Larger aquarium makes a big splash.

• Position: EASTERN

Attendance at the renovated N.C. Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores outpaced projections, with more than 250,000 visitors through late August. It reopened May 19, after a two-year, $25 million expansion boosted it to 95,000 square feet, more than three times its original size. The aquarium has about 2,500 fish and other creatures. Its Living Shipwreck exhibit includes sharks...