Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies

This is a great aquarium with great exhibits , and the best shark display I have ever seen,but you may want to go later in the evening or during the non tourist season to be able to take your time to take pictures and not feel rushed. If you go during the tourist season, be prepared to have to fight your way in to get a spot to see anything and spend time lifting your hand above tourist's heads to be able to take pics. Also because there were some many people, and you have to move out of the way so much, you really can't get time to read any of the info about the marine life posted.I won't make the mistake of ever going during tourist season again because it kind of took the enjoyment out of the experience.

I was so worried. In a town of Ripley's everything this would be second rate. NO WAY! This was fantastic! So worth the stop. It took us 2-3 hours but we could have spent a couple more hours if we wanted to or got the penguin experience! The shark tunnel is awesome!

In such a touristy town, the aquarium exceeded my expectations! The glass tunnel in "shark lagoon" was incredible. Loved touching jellyfish and rays. Went later in the day during extended summer hours on a weekday and we basically had the place to ourselves!

Great exhibits and lots of ocean species to see... And even touch a few like sting rays and jelly fish. Not a super big aquarium. But my son loved it. It took about 2 1/2 hours to tour south a kid. Also had a nice Pearl Harbor exhibit when we visited. A tad bout oin thweprucey side in my opinion, however. $25 adults, $13 kids.

I've visited this aquarium a number of times and am always impressed by the size, diverse specimens, and the general layout. If you have young kids with inquisitive minds, they will find much to enjoy here.

This place is a blast! All the information and animals of a real zoo, with that zany Ripley's edge to the layout. They do a great job keeping those fishy smells at bay, too.

I can't say I even knew this place existed until I was driving past it, but honestly this was well worth the stop. This was one of the most well constructed aquariums I've seen with many beautiful exhibits. It was an incredible, unexpected surprise and I'll definitely be back!

This was the first aquarium I ever went to as a kid and it was pretty badass. We were in Gatlinburg for the winter and being inside the aquarium feels like a completely different experience than the smoky mountains.

Ripley’s has a strong foothold in Gatlinburg, and this extends to their impressive aquarium located right in town.

Never one to be outdone, Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies features over 10,000 animals in a mountainous, riverfront setting in the Smoky Mountains.

At Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, you’ll see 12-foot sharks, a giant sea turtle, penguins, and stingrays. They also offer a lot of upgraded options as well: take a glass-bottom boat ride over the shark tank, feed a sea turtle, paint with a penguin, or spend the night sleeping with the fishes (in a good way!). It's really great.

We visited Ripleys Aquarium in October. Fun stop with lots of kids activities. Plenty to see for the adults as well. Kind of pricey but very educational exhibits. There is a glass bottom boat that costs extra, we did not do this as the boat travels right over the large exhibit that also has a plexiglass tunnel that you can walk through or just stand on the movable walkway and it takes you right through the exhibit. There is a penguin parade where the penguins come out at scheduled times and waddle around by the children’s play area. It was a fun way to spend an hour or two.