During our stay in Gatlinburg, Tennessee we were given tickets to all 8 of Ripley's attractions. We started with the one right across the street from where we were staying, Greystone Lodge at the Aquarium!
Right when we walked in, we were blown away! There was a HUGE round fish tank that attracted my children right away. They loved that they could walk around the fish tank to see everything!
What I immediately noticed was complete organization. As people were coming in, they flowed down the hall. No one was bouncing back and forth to see everything, they just followed the leader and took their time to see all the exhibits. Instead of an open floor plan where you walk around all over here and then back over there and then back to where you started because you forgot to see something, you followed the exhibits one by one because they automatically took you to the next one without missing anything!!! Best part is... we stayed together as a family (that's a plus!!!).
My daughter (who's 6) couldn't wait to show us the funny face this little guy was making!
My 9 year old son was mesmerized with the jellyfish! He was talking about SpongeBob and all the jellyfish under the sea while my daughter was telling him about the jellyfish that Dory and Marlin had to swim through to get to Nemo! They both knew that the tops of the jellyfish were safe to touch while the side and underneath were not safe. They would get stung.
There was also a tank there that allowed you to touch the tops of the jellyfish. One of the workers that worked the jellyfish table was very informative and shared her knowledge with the kids. Seeing their expression while touching a jellyfish was awesome!!
The seahorses had rather large crowd around their tank. It was interesting to see them hold on to plants and rocks while they took a nap while the others were swimming around.
Now these sea dragons were beautiful! They were up close for everyone to see!
Now my husbands favorite part was walking through the tunnel with the sharks! You had the choice to walk or stand on a slowly moving belt that took you through the exhibit. If you wanted to step off, you could. Then, when you wanted to get back on... yep you guessed it. You just step back on. There was SO much to see and my kids loved that the sharks (and fish) would swim directly over you!!!
How cool is this!!! You can see all 3 of my children absolutely amazed at how close this shark is!
I believe that this stingray is larger then both my children put together!
In the middle of all that fun, there was a play zone for the kids. They got to touch some fish and play with some of the displays! They kids had so much fun!
These were my favorite! I could just sit here for hours watching them swim and interact with each other.
Just amazing!!
Have your kids ever wondered what penguins look like up close and personal! I couldn't get my kids out of this exhibit! They were able to look them in the eyes and my daughter blew them a kiss!!
If you come to visit Gatlinburg, Tennessee then Ripley's Aquarium is a MUST SEE with your family!
Disclosure: I was given tickets for my family for review purposes. The opinions expressed in this post are honest and solely mine.
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