Ripley's Aquarium Gatlinburg TN Review!

 Ripley's Aquarium Gatlinburg TN Review!

Ripley's Aquarium located in Gatlinburg, TN is one of my families favorites! We have been 3 times since the kids were born. I wish I could take them every year; there is just so much for kids to learn and see. Ripley's Aquarium is always the highlight of our trip! It is not only the kids favorite but it is my favorite and my husbands as well. I have never been to a beach and this is probably the closest I will ever get to seeing some of these amazing sea creatures. Around every corner there is something new to see. It takes us a good 3-4 hours to get through the aquarium usually. Christian got so sick on our trip and ran a high fever and this was the only thing he got to do. That was OK though because Ripley's Aquarium is absolutely the best attraction in TN and the one he most wanted to see. Let me tell you a little bit about what to expect!

Everything in Ripley's Aquarium is geared towards children and touch and feel engagement! They have several different exhibits and play areas for the kids. Then in the center everything opens up and they have a mini "play world" for the kids. They can crawl through LED painted fish caverns, crawl in peep holes for them to pop through and look inside fish tanks( pictured below) and if they are old enough hold horseshoe crabs. The kids really love the section in the play area where they could steer the boat wheel and look inside the treasure chest(pictured below). With Ripley's Aquarium there is never a dull moment. In every picture you can see the kids are engaged and learning! Most pictures they wouldn't even turn around for!

Play Area

Peep Through Tanks Play Area

                                    

Play Area

Ripley's Aquarium brings in a new exhibit every year. This year the new exhibit were all about Slime. The kids loved this part of the Aquarium! It was one of their favorite areas. They loved the water gun game where they had to hit their lobster and make it ding. What child doesn't love water. The also really liked all of the different worms on display in the Slime exhibit. The bullfrog exhibit was extremely funny because they had just eaten frog legs. Their daddy was sure to tell them that is what they had just eaten. My favorite part was touching the jellyfish. Jellyfish are super slimy but they are also very delicate. 

Touching the Jellyfish    

Interactive Exhibit on Sharks

Interactive Exhibit in Slime World Crab Water Target

Shark Lagoon is also another amazing part of the Ripley's Aquarium. The floor actually moves and transports you through the whole bay which is actually a tunnel. You can look up and see Shark's swimming above your head. There are so many different fish and the colors of the different fish are amazing. Ray Bay is also an extremely nice exhibit. At different times Ripley's Aquarium employees swim with the rays and allow you to touch them it is such a unique experience. We were also lucky enough to see a dive show. Christian and Gavin thought the diver would be eaten by a shark. The last thing you see before exiting to the gift shop is the Penguins. My kids love the Penguins; we spend most of our time there. It is an indoor/outdoor exhibit so it is very nice and you actually see the Penguins in such an up close way that it is mind boggling. I climbed in the kiddie tunnels with the kids and was delighted to see the Penguins swim right above you.

Penguins

Ray Bay

Shark Lagoon

The whole family had an amazing time and will definitely be going back to Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies. It is truly a magic alone of a kind experience. A huge thank you to Ripley's for giving my family the opportunity to experience Ripley's Aquarium! To buy tickets go to http://www.ripleyaquariums.com/gatlinburg/plan-your-visit/ and to find out more visit Ripley's Aquarium website . Be sure to like Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokie's Facebook page also they have a lot of contests, specials and information. Right now a new Penguin needs a name!

That is not all though I got to visit every Ripley's Attraction and let me tell you they are all amazing! I will be posting links to each Ripley's Attraction as I get them written. Next you will see the Ripley's Mirror Maze, Ripley's Haunted Adventure , Ripley's Believe It or Not, Ripley's 3D Adventure and Ripley's Mirror Maze!

Free For All received free tickets to facilitate this review. All opinions are 100 percent my own. This was an amazing opportunity and so much fun! No financial compensation was received.