I have to be honest that when I think of Gatlinburg, TN and the Great Smokey Mountains, I don't think aquarium. But, there is one. And a really good one. Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies is nestled in the heart of Gatlinburg and the Great Smokies and it is one of the best aquariums we've ever been to. Much to our delight!
A few of things we absolutely loved were the Swarm exhibit, the shark lagoon and tunnel, and the Penguin Playhouse. The Swarm exhibit was full of strange and unique fish and sea creatures that, well, swarm. My favorite was the fish manicure. You can stick your hand in the water and have little fish that eat the dead skin off your hand. I know it sounds pretty gross but it actually feels pretty cool!
With all the talk of recent shark attacks, the shark lagoon and tunnel was one of our family favorites. Up above you can see the sharks swimming near the surface and then you can walk below and take the 340 foot glide path through an underwater tunnel where the sharks seemingly swim right around you. It was fascinating to see these large sharks swim so close to us, and I was very happy to have that thick glass between us! For your adventure seekers, the aquarium also offers the unique experience of a shark sleepover!
My oldest son has loved penguins since he was 15 months old and first saw them on a visit to Sea World. He's 10 now and his fascination has not stopped. The Penguin Playhouse allows you to get a great view of the penguins and there is a cool tunnel to crawl through that puts you right in the heart of the penguin action!
And, if that wasn't enough, we surprised our kids with an added Penguin Encounter. This is a special program that is not included in regular admission. During the Penguin Encounter you get up close and personal with a real penguin. One of the things they didn't tell us is that some of the penguins like to nip at t-shirts. Not every kid can go back to school and tell their friends they got bit by a penguin this summer! This was a 30 minutes our kids will remember forever!
If you are planning a trip down to Gatlinburg, TN, and you should, you should definitely add a visit to Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies on your to-do list. For more info visit www.ripleyaquariums.com/gatlinburg
My family and I received free admission to the aquarium in exchange for this review. No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.
