Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies

From start to finish, Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies delivered an amazing experience that had something for everyone. The underwater tunnel was a true highlight — there’s something magical about having sharks, rays, and sea turtles glide effortlessly above you while you walk through. Our kids were completely captivated by the mermaid show, which blended entertainment with an educational touch in a way that kept their attention from start to finish. Another standout was the penguin march — an adorable and unique moment you don’t want to miss. Watching them waddle by up close brought out the “wow” in kids and adults alike. The layout of the aquarium makes it easy to explore at your own pace, with plenty of interactive areas that keep little ones engaged while still being fascinating for grown-ups. Overall, this was a fantastic experience for our whole family. It’s the perfect blend of fun, education, and memorable moments — a must-visit if you’re in the Smokies.

One of the coolest aquariums my family and I have been to. There’s plenty of exhibits, plenty to learn about all the sea creatures, plenty of cool things to see, and some stuff to do for children to let them blow off some steam. My favorite areas were the underwater shark exhibit and the stingray pool. Very clean and well organized place, staff was friendly and helpful, and getting tickets at the door was easy.

So many cool exhibits and activities! There were many areas where kids could go a little crazy, but also some where they can mellow out and learn about the fish! I absolutely LOVED petting the moon jellies! The handler supervising the jellies was very friendly but made it known that you had to be gentle! Great place to go and unwind with some weird fishes :)

Ripley’s Aquarium in Gatlinburg is a must-visit for families and marine life enthusiasts! The exhibits are incredibly well-designed, with vibrant sea creatures, interactive displays, and the unforgettable underwater tunnel with sharks swimming overhead. It's clean, well-organized, and fun for all ages. We especially appreciated the hands-on touch tank experience. Tip: Buy your tickets ahead of time to skip the lines and save time—this place gets busy! Overall, a fantastic and educational experience that’s well worth the visit. Highly recommended!

I wanted so badly to give this aquarium five stars, but there’s a few key reasons why I couldn’t. First, the parking is such a mess. It’s not bad once you get in and get a spot, but we waited forever to even reach the small (compared to how many people want to go)parking garage. The lot was completely full, so the line is literally waiting for people to leave before you can even get in. Parking is $10 on TOP of the already insanely high ticket pricing. The handicap parking is actually a joke. There are very few spots and it’s quite a ways away from the aquarium. The aquarium does have a lot to see, but the design of the building is super annoying. It’s basically like a big maze going around in a big circle with restrooms few and fair between. Backtracking is very hard to do. The exhibits themselves were nice, I don’t have any complaints there, but my husband wasn’t very impressed at all. He loves saltwater creatures and said it was pretty basic for the most part. The penguins were my favorite part. They are absolutely adorable and the penguins parade was really neat! The giant sea turtle I saw was SO cool!!

Amazing aquarium with so many nice things for families and kids. I especially loved that we could sit and eat and still watch the stingrays. I also really loved the moving walkway through the tunneled large tank!

Wasn't crazy busy thankfully. The animals were adorable and fun to watch. Beware buying the personalized shot glasses out of the gift shop tho. They say dishwasher safe, so my husband washed it and the decoration and his name washed completely off in the dishwasher.

This was a little different other aquariums in tourist towns. They had a neat conveyor belt that pushed you through a tube under the main aquarium area. There were a variety of creature I haven't seen elsewhere. My favourite was the mud skipper. There was also a penguin exhibit and the penguins interact with you. Staff were all very nice and it was a clean aquarium. I definitely recommend it.

For parking there is a parking garage! However, being in a lifted truck this makes the parking garage unusable. I wish there was signage saying where oversized vehicles can park. Or just a small space near the buses would be nice!! So since we couldn't fit in the parking garage we had to find a parking lot to park in, but there is one about a block down that offers parking for $2 an hour so it wasn't bad. When you walk into the aquarium, someone is already there to greet you and scan your tickets. Very easy process! The aquarium had lots to see. I love the informative signage next to all the exhibits. I even loved how many of the signs would be in Spanish as well! The bathrooms were clean along with the rest of the aquarium. I loved the tunnel with the moving conveyor belt and getting to see all the fish, sharks, and sea turtle above you. Im so glad we chose to get in there and experience the aquarium on our visit to Gatlinburg!

This place is awesome! Bigger than expected and the shark tank was very cool! My son thoroughly enjoyed it! Also my husband! Just when we thought it was over there's more to explore! Highly recommend!

The accessibility of this facility is jaw dropping. EVERYTHING is accessible. Even the glass bottom boats INSIDE that goes over the shark tank!!! They have an ingenious lift inside the boat and a strategically placed elevator to get to the loading area...... I couldn't believe how easy it was to navigate the entire center, even the ramp into the aquarium was dry and clear (even some sidewalks in gatlinburg werent cleared properly).

I took my son and daughter to the smokies for spring break. We stayed in Gatlinburg and we went to a few of the Ripley's attraction. The kids had a blast at the aquarium. It was fun there was some cool things to see! I liked the shark lagoon attraction. They also have a special experience I believe it was maybe SpongeBob or something like that when we went. A lot of neat things for the kids. We opted to eat elsewhere they had a few kid friendly things to eat. My kids are older so they have a more sophisticated palate so museum kid food was not happening with my crew. Over all cool experience we were there for about a hour and a half. The place was fun and had a lot of excitement to keep the kids entertained. Parking was kind of hard to find. If your in the smokies and you have kid(s) it's worth visiting the aquarium!

Better than I anticipated. Knew it would not outshine Chattanooga Aquarium or Atlanta's Aquarium... but for Gatlinburg... solid indoor beat the heat option!! I loved the penguin parade and "bopping" the jellyfish on the head touch tank. My 9 year old loved it. The design and flow is good for the Gatlinburg crowds! Bravo and props. I approve of the Ripley's Aquarium!! Only con... touch tank was too deep for kiddies. Seems like lots of kids hit the breaking point when they "couldn't reach" the passing by stingrays. Also had to announce ad nauseam do not touch or feed the sharks... just the sting rays... please remover your hands and bait when sharks come. Not ideal. My jackass kid tried to get on his knees and COULD HAVE FALLEN IN as I got the sting ray bait. Thankfully the man next to us steadied him... as I was at the kiosk paying and seeing the OMG moment!! Sponge Bob then the kiddies liked too.

This is easily one of the best aquariums I have ever been to before. There are a lot of hands-on exhibits that really keep the kids entertained. I highly encourage you to visit during the penguin parade which is absolutely worth the wait. We also paid to feed the stingrays and is something I don't think any aquarium I've ever visited had before. We had a fantastic experience and would love to visit again. Quick tip - if you are looking to save money, buying in person will only provide a very small discount if you're looking to buy it with AARP or AAA. It might benefit you just to buy it online to save time.

The aquarium had variety of sea animals and engaging for adult and kids. I got sucked into buying combo ticket which was a waste for me. It sounds great but if you buy it, just make sure you get to the other activities or it will be a waste of money. The maze was a joke, 1 min and you are done. Aquarium was good for kids and family.

Small but nice aquarium with a big play area in the middle for kids and lots of interactive kid things to do. There's a mothers room at the entrance Price: reasonable Parking: paid aquarium lot, additional lot .3 miles away, or utilize the free trolley that stops at the aquarium. Time: depends on if you do the extra activities 1-3 hours needed.

Yes, visit this Five Star Attraction. Locate parking, and take your time. Excellent for children and for adults. Well worth admission fees.

Ripely's has always been a name you can trust. It also has a reputation about being about finding the outrageous. I was a little skeptical when hearing about their aquarium, but this is what my grandson wanted to go to for his 9 th birthday. We enjoyed that there was a 5 story parking lot behind the facility. Then we were impressed with the fall photo opportunities in the back of the aquarium. The place was very decorated for fall front and back. The front was beautiful with bridges and streams of flowing water. There was no waiting in line for tickets you could just walk up. They offered a add on ticket of 7 other attractions in the area which you had a month to use with a military discount with identification. We chose to take the advantage of this since we will be back at least two more times. We did go to the Davie Crockett mini golf, but that's another review. Inside was incredible. There was a ton of things and areas for my 9 year old to run and climb. The tanks were big and spacious. The variety of sea and ocean inhabitant were impressive. It was amazing that you could see on top with a wide area pond of creatures, but the many under water trails you could see sharks of all sizes swim over you was amazing. They have snack stations like fresh mini donuts and popcorn. There was plenty of tables and benches to sit. This was a very family friendly. Finally, the delight for me was that they had a Jelly fish touching station. I could have touched them all day. This was a wonderful exhibit that has surprise along the way and make you want to go back to.

Haiku: Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies Big shark reef tunnel Gatlinburg's great attraction See penguin feeding. --- Gatlinburg's Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies has got to be one of the top aquariums I've been to! Tickets are a big steep in price, but I hope it goes to conservation and education at the Aquarium. Tip: Come early. It gets packed as the day progresses. My favorite attractions are: - Shark Lagoon: Explore the underwater ecosystem by traveling on a moving 340-foot long tunnel and come face-to-face with sharks, sea turtles, giant stingrays, and sawfish. - Penguin Playhouse: Kids can crawl through tunnels and see these amazing birds swim and splash in their Playhouse. Make sure you come visit during the penguin feeding. Staff is incredibly friendly and helpful. There was a trapped goose outside on the second floor balcony. I told the staff and they helped release it back into the wild outside.

How fun, they actually have really cool exhibits and the staff are well educated on their animals as well. We went right when they opened it beat the children and the crowds and it was so worth it. In and out in about an hour, they also have a military discount which is nice.

The aquarium was a hit for the kids in our group. There was a 9, 6, 3, and 1 year old that had a great time. The adults even had fun! If you enjoy sea life, it's the place to be on a hot summer day. There are play areas for the kids to take a break after exploring the aquarium. The shark lagoon was a cool spot to go through and watch the sharks as well as other sea creatures swim around. We even saw a diver go in and inspect the lagoon. There is a beverage and food area to stop at to get drinks and a quick bite to eat. Of course, the Icees are a big hit for the kids. Nachos, pretzels, chicken fingers, fries, and popcorn are some of the items on the menu. I was able to touch the top of a jellyfish in the exploration area and I get to cross that one off the bucket list. There was a staff member instructing and watching everyone do it. There is plenty to do for all ages and a great way to beat the heat.

I really love this aquarium. I actually like it more than the Georgia aquarium. We took our young daughter and sons here probably 10 years ago and have always talked about the experience. It didn't disappoint. It was expensive but we enjoyed it.

This place was more than I expected! It's a great place to catch all the amazing sea life! Sad that I didn't see a sea turtle . My favorite would have to be the penguins! !

This was an awesome aquarium. We've been to many of the best in the country so far and this is one of the top! It was just the perfect size. I liked how they had a play thing for the kids just wish it was more not so open? Like more contained. I kept worrying we'd lose our boy lol. He could go up, he could go down, but luckily kept finding us. Missed the penguin parade or whatever they have cause our son just couldn't care less. We wanted to see it and I bet if he actually saw it, he would've liked it :P we also somehow got lucky and got free parking outside.

My husband, 8 month old son, and I visited the aquarium a few days ago and we really enjoyed ourselves. It was expensive considering 2 adult tickets cost almost $90, plus $10 for parking. It was worth seeing the Awe in my son's eyes. They had some interesting animals like cuddle fish, batfish, and an axolotyl! I learned that they're extremely endangered and only found in 2 lakes. The jellyfish tanks were beautiful, and we really enjoyed watching them. We enjoyed some Dippin dots while there. They have a food venue inside that offered Hamburgers, hot dogs, and similar food. They also offered fresh mini donuts, which smelled AMAZING! Rating from F to A +++ I give it an A++.

It was a bit expensive but everything is these days. We did purchase the glass bottom boat and we had to rush to get there it would have been way easier to go through the gift shop and get to the boat (which was not conveyed). After the boat we had to start over with the museum. It was very stressful rushing through to find the boat but after we restarted our adventure it was very nice. Lots for the kids to see and do.

I love the aquarium so much. Blub blub blub. Swim swim swim. Hehe haha hoho. Ladedadeda.

This is a nice aquarium but not as good as the one we have in our home town. I wish for the price that there were more exhibits to see. It seems more geared toward families with young children, and our party was four adults and three teenagers. The main exhibit is a conveyor belt through a tunnel around the bottom of the shark pools. This tunnel was the best part of the aquarium. The spider crabs were also really cool. It took our family a little over an hour to see everything and cost over $300 for our party of seven to get in. Like everything in Gatlinburg it is overpriced. I was glad that we arrived shortly after it opened because the later in the morning you go the more chaotic it is with the amount of people. They also make you pay for parking, in addition to the price of admission; It is $10. We walked the town after we were done at the aquarium and left our car in their lot. It's the cheapest parking in the downtown area.

This aquarium was smaller than the Tennessee Aquarium but I prefer this one much more. They have a glass bottom boat tour which I didn't do because it was an extra charge and it was expensive just doing the aquarium (almost $90 total for 2) but next time, I would DEFINTIELY do the boat tour even though it's small, it would be a fun experience. They have a huge play area which is nice and not something I have ever seen before in an aquarium. I thought they had a good selection of fish and I loved the moving walkway while looking at all of the sharks. I loved the eating area. The prices were decent and you can sit and watch the stingrays while enjoying a snack. I would definitely recommend and would be happy to be happy! FYI, they have a GREAT gift shop as well!

Here you'll see a lot of unique sea creatures! Walk through a tunnel surrounded by sharks and school of fish. It was really cool experience. We decided to come in because of the cold and my kids love for the aquarium. And we were not the only ones! It was crazy busy!! We were waiting in lines to see several tanks.... Some of them we had to skip over due to the wait. Either people were so fascinated by the creatures or completely oblivious to the line of guests behind them. Overall my kids were fascinated by the sharks, the tanks they could walk through, and the glow in the dark tree. If you have kiddos, there is a playground in the middle of the aquarium with several levels of climbing.

We love aquariums and this one if really great. Lots to see and do. But the penguin parade is a must! They are so cute. This place is always crowded and there are always people who dont follow rules on stroller size. Cute play area for little kids. There are Snacks and one place for a meal. Huge gift shop! Its a good time killer on a hot or rainy day.

For all of the critics that have ravished these reviews due to things such as rude customers, I think you are a bit harsh. The comparison to spots with huge land areas IMO is a bit unfair. I felt the kid play areas are perfect for the area. There were several educators around and different specialty events. I will say that the pet the rays portion is a little difficult to successfully use for children. It needs to be a little more accessible. I found excellent restrooms, decent gift shops with a vast variety of pricing, and accommodating staff. This was our second trip. The first time my son was 6 and the second time he was 8. He loved both trips.

Fun place. Great family atmosphere. Loads of fun. Just the lines to get in are something to be desired. Attractions are great. We had a great time. This review is really delayed. I went here over a year ago.

I honestly think four stars is the perfect rating for Ripley's. I have so many amazing memories here as a child and I was so excited to bring my 6 month old to the same aquarium that I fell in-love with! My son LOVED this aquarium and it was honestly the perfect place to take a six-month old. at the beginning, there is this one little aquarium that I could fit my stroller into and, my whole worlds eyes lit up like he's never seen anything so cool before (well, until we got to the underwater tunnel). He got to see all of the fish up close and personal! This has and probably always will be one of the best aquariums that I have ever been too. The fish and aquatic life look taken care of and happy to be there. However, the employees do not look happy to be there and the inside of the building is starting to show some wear and tear. Some places definitely need updating but it is understandable that it has not happened yet. Updating aquariums is a lot of work! Now, their parking garage is very short, my large SUV had to be lowered to make me feel comfortable using it but the price is worth it! $10 a day and in the middle of town? Sign me up! Sadly, I did not have to use the restroom so I could not rate their restrooms. Considering it's a tourist destination, they would probably just be sub-par. Overall I definitely recommend coming here and spending time with all of their amazing fish and aquatic life. However, do not be surprised at their now-dating decor.

We thought this aquarium had the perfect setup! Mostly one directional traffic pattern so you don't have to use a map and can just enjoy walking and watching all the critters. My kids loved it

Everything about it was just amazing! I personally went to see the various species of sharks, and got exactly what I wanted!

Very expensive and they say they have discounts but don't tell you what they are... If you have a military ID be sure to ask about it to save 30%. The glass bottom boat tour is $13 a person to go on top of the tank that the clear tunnel goes under. Honestly the views from underneath were better. The only benefit of the under 10 minute ride is hearing more facts about the animals. It's fine for a date but if you have a ton of kids, it's not worth the money. There were a few shows and seemed to center on costumed people dancing underwater to music, which is different to see but more focused to amusing children. There is a place to get food there. Parking at the lot was $10 and there were 8 spaces open when I got there... You may have to use another lot but it's a walkable area.

My husband and I loved this place! I am a huge sucker for aquariums and always have to go check out aquariums whatever state we go to. We recommend getting the 7+ attractions tickets for a try at 7 other Ripley's attraction worth e wry penny!

So i live in new orleans. I have been to the aquarium there dozens and dozens of times over and there are a bunch of things here i think they do better. I love our aquarium in new orleans dont get me wrong, but this seems to be a little better.

The penguins are fun to see! Expensive tickets and have to pay for parking. Both Ripleys Aquarius just give off eh vibes. You will have a good time but won't be blown away.

It was 102 degrees the day we went, so five stars for air conditioning. The aquarium was ok, but nothing special.

What an outstanding aquarium to visit with your family! This is a must when you're in Gatlinburg. This exceeded my expectations and was a pleasant surprise.

Very nicely decorated. Good amount of wildlife and attractions. The kids area needs more seating for the adults. Lastly at the ticket booth they charge adult price for a 12 year old yet the play area allows 12 year olds to play. Either make the child age requirement a maximum of 12 like most places or treat 12 year olds like adults. Shame on you for that.

Amazing fish were nice I've touched 2 things I have never touched a jellyfish and a stingray shark lagoon was fun glass boat ride was nice no food for stingray though but would advise gping

Incredible aquarium!!! So much to see and do! Plenty of activities for adults and children. A must see aquarium without a doubt.

First of all, I just wanna say the amount of wildlife in the aquarium was very impressive. I was shocked at all the different kinds of fish and animals from around the world! if you ever Gatlinburg Tennessee, this is a fun place to go!

We came in the afternoon and were glad we did as it wasn't as crowded....but we quickly learned that also meant some of the cool stuff was already over like the penguin parade. This aquarium is a good size with a main focus on sharks, penguins and stingrays. The other exhibits are fairly small. I liked that the exhibits were spaced out and they do shows throughout the day. We were able to experience the feeding of fish at the coral reef and also feeding the sting rays. Both were pretty cool! They apparently usually have an exhibit where you can pet a jellyfish but it was closed the day we were there....which was sad because we were excited about that, we've never seen something like that! Overall we spent a bit over 2 hours here and enjoyed it. The price is a bit steep...

Signage regarding wagon strollers not being permitted inside is not indicated very well. Honestly, the accessibility to the aquarium is so difficult I should have assumed they weren't welcome! The aquarium itself was nice. The underwater tunnel was a highlight. My 3.5 yr old loved the midpoint playplace. Would recommend

So far this is my favorite place in Gatlinburg, and in the top ten of aquariums we've been to! Need something to do with the family while in Gatlinburg? Maybe it's raining outside? I whole heartedly will recommend the aquarium. Here's some things to be aware of: -bring socks for your kids so they can play in the huge children's jungle gym -make sure you check what time the "shows" are. They do a penguin parade in the morning, and sting ray diving shows at various other times. -you will need at least two hours to get through the aquarium, plan accordingly! -the food costs at their little food court is decently priced for a tourist attraction and I recommend eating there while watching the sting rays! Lastly, they give discounts for certain things which help with the costs, so it never hurts to ask!

If you're looking for something amazing to do in Gatlinburg im this is a place you can add to your bookmarks, I was so happy we went! Our hotel recommended coming here for the kids and even got us coupons to go so we said okay. Walked down the strip got there right when it started raining. Walked up to the counter to purchase our tickets from a lady the really wasn't in the mood to deal with anyone. I tried to make small talk and she wanted nothing to do with me so I paid and walked inside.(which is why it's not five stars) The next girl was nicer to deal with checking our tickets and telling us where the closest bathroom was. Right from the beginning this place had us in a wonderland of things to look at before the aquarium the kids area was huge! There were so many tanks full of beautiful aquatics eels, jellyfish, sharks, crabs and of course FISH! My favorite part was walking through the tank seeing all the beautiful sea creatures and sharks swim by us was awesome! I highly recommend stopping here on your trip.

This attraction has been updated every time I visit (which is once every couple of years). There are always new things to see but the conveyer belt underneath the fish is always the best!

We had an amazing time at this Aquarium. Lots of great fish to look at and enjoy. The shark tunnel was a really cool experience. We also enjoyed the penguins and seeing all of their names that were on bands around their wings. Lastly, my wife had an absolute blast being able to touch the stingrays. Overall we had a wonderful time. On top of it all parking was easy and very cheap.

Not family friendly, at all. They told us we couldn't bring our wagon inside (which we use in busy places for safety reasons) and cherry picked which wagons and strollers were allowed. We saw another wagon just like ours in use inside throughout our visit. So, why let some and not others? We weren't the only ones they sent out. They sent out some people who had tiny strollers and let others in with bigger strollers. It really made no sense. We were not able to enjoy our visit as much because of this. They also expect you to park your wagon out where it could possibly be stolen! There were wayyyy too many people inside the aquarium. There were times we could barley move and people bumping into each other just because it was so crowded. This place needs a major policy revamp. Maybe try limiting the amount of people in at one time? The Chattanooga aquarium does this and we've never had a problem there. Then you wouldn't feel the need to compromise on the safety of your youngest guests (and main customer base btw) by not allowing strollers or wagons. We love Gatlinburg and love visiting the area--just won't be back to the Ripleys aquarium unless I've heard they've changed some of their policies.

By far one of the best (for the price) aquariums I've been to! Sometimes 40 dollars only gets you a quick loop around but this has an underwater tunnel that you'll be wanting to run through again and again. Take your kids!!

This place has so many wonderful aquatic animals presented in a real nice up close manner. The entire family had so much fun walking through this attraction. Parking garage is close and $10. I would recommend for a nice few hours.

It was every busy when we went, The coolest thing was they hd a flat escalator that brought under the ocean so you can see all the big sharks and stuff from underneath!!

This was easily one of my favorite things to do when I was in TN. My friends and I are from Chicago, so we have a cool aquarium here, but then we went to the smokies. I really enjoyed my time here at the aquarium. We visited every exhibit, took a ton of pictures! We get to touch some stingrays, some jellyfishes! It was such a cool experience and I had never touched a jellyfish before, but that was such a cool experience! Jellyfishes are so soft and it's like touching a soft pillow. It was roughly $40 a person and I took so much pictures that I ran out of storage. My favorite exhibit of the whole aquarium was where we got to go under and there's a ramp that takes you around playing canon in d. It was such an experience that we went back a few times to listen to the song and enjoy our moments there. We got to see a mermaid show, penguins up close and this was easily the most interactive aquarium I've been to. It felt like a playground in here and I wish I could post all my few hundred photos onto Yelp' At the end, we bout some fish to feed to stingrays. I've never had the opportunity to feed one before and coming to this aquarium gave me an opportunity unlike any other. I wish I lived in TN so I can visit this aquarium more often. It's so soothing and relaxing and I had such an amazing time. I can't wait to come back and explore the aquarium more times! 11/10, super interactive exhibits! Music is amazing and vibes are really calm. Thank you for having us, TN! It was such a pleasure being apart of this journey!