium opened, watch as the otters are given a life-size birthday cake at 10:10 a.m.! Enjoy seeing them climb and play in this interactive wooden cake during an activity that helps enrich their daily lives.

It’s our party and we will put cake in the tank if we want to!
Join educators and staff for a very special Interactive Dive Show, ‘Hang Ten with the Divers,’ at 11:10 a.m., where guests will participate in a 10-year game show and watch what happens when you put Cake in the Tank!

Alligator Breakfast
Watch as the newest addition to the Aquarium, a rare, one of 50 in the world, albino alligator is fed breakfast! A jaw-dropping experience for the whole family, don’t miss this exclusive, never-before-seen-by-the-public Gator Feeding at 12:10 p.m.

Call that penguin Picasso!
Enjoy a one-of-a-kind activity at 1:10 p.m.: Penguin Art. An activity known as animal enrichment, watch as one of our Magellanic penguins creates its own artwork with paint on canvas!

Gator and Penguin and Otter, Oh My!
Join in as Aquarium staff, volunteers, the four Aquarium mascots, and one of our Magellanic penguins come together for a Birthday Mascot Parade through the Great Hall at 2:10 p.m. Afterwards, get your picture taken with the mascots and watch as the penguins of Penguin Planet are fed their afternoon snack.
It’s our party and we will put cake in the tank if we want to! Join educators and staff for a very special Interactive Dive Show, ‘Hang Ten with the Divers,’ at 3:10 p.m., where guests will participate in a 10-year game show and watch what happens when you put Cake in the Tank!
It’s been ten turtle-rific years! Join us at 4:10 p.m. for an exclusive Sea Turtle Rescue Program show with a live turtle. Learn more about the treatments and therapies used to rehabilitate the sick and injured sea turtles and how you can help all endangered sea turtle species.

Birthday bliss and festive activities abound for guests of all ages with a weekend focused on celebrating our guests, members and community. Swim on over to the Aquarium for some fun May 14 – May 16, 2010. For more information, visit scaquarium.org or call (843) 577-FISH (3474).

Sustainable Seafood Initiative Dinner – Charleston, SC

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This time of the year is known for oysters in our area. The Sustainable Seafood Initiative is arranging a special dinner event on Saturday, February 20, 2010 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The South Carolina Aquarium and the Restaurant at Middleton Place Plantation has paired up for a Sustainable Seafood Initiative Social which includes ‘Fish for the Future’ education, six sustainable seafood courses, and live acoustic music.

The evening will begin with Megan Westmeyer, the South Carolina Aquarium’s Sustainable Seafood Coordinator, who will provide information on fisheries, seafood sustainability, as well as useful tips on how to buy fresh fish.

This is not your traditional seated dinner, instead there are  six sustainable seafood stations, and food can be paired with an organic and sustainable wine. To set the right atmosphere there will be roaring fires inside and out, and music by Charleston-based singer and blues rock guitarist Graham Whorley.

Dinner reservations are $45 per person in advance (all inclusive) or $50 per person at the door (based on availability), and this is really not a bad deal if you consider what you get for the money. Just take a look at the menu below.

At the six stations, you can enjoy:

  • Station 1: seared scallops with coined fingerling potatoes, caramelized onions, crispy lardons  and a balsamic-cherry glaze paired with a Mommessin Pinot Noir
  • Station 2: oysters on the half with Boursin cheese, teardrop tomatoes and micro arugula paired with a Chateau Recougne Blanc
  • Station 3: benne seared yellowfin tuna with pineapple-basil chutney over wild rice paired with a Bishop’s Peak Pinot Noir ’07
  • Station 4: Prince Edward Island mussels with country ham cracklin’s and scallions in a coconut-saffron broth paired with a Chateau de la Muscadet ’07
  • Station 5: buttery local shrimp with southern succotash and white truffle corn puree paired with a Villa Wolf Gris ’07
  • Station 6: yellowfin tuna tartar with wasabi aioli, crisp taro root and a citrus soy drizzle paired with a L.D. Petit Chablis


A portion of the proceeds from the dinner will benefit the South Carolina Aquarium’s Sustainable Seafood Initiative. Space for the event is limited. For reservations, contact Middleton Place Plantation at (843) 266-7477 or purchase online at MiddletonPlace.org.

South Carolina Aquarium Sustainable Seafood Initiative Dinner

Saturday, February 20, 2010; 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Middleton Place Plantation, 4300 Ashley River Rd. Charleston, SC 29414

To make a reservation, call Middleton Place Plantation at (843) 266-7477 or online at www.MiddletonPlace.org

Locate a restaurant close to you at Restaurant.com

$10 Admission for SC Residents in February at South Carolina Aquarium

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During the whole month of February, South Carolina residents can visit the South Carolina Aquarium with a flat rate admission of $10.00 – that’s actually a savings of $7 off adult admission!

Don’t miss the opportunity to see the expanded Touch Tank featuring Atlantic sting rays or take a ride on the kids only Discovery Boat in the new Something’s Fishy Kid Zone, watch a dive show or enjoy a family hike through the new exhibit Camp Carolina.

The aquarium offers tons of interactive fun, daily shows and programs, animal encounters and new exhibits to explore, This Offer is only available to South Carolina residents with valid proof of residency and may not be combined with any other offer. Expires February 28, 2009. For more information, visit scaquarium.org or call (843) 577-3474 (FISH).