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All 97 Gatlinburg Attractions »

Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies

88 River Road, Gatlinburg, TN 37738
888-240-1358
Ranked #2 of 57 attractions in Gatlinburg
4.5 of 5 stars 1066 Reviews
Type: Aquariums
Owner description: ALL NEW! LIMITED ENGAGEMENT! Perfect Predators: SHARKS! Innovative Exhibit Explores the Oceans' Top Predators with a Variety of Live Sharks and Over...... more » Owner description: ALL NEW! LIMITED ENGAGEMENT! Perfect Predators: SHARKS! Innovative Exhibit Explores the Oceans' Top Predators with a Variety of Live Sharks and Over 30 Hands-On Interactive Displays. Marvel at 12-foot sharks, the giant sea turtle, thousands of exotic sea creatures and playful penguins swimming as you enjoy the State-of-the-Art Clear Underwater Tunnels throughout the Aquarium! An Ultimate Underwater Experience without being wet! Explore many unique underwater worlds and the Best Shark Exhibit in the Most Spectacular Underwater Tunnel. Enjoy entertaining dive and feeding shows. Pet horseshoe crabs and stingrays. Enjoy playful penguins swimming, pop up on the penguins’ private beach and get nose-to-beak. Fun-Filled family experience and MUCH MORE! « less
Useful Information: Activities for older children, Activities for young children
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1,066 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
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    279
    70
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Date Rating
Waynesville, Missouri
Contributor
15 reviews 15 reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 27 May 2012 NEW

We went to the aquarium for something to do for a group of 3 adults and 4 kids ages 3-14. It was a very enjoyable trip with entertainment for all. I do agree that it is kind of spendy but it was worth the trip. There was a great variety of sea life packed with bonus events throughout the day. More

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alabama
Senior Contributor
22 reviews 22 reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
4 helpful votes 4 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 26 May 2012 NEW

This is a wonderful place to visit. A lot of different things to see. One member of the staff was so kind that she talked to us for quite a while about the sharks, cleaning the tanks etc and even gave us some shark teeth to take home. Only thing that was a big disappointment is I especially went to... More

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See 4 more reviews by ljalabama for Gatlinburg
Hattiesburg, Mississippi, United States
Reviewer
5 reviews 5 reviews
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 25 May 2012 NEW

We encountered Penguins in the hallways. They were walking them like dogs! LOL More

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See 4 more reviews by TBAmanda for Gatlinburg
Festus, Missouri
Contributor
17 reviews 17 reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 25 May 2012 NEW

This attraction exceeded my expectations in every way except for parking. Gatlinburg owns almost all of the parking in the area so you have to pay to park at Ripley's. That was the only thing I disliked about this attraction. Everything is very well maintained, the employees were friendly, the price was a little high but not too bad, they... More

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Decatur, Alabama
Contributor
12 reviews 12 reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 25 May 2012 NEW

The aquarium was very interesting with lots of interactive exhibits for kids. The best part was the shark exhibit with the moving sidewalk. More

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See 3 more reviews by avsfan1023 for Gatlinburg
Metairie, Louisiana
Contributor
12 reviews 12 reviews
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 24 May 2012 NEW

My kids loved this place and it was a very hassle free day for all of us, any time we can get out like that and enjoy the day as a family we are all happy. We try to see all the aquariums when we are near them, this is one of my favorites. More

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See 11 more reviews by jerry s for Gatlinburg
Youngstown, Ohio, United States
2 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 24 May 2012 NEW

if you are looking for a relaxin time it is a good place to see the sea life it has a tunnel under the shark tank that u can get up close and personal its a little pricey but worth the money you will have a blast More

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Nashville, Tennessee
Contributor
12 reviews 12 reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 23 May 2012 NEW

I love to visit aquariums and zoos with my two young children. Ripely's has an excellent aquarium! I love the special exhibit area. They also now have penguins, which I think is really neat. We watched the sting ray dive show. It was very informative. I liked that after the show the diver brought the sting rays to the top... More

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Nashville, Tennessee
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
18 helpful votes 18 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 22 May 2012 NEW

Wonderful for kids and the whole family! My kids loved the Penguins Playhouse and the Shark exhibit. More

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New Jersey
Contributor
19 reviews 19 reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 21 May 2012 NEW

There are a lot of tourist attractions in the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge Area, some over-rated. The 2 that were a very pleasant surprise were the Titanic Museum & this one, the Ripley's Aquarium of the Rockies. It's big, but not huge with a wonderful variety & displace of sea life. Walking through the tube surrounded by sharks & large sea creatures... More

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See 2 more reviews by SnoopyRock for Gatlinburg

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