Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies Reviews

I was skeptical of this place but we had so much fun even with how busy it was. I mean tons of ppl but we still managed to see it all. The underground aquarium is cool experience. They have a huge play place in the middle for kids to run around too. I’d definitely check it out as one of the things to do in Gatlinburg.

If anyone sees the review of a woman that says "this is the worst aquarium ive ever been to", after her husband shoved a worker acting as a shield to the penguins that told him to not walk while the penguins were walking through, dont listen to her. They were in the wrong. Ive been in that position myself as a former zookeeper. Also Rilpeys Aquarium, DO NOT refund them if they ask. Don't enable people like them.

This aquarium was one of the best I’ve been too! So many animals and cool things to look at!! Highly recommend for little kids too

It was an okay place. The Georgia aquarium is much better size wise and experience. But the kids enjoyed themselves and that’s what matters.

This was a very nice aquarium. The underwater tube u get to go through was so neat and the sharks are intense. It's not super big but definitely fun

Pretty awesome. I liked seeing the sharks swim above me. The kids reallly enjoyed seeing all of the different sharks and fish. The little ones loved the mermaid show.

Affordable aquarium. Nice set-up. Quick to get in and easy toove around. Not too big but not surprised by the size. Lots of sharks and sting rays. Best part was the moving belt to take you under the whole tank which was really big. We really enjoys our experience there. Nice big souvenir shop on the way out too.

Not a good option if you don’t have kids and have been to an aquarium before. Lots of sharks, dark, small. We have been to Gatlinburg many times and had not been so we thought we would try it. Disappointing!

We took our 2 yo to the aquarium on a last minute trip to Gatlinburg. The aquarium is nice & kept our 2 yo interest. I wanted to get our tickets online so we didn’t have to stand in line but couldn’t get them with the AAA discount online. I think the penguins were our favorite part overall!

Great aquarium. It is broken into two sections, river and ocean. The river side was a solid 5. Its the best aquarium I have ever been to. The ocean side was a major let down, perhaps a 2 star.

The aquarium was very beautiful, although I thought it was over-priced compared to other Ripley's Aquariums we have visited. But, we enjoyed it and so did our 3 year old kid. Spent like 1 1/2 hour. We went late in the afternoon so we missed the penguin parade (suggest you plan accordingly or call before going to ensure you won't miss activities).

It surprises me that there is very little seating available for the mermaid show. It is such a popular event at this aquarium. What does the fire marshal have to say about the huge number of people crammed into one room who are squeezed together and sitting on the floor? Limit the numbers? Timed tickets? Add more seats? Also, the dining area offers no meaningful meal options for those who have food allergies. Some of the displays have a dated look and could use some modernization.

Great little aquarium. They have a moving walkway for a large portion of the tank viewing which helps keep people moving. The penguins were my favorite! It was very crowded but that is the reality of Gatlinburg attractions. Parking in the parking garage was easy-thankfully it wasn’t full when we got there. The gift store has a huge assortment of merchandise.

We did the overnight sleepover with the Sharks! We got a behind the scenes tour. We got to touch a jellyfish, iguana, shark and a penguin. Our overnight host was amazing. I believe her name was Faith. She brought out Moana the penguin and we had so much fun. We got to explore the whole aquarium before bedtime in the shark tunnel.

My son and I visited in late July, and we both enjoyed this aquarium. We bought a plus 2 combo ticket (mountain coaster and ripleys odditorium). It was well worth it. The aquarium itself was interesting. If you can, be there at 1:15 for the penguin parade. The variety of animals it great, including a few I have never seen before. My son (13) enjoyed the penguins the most. It definitely is worth your time.

I saw fish I never knew it existed. Beautiful corals, Dragon fish, and seahorses. Can't wait to return someday.

He loved the fish,seahorses, stingrays, but his favorite was the sharks and penguins. One of the penguins came right up to the glass and was looking at him, this made him very happy.

The aquarium was amazing. Well
worth the money! We spent about 2.5 hours in there tons of fish! Very interactive and entertaining. There is 2.00 per hour parking on the street behind the aquarium a couple blocks down. If you had kids it’s a must!

The aquarium brings you through different habitats with a great variety of fish. Since this is Ripley’s, there is a large amount of fish from around the world, some of which you might not see at other aquariums. The tunnel under the shark tank was great. There was a large variety of sharks and other fish, with several sawfish swimming around. I don’t remember if I ever saw one before. In fact, a nice surprise was one resting directly overhead on the clear tunnel. What a treat to see such a unique fish up close like that. This aquarium is well worth a trip, especially if you have children or grandchildren.

Ripley’s Aquarium offers a surprisingly rich experience, especially for a mountain town setting. The underwater tunnel and penguin exhibit are standout features, and the layout makes it easy to navigate even with kids. Educational signage and interactive zones add value without overwhelming. It can get crowded, especially near the entrance, but staff help manage flow. Pricing is a bit steep, but the quality and variety justify the visit.

Nice activity to do. With 2 people we spent about 2 hours inside taking our time! The place is clean and they have a good diversity of animals and programs. Didn't try the food court. Gift shop has lots of cool items.

We really enjoyed this aquarium. Even my FIL, who says he isn't an aquarium guy, enjoyed seeing the variety. My husband, who is an aquarium guy, hasn't stopped talking about the shark tunnel. My kids also loved it, and the different types of sea life and exhibits kept their attention well.

The only thing I would improve on is the way scheduling works for the glass bottom boats. It's at the end of the aquarium, so there's nothing left to really do if you want to wait for the scheduled time. When we got to that point, the wait was 80 mins....with nothing to do, so we didn't wait, much to the disappointment of my 9 y/o.

Loved the great presentation of the fish! Lots for little kids to do! Only saw one sea turtle that hid! High priced! Have been there twice now! Great store!

We love this aquarium.
Plenty to see and explore for both young and old.
We especially like the tunnel where the fish swim over your head.
Penguins are pretty cool too with a capsule for viewing in their habitat.
There is also a spot where you can purchase food for the stingrays and feed them and my daughter enjoyed that immensely.

If you put a visit to Ripley's Aquarium on your list of things to do while visiting Gatlinburg, you will not be disappointed. We loved the animal encounters and being able to interact with them. Seeing the sharks was very cool. The walk-through aquarium did not disappoint. As you walk through, it's as if you experience the Bible,
Genesis 1:21 come to life. The staff was friendly and very knowledgeable and had a healthy respect for the sea creatures. We highly recommend Ripley's Aquarium.

A great aquarium with all of the variety of creatures you’d hope to see, although I didn’t spot any turtles. Awesome playplace for kids. Very expensive, though.

Such a great experience! I went with my family and we had a wonderful time! Great for young and old! Staff was accommodating with my older grandmother and it made our visit even better!

What an amazing place and breathtaking adventure. So many things to see and so many to explore in this place. Staff who operate this attraction very friendly and eager to please. Although a little pricey unless you purchase from Groupon or get some of the hotel discount books; but we had a great time

This aquarium was very good, one of the better ones I’ve experienced. It was very pricey though, about $40 per person. To me it was worth that amount of money, we were only there for about 30-45 minutes

We love this aquarium! We have loved this aquarium since our kids were little. We always have loved looking for the turtle. This trip we loved the penguins. They were so cute and we loved the penguin parade. We usually go early so we can find parking and the aquarium isn’t to crowded then you can leave to do something else and come back later in the day. We love the tank with the rays. It’s very peaceful. One of our must see places in gatlenburg.

This is a beautiful aquarium with lots of exhibits and marine life. The children's areas are spaced just right to provide a break for kiddoes! We enjoyed this family adventure very much!

This is the best establishment I have every visited. Absolutely exquisite. I stepped through the door and was immediately taken aback at the sheer excellence that radiated from the staff members who rushed around empty handed. We were served very quickly which is what I like. I never like to enjoy my meals I just inhale them. This was the best meal I have ever had. The fish was a bit raw and some of the visitors looked at me weirdly when I reached into the tank but it was self serve so I don’t know what the problem was. All in all the best place I have ever been.

We liked the aquarium. It was surprisingly good which we didn’t expect. We bought the add-on tickets that got us in to the Believe it or Not, the mini golf, the coaster and the go carts in Pigeon Forge. Great choice saved us a lot.

One of the best aquariums we’ve been to. We loved the bubbles in the exhibits to take cool photos and see up and close. The penguin experience was neat and we loved our time there! Wish we would have came back later in the day but were busy!

My husband and I went later in the day, around 7:30 PM and enjoyed a less busy crowd. Staff is very friendly and helpful and my husband who is a veteran got a discount for his admission. Great variety of animals and activities even later in the day Interactive things to do even for adults. Very much enjoyed!

An aquarium in the mountains! You’ll forget where you are. A magical place with a wide variety of sea creatures. See the sharks and fish from above and below! $40 per adult, $10 for parking. We thought it was well worth it. Took us just over an hour, but we walk fast and don’t get lost.

great entertainment for the entire family. Lots of exhibits and varied species. Adults and children enjoyed the experience

It was an amazing to see so many sea creatures in one huge aquarium. Some colorful, some gigantic, some so tiny, and all wonderfully made by our Creator Jehovah. I saw young ones attempting to feed the stingray and sharks, but not me. I just looked in awe.

Extremely DISAPPOINTED. Not sure how this location is rated #1 in the US. The aquariums in NC are much better and nowhere near as expensive. The glass bottom boat was fun and informative.

This was a decent aquarium and a nice activity for an afternoon. We visited with 8 adults and 3 children under 2yr. It took us about 1.5 hours to get through most of the exhibits. We were there on a Wednesday around 2:30pm and it felt crowded but we were still able to see everything we wanted. There was a good variety of creatures to see as well. The shark tunnel was very long which was my favorite part. There were several interactive things along the way that would have been fun for some older kids. The 2yr old in our group was a little scared at first because a lot of the areas are pretty dark, but he warmed up to it all by the end. I’ve visited the National Aquarium in Baltimore and the Atlanta Aquarium and this one didn’t “wow” us as much as those. But we still enjoyed our time there!

My recommendation for this is to bring.your kids and have them spend hours playing at the playground inside, it looked amazing. The aquarium itself doesn't take very long to go through. If you choose to park behind the aquarium its $10. And food prices inside are atrocious. $5 for a small fountain drink and $4.50 for cold popcorn.

Out of the several aquariums that we have visited as a family this was the worse. Lines to get in were awful. Once inside they have a Photo Booth set up in the main hallway which then had people packed and backed up just to get to the first exhibit. The aquarium had a very fishy smell and before you say anything I’ve been to several others that did not have such a strong smell. Additionally the exit signage was awful and in a true emergency I could not imagine the confusion that would happen. The only way to exit when we went was thru a packed gift shop. That is unacceptable when you have strollers and older grandparents with you. Even though some of the exhibits were nice it doesn’t make up for the other things. I don’t recommend.

Lots to see. Worth the cost. Our favorites were the sharks, penguins and spider crabs. The kids loved it!

Very cool views of aquatic life in various settings. The fish feeding show was awesome. I expected more from the penguin display, but everything else was so good that it didn't seem like a huge deal. I also enjoyed the interesting factoids about Ripley himself. On the down side, the admission fee is a bit pricey, and there were no coupons.

We visited with our daughter and son-in-law. The aquarium was a wonderful place to spend the morning. We also paid extra for the penguin encounter which is a beautiful memory. The penguin was treated very respectfully by her carers.

Excellent use of lighting and space to house and display aquatic life! Best visited during the evening for the aesthetic value. Friendly locals and employees that positively shaped the overall experience.

We are used to Pacific Ocean aquatic life so it was fun to see the difference in the two ocean inhabitants. The boat tour was fun to get a little closer to those invasive creatures that don't like to stay close to the walk ways. The off season is a plus to avoid large amounts of people.

We had a great time on a rainy morning during the hurricane. This is an excellent aquarium. The walk through (which has a moving belt walkway) tank is spectacular with 12'sharks, huge rays, and lots of fish. We watched divers cleaning the tank with a "guard" diver redirecting the huge sharks away from the other divers. The penguins are fun and the tank displays are beautifully done. The videos with information on the various species are very well done.

We always love Ripley’s! The penguins and sharks are our favorite! We hear there’s some awesome adult oriented events happening soon. We plan to attend! Love that the aquarium integrates old and young alike!

Check out the awesome penguins! They have an open colony habitat that children can crawl into. Surrounded by informational posters, you can watch the penguins March around the facility and even pet them. Purchase penguin-made art at the huge gift store.

Did not have much to offer for $130 (for two adults and two children) and the electric eel was dead in its tank on display. The shark tank was pretty cool- but aside from that, I’d say don’t waste your money.

If you are in the area, and looking for a way to spend a couple of hours or more depending on who you go with, this is a really neat little Aquarium if you are into aquatic life and / or haven't been to an aquarium in a while. Most navigation paths were pretty convenient, but some areas were a bit crowded near the front where there weren't as many rooms or ways to go around. I thought the tunnel part was pretty cool, and the penguins at the end were a great touch! I'd definitely come back again.

The aquarium itself is amazing and well laid out. However, the experiences are lacking: The jellyfish were on break our entire visit, we tried 4 different times. The stingrays are hard to reach and do not come to the side very often like other touch pools I’ve experienced. The Penguin Encounter is not worth the extra $50. You sit in a room for 30 minutes and the penguin is in a large acrylic box. You go around to touch the penguin 2x and get a photo taken with the penguin a foot or two away from you.
I feel very misled by the description, other online reviews and the high cost of the program. Total extra $250 for us. Definitely not necessary.
1 star for experiences, 5 stars for the aquarium on its own averaging to a 3 star review.

We had a wonderful time here. The exhibits were amazing and the time we spent there was well worth it. I loved the moving walkway that goes under the sharks and bigger fish. The sawfish were awesome too. MY wife and daughter both thought it was awesome to touch a jelly fish and a sting ray. It is a little pricey but that is what you come to expect in an area like this and it was in now way unacceptable priced. You pay a premium when you are in touristy areas and I don't regret it. Take your family. Any age will love this place.

was a very nice tour, lots to see, but i think it was only worth about half the cost or at least 2/3's

This was such an exciting & amazing aquarium from all the sights to all the fish you can’t go wrong visiting here especially with young children (toddlers). They have so many amazing fish & the ways you can view the fish along with the huge jungle gym for the kids to play on & some food places inside you can’t go wrong. Plus the penguin area is so cute for small kids so they can view animals in different ways for their eye level. So amazing & very beautiful.

Over priced at 33.00 a head. I am sure it is costly to run the aquarium but I felt it was too costly. If they lowered the price more families would probably visit.

This was such a good experience for all ages. We had family with a teenager, a family with a 3 yr, 12 yr and grandparents. Loved walking through the tunnel where we could see the animals all around us.

They had a sign outside that said #1 rated aquarium but I'm positive it was put up there as a joke. For what you pay to get in, it is way over priced. Its very dark in there, and kids are running all over the place at breakneck speed. While the exhibits are just ok, there is no show stoppers for anyone to see, unless you've never been in an aquarium. There is a huge playground in the middle of all of it. They have a glass bottom boat tour, avoid that and save your money. Its nothing more then a glass bottom boat with a guy telling you what you're looking at, and the boat being pulled by a girl pulling ropes. The whole aquarium is definitely not for adults, unless you have small children.

Great aquarium! Being a family that goes to a lot of aquariums this has to be one of the best ones. Very scenic views around aquarium and amazing looking building.

This place is very crowded in December and does not have a parking lot so plan to go early in the morning. The exhibits are very cool. We missed the penguin parade which we were sad about so check the time for that before you go. They only do it once a day. They have plenty to see and some unique species.

Nice place but kind of pricey. $40.00 per person is kind of expensive. I have been to other aquariums that are just as good but less expensive. The coolest thing about the aquarium experience was the moving sidewalk through the shark tunnel. It is fascinating how the sidewalk will go around corners. Cool!!!

Ripley Aquarium was good for where it was located. Being a fan of Atlantas Aquarium I went in thinking this would be not so interesting but I actually enjoyed it. From the shark area to the huge catfish and the cute little penguins this place has fun things for all ages. The restrooms was clean and the staff are very polite. I would say they should food choices should be a little better but guess you work with what you got.

This is just an average aquarium. I had a discount ticket so it only cost me a $1 to get in. It could get very pricey if you were bringing your entire family. I went right when it opened on a Wednesday and it was not crowded at all. The walk through tunnel with the sharks and the penguin exhibit is where I spent most of my time. I spent about 45 minutes for my visit and saw everything. I did not do the boat ride. The boat ride was an extra cost and you would see the same thing as the walk through tunnel, just view it from above looking down.

We did the glass bottom boat ride and had a wonderful experience overall.
The staff are very Friendly and knowledgeable.

My husband and I love zoos and aquariums. Ripley's Aquarium was one of the neatest experiences. We went on a Friday night, and the aquarium was open until 11pm, so all the nocturnal animals were so active, and the place was practically empty when we went at 9pm. The ticket is good for all day entry and re-entry. So I ended up there 3 different times during the day.

They also had one of my favorite animals, the Mantis Shrimp, who gave us an awesome show. Seeing it move around and look at us was a huge highlight of the whole trip. The Penguin Parade is a MUST-SEE! If you have the chance to watch them waddle by, don't miss it! The exhibits all had amazing atmospheric lighting that accented the animals and was sensory friendly for me.

I am so appreciative for all the TVs that had an ASL interpreter signing to relay information. There was one at the Shark Lagoon entrance, the Moon Jelly touch experience, and a few others. I love how inclusive that feature was, as someone with hearing difficulties, it made my day.

There were a lot of hand sanitizer stations. and the facility was impressively clean for how many people pack in there during the day.

The staff was very knowledgeable and friendly. We ended up talking for a long time to a staff member who told us a lot of really neat shark facts. Every employee was approachable and helpful.

Heads up, you will go the Ripley's Aquarium and never want to leave!

It was so amazing. Everything was clean, and the animals were wonderful and unique. The staff was helpful and friendly.

Ripley’s Aquarium never disappoints! Our family has been numerous times and each visit it’s as fun as the first. The colors are vibrant and the music soothing. The homeschool discount offered is especially appreciated. The location is easily accessible by walking from numerous parking garages and places around town. I’m sure we’ll be returning again and again.

Me and my boyfriend went here during our vacation. We had some time to kill, and this was so much fun. I really enjoyed getting to see the penguins!

Website showed seniors 62+ was $5 off. They said at the gate it is now 65. There is no Veteran discount as you must be active duty to get $1 off. Lady taking money was rude. Aquarium itself was good as all exhibits were well done. I was surprised they charged so much tax on an admission ticket. Most likely will not go again, as it was not worth the money, but our granddaughter really enjoyed it, so in that aspect, it may have been worth it.

This is the best aquarium ever and a Great place to visit! The whole family enjoyed it. We will definitely visit again. Can’t wait to head back to there.

I have previously visited Ripleys, though it was some time ago now. Unfortunately, the Aquarium seems fairly run down and is over priced for the experience. Exhibit glass was not clean and there seems to have been little update to exhibits (except the penguins). A big chunk of the Aquarium was a McDonalds style play pen for kids.... which made no sense. The gift shop was wildly overpriced. On the positive, the animals seemed to be well taken care of.

Whatever you do, do not go on the weekend if it can be avoided. It was so over-packed with kids we couldn't spend more than a scant few minutes at any exhibit without being crowded in by unsupervised kids.

What more can I say that hasn't been said by others already? This place is awesome! My wife really enjoyed the many different jellyfish and she discovered a new seahorse she had never seen before.

This is a nice little aquarium. It was fun for adults and there was a lot of things especially for kids.

Absolutely not worth the price of admission. We completed the whole building in under two hours. The boat tour only lasted maybe 5 minutes. My youngest (9) loved it though. Everyone else was horribly disappointed.

Our toddler loved it here. It is very interactive- you can crawl underneath the penguin exhibit then pop up surrounded by penguins (with plastic around you) so you can see the penguins up close. The exhibits are at toddler height so they can see everything. Was one of the best things we did all week!

As a adult, this place makes you feel like a kid. Walking under the aquarium and watching the fish swim over and around you is unbelievable.

We visited late in the afternoon which was good because it was not overly crowded. The Aquarium was enjoyable with plenty to see. Our favorite was the shark walk through. There was a slow moving walkway that went all through the tanks. Sharks as well as sawfish and a giant turtle were all visible and came right up to the class. The aquarium is not huge but a good size with many different things to see and read about. It was an enjoyable few hours. We did also walk across and see the dragon exhibit, but honestly it was not very good and could have been done much better. we would recommend the Aquarium and will come back a gain.

This is a small, but clean and well-maintained aquarium with a good selection of fish and ocean creatures. I enjoyed my time here. HINT: Get here when they open. You'll have unobstructed views of the tanks that way. HINT: Ripley offers a multi-attraction pass which I highly recommend. This is a cost saving way of seeing many things at a reduced rate.

This is one experience not to be missed, perfect for anyone to enjoy, especially families with children. It is a perfect size, not too big to become repetitious yet not too small, either. One of the highlights is the glass tunnel under the sharks and manta rayes enclosure, as they swim freely right above one's head. Wonderful photo opportunities! Another unexpected suprise was the attendants walking down penguins to their enclosure, the penguins being so curious about the people lined up along the wall and coming right to our feet to check us out! Another priceless photo op! We highly recommend this attraction to anyone, any age.

This was the first time visiting the aquarium. We were very impressed with the variety of sea life and enjoyed the learning experience. The number of sharks and large animals viewed through the tunnel was quite impressive. We also enjoyed the sting ray experience.

Pleasantly surprised that this aquarium had such beautiful displays for their sea animals. It was set up well and seemed, though it was crowded, that everyone was able to see everything and walk through comfortably. Highly recommend!

One of the longest underwater tunnels I’ve been to. Information on fish was simple and a quick read. Geared toward children so if you are a couple and want a calm day at the aquarium consider a later time to avoid the amount of overstimulated and excited children. Time spent here was about 2 hours.

I love the Aquarium. The glass boat ride was very short, but our guide was knowledgeable and gave us lots of interesting facts about the fish there. The shark tunnel is possibly my favorite part. Definitely recommend visiting!

This aquarium is the best. Took grand kids and they had a blast! Something new since last time we went there is a live penguin show.

It was good, but not sure it was worth the price. The under water tunnel was nice, but kind of odd it was on a conveyor belt-almost like you couldn’t stop to watch things.

There was so much to see and even a play area for the kids! We spent a few hours at the aquarium, and especially liked the tunnel portion!

This was a really large aquarium , my kids loved the sharks. It was a lot of fun. It took us a little over an hour to tour but the kids run through it. I would highly recommend doing this!

I took my daughter and my wife . They had never been to Tennessee before . My daughter absolutely loved it!! Will definitely be back again in the near future. Highly recommend this to anyone visiting Gatlinburg Tennessee!
They do offer Military discount and first responders discount and law enforcement discount $6.00 off . Kids 2 and under are free.

Very overpriced for an underwhelming aquarium.... It's okay for little kids... Been to better aquariums for cheaper. Total tourist trap.

Ripley’s aquarium
June 8, 2023- Thursday
Vast amount of sea creatures to see. What we enjoyed the most was the “Penguin “ parade.
One of the penguin named “Benny” had a tantrum and tried to bite his person, so he got a time-out; he stayed inside a clear basket 🧺. He didn’t want to walk around
He just wanted to play the hair tie and a small ball. 😂
Overall we enjoyed our visit .
Souvenir pictures cost - depending of your choosing. We paid $52 for 2 prints with the nice picture frame

Always a blast when it's just me and the hubby or the whole family is there. I love getting to see all of the animals!

Heard a lot about this aquarium before our visit, so we put it on our to-do list. Maybe we're spoiled being from Pittsburgh where we have a great zoo and aquarium, and an aviary with a very similar penguin exhibit, but we were not that impressed. Don't get me wrong, it's a nice aquarium. Seems geared more toward young kids (large play area in the middle of the building). We went on a Sunday afternoon and it was crowded, people all over you as you try to enjoy the exhibits. The moving walkway should have been more enjoyable, its a really nice idea and area of the aquarium, but not with constant pressure to move along. Gift shop was total chaos, the last thing I wanted to do at that point was navigate a sea of toys and people just to get out the door. Bottom line, if you live in an area with a decent zoo or aquarium you can probably skip this.

It was a little overcrowded for the space. There were some interesting exhibits but hard to enjoy shoulder to shoulder with other patrons. Families with small children probably enjoy this venue more with the giant play area in the center of the complex.

We went to the Aquarium. this past weekend (2/2023). It was a lot of fun. Going through the tunnel and seeing all the sharks was so awesome!

This was our second visit to the aquarium (the first being over 12 years ago). It is a beautiful, clean, long winding aquarium. It was about $40 to enter per adult. We spent a good three hours at the aquarium and enjoyed the cool air conditioning which was a nice break from the July heat. There's plenty for younger kids, teens, and adults to explore. It was somewhat crowded, but nothing terrible.

It was super busy but SOO much fun. They did a penguin walk around the aquarium and we got to feed the stingrays. One of my favorite memories from visiting Gatlinburg ❣

This aquarium is on the smaller side and because of its size the price is fairly high. It had everything I expected but nothing out of the ordinary.
This was a very nice aquarium. The tunnel was definitely a highlight. The penguins are always a joy.
It was fun to do with kids while in the area but I wouldn't make a special trip for it.

My family and I just got back from there. We had a wonderful time because we got to enjoy the animals that the Aquarium has to offer. You also can stop along the way and take some pictures of the animals and also with your family too. There is some parts of the Aquarium that you can take your kids and play at the the little play area that they have for a little bit. There is all kinds of animals that you get to see while you are here. Also along the way at some point you get to stop and touch a jelly fish which was really cool. Now at the end of the Aquarium you get to go to the gift shop and pick out some really cool gifts to take home from your trip.

This aquarium never disappoints - friendly customer service, great displays, love the ocean realm especially the Shark Lagoon from the tube system (glidepath) below their water tanks - awesome view!! The best thing we saw was the penguins, especially the penguin parade that takes place a couple times a day - really neat to see!! The aquarium is well worth the money, if your trying to decide on something to do in Gatlinburg and this is on your list of things to do - move it to the top, it is worth the money!!

We used to come every year and it was great. In the last couple of years it’s really went downhill. Not family friendly at all. Aquariums are usually catered to kids but not this one. Also it’s so dark throughout the entire thing, my kids were tripping and falling. No wagons allowed and I can’t fit my kids in regular strollers so they had to walk for three hours. Meltdowns started an hour in. Save the $300 and do something your kids will enjoy, or come here and spend $5 for a bottle of water that they won’t let you share with your child and fight through meltdowns for hours.

The aquarium is absolutely beautiful! We had a 3 year old up to 64 year old. We all had a blast touching jelly fish and sting rays! We also got to feed the sting rays which was so much fun! 10/10 recommend! You won’t be disappointed!

We really enjoyed our visit to the aquarium. The tunnel where the sharks are swimming above you is really cool. There is a small play area for kids which our child really loved. The Ripley attractions in Gatlinburg offer discounts to homeschool students which saved us a lot of money. So if you homeschool your children, check into this!

This is a great aquarium for families. We visited Sat morning Aug 9th. Price was a little high but the overall experience was great. There are discount coupons floating around so be sure to find them. The conveyor belt was our favorite part. You stood on the belt and the fish swam everywhere around us. Great time.

we've been to the aquarium several times but now that I'm a senior over 65 I thought they would give seniors a better discount than just a dollar off admission.

Great for kids and adults. Lots of interesting fish, snakes, and lizards. Penguins were also fun to watch.

Getting to see all of the beautiful marine life was amazing. Very fun place and also highly educational attraction to visit. I would recommend this attraction to both adults and kids. Well worth the trip and also a lot of other activities that kids would enjoy. Perfect day outing

My family and I visited the Ripleys aquarium Tuesday of this week and despite it being overcrowded, impossible to walk around, us being disappointed with the food options, and it being hard to find bathrooms…. On our way out through the gift shop a 6-8 yr old child (not part of our family) held a toy gun to my daughters head. When I moved the gun and pointed it to the floor the mother proceeded to yell at me as if I did something wrong and as if she agreed with her son pointing a gun directly at my 3 yr old daughters face. The mother then proceeded to purposely hip check me as she pushed past us attempting to find the checkout line. On top of that there was no staff to be found to help with the situation.

Selling toy guns to children is unacceptable - especially days after the Nashville shooting so close to your home. By Ripleys Aquarium selling these guns in their gift shop allowed for this situation to occur to my daughter and our family. This ruined our day and continues to upset me.

I am extremely disappointed and furious with the Ripleys aquarium and the gun situation occurred while attending the Ripley aquarium.

The aquarium is really nice. There are long underwater tunnels for viewing from below and plenty of topside and window areas to watch the action. At one point they had several penguins walking around with handlers. There’s also a touch pool for feeding and petting stingrays. It was super busy our day which made it real loud indoors. The glass bottom boat ride was not really worth it. We saw more people from inside the tunnels looking up at us than we did the sharks and fish. If you like sharks they had plenty and a huge sea turtle too. Overall lots of interesting animals of all types. Definitely recommended.

Best Aquarium we have been to. The moving walkway under the shark tank was so cool. Sharks and fish swimming all around and above you. They had a cute mermaid show too!!

live sharks !! live reptiles and walking penguins and much much more. the staff was very helpful helping us find where we was needing to go. So beautiful

Animals looked healthy and happy! My kids loved the tunnel and being able to look at all of the water around them. The dinosaur exhibit was my son's favorite.

This was the best aquarium we’ve have visited to date and we’ve visited at least 22 probably more. We take 1 trip a year as a family and it has to include an aquarium and we have even been to the national aquarium and I still feel this was better. Just because the fish and sharks were all so healthy and mature. They all were so well cared for and the experience was amazing as well! It was all things we had seen before but in a beautiful fun way! Worth the price and comparable to other places!

They have some really neat aquatic life here, the kind you wouldn’t find at a typical zoo, but it was just too crowded to really enjoy any of it. They should have a capacity limit. You stood shoulder to shoulder the whole time and couldn’t really move away from the crowd. And there was a good lay ground for the kids in the middle of it, but again too crowded. My son couldn’t move well in there and came out crying. And there was no where to watch him from because all tables and chairs were taken. It was just too much. I would only do this again if it was right when it first opened and there was really no one there yet.

We love the aquarium. Qw always make it a point to visit when we are in Gatlinburg. Our 11mth old really enjoyed it as well. The staff are always really nice & helpful. The aquarium is always so clean. We loved the penguin parade while we were there.

My family had a great time here and the price for 4 people was pretty reasonable. We seen so many beautiful underwater animals, we got to be one on one and touch different jellyfish and string rays. I also highly recommend the boat ride.

When in Gatlinburg one must Ripley. We skipped the other Ripley "tourist trap" attractions and opted for the aquarium. (A friend posted aquarium pics and it prompted me to book a Gatlinburg vacation.)
I was impressed with the aquarium and the exhibits. I do however have some questions about some of the smaller exhibits. Example the little fish that live in the sand and "grow" out of the sand...do they stay in that exhibit their entire life? Do they get to enjoy any other area? Why don't the sharks eat the sea turtle or the other fish? Why does that Grouper stay in the spot light? How do the different jellyfish glow and change colors? Is a changing color light in their tank? What about those GIANT crabs? Do they ever get to go anywhere else? Or do they just stay in that tube until they die?
I am happy I got to experience all these creatures but started to question their level of "life enjoyment" in their confined exhibit space.
Let's talk cost...I know they have a huge expense caring for the aquariums, feeding the creatures etc. That being said, with the number of people inside the aquarium, they could probable charge less per person.
I am happy we did this and got to experience things like the Penguin Walk and the Stingray feeding. My kids liked it too. I would recommend this but have no need for a second visit.

The kids and I loved this! We enjoyed the divers feeding the stingrays though we couldn’t really hear what the commentator was saying as he was explaining what the diver was doing. The tunnel under the shark tank was amazing!

This is a must for us each time we are in the mountains. Probably our favorite aquarium to visit due to all the different sights. We really liked the penguins (especially the naughty/nice list). We spent about 1.5 hours checking everything out. Parking was a little bit of a problem and we had to park a little bit off site. Even with crowds, you will get to see everything close.

We visited the aquarium between 6-8:30 pm on a Tuesday night.
We were able to take out time and see all the exhibits as many times as we wished to.
This is the best time to go due to LOW numbers of visitors.
We practically had the place to ourselves.
The penguins were so cute.
The aquarium has 1000s of fish to view as well as wonderfully written educational signs about the fish that are viewed.
We enjoyed this visit very much!

This would be a great attraction for families.

We had an extraordinary dinner tonight! Galbitang our favourite soup has been served well. Also, the mouthwatering wagyu rib eye! Many thanks to Geneva, Ivan and Chef Kenneth for giving an excellent service.

Been to this aauarium several times. Have always enjoyed it. I particularly like the people mover and their selection of fish, etc. Did not go this year though as we did other things.
It is well done.

Wonderful place to take the kids to get out of the weather and to learn about the ocean. The only drawback is that it becomes so crowded that people cannot enjoy looking at the fish without bumping into someone. Some of the staff seemed upset or out of control due to the large population at the aquarium and acted out their fustrations to the patrons. The majority of the staff were respectful to the patrons and seemed to enjoy their jobs. The only thing that I suggest is that the aquarium management check the amount of people in the museum and the weather outside to regulate the heat or air conditioning in the building. It was very hot and several patrons did not get the whole experience due to being miserable in the heat with long sleeves.

Have been to this aquarium many times- from painfully busy to nice spread of people with room to enjoy. There is a nice variety of things to see. The conveyor is genius for carrying people through part of the exhibit and prevention of crowding, pushing.

An excellent aquarium experience for the 5 adults in our party. Lots of unique fish on view and the walk thru shark tunnel was amazing. Friendly, knowledgeable staff available to answer questions. The penguin exhibit was fun. It was pricey however.

Super fun! Always updating their exhibits, doing dive shows & other fun things. Took lots of pictures would recommend!

Was a pretty decent aquarium. Had alot to look at but was disappointed that the conveyor to stand on in the tunnel wasn't working. Penguin area could use some attention. Great parking garage though if you planned on walking around for a bit

This is an outstanding aquarium - the passageway tracks were well planned and it never was overwhelmingly crowded, but honestly we were there not during school vacation. We were just a couple, no kids, but this is truly a wonderful place for children up to about 12 and then interesting for older children. So much for children to actually do -- at one point they can pop up in a live exhibit (separated from the sea life of course, but seems like they are part of it). The sea animals are amazing and deep sea divers are in some of the exhibits cleaning and that is nice to see. The layout and traffic of viewing was done beautifully and the penguins are too fun to describe -- some come right up to the glass and interact with viewers. I loved this place, and have been to several outstanding aquariums. In areas it was a bit commercial, but running something like this must cost a fortune, so honestly it wasn't intrusive and you can avoid all that. This was very memorable for us and, if you are a parent or grandparent in this area, definitely go!

Love this place for creating family memories! Booked the glass bottom boat ride and penguin painting. Took my 4 year old granddaughter, she loved it and still talks about Joe the penguin, months later. And everyone loved feeding the stingrays. And she even got a stingray tooth from one of the divers ❤️. Up close look at all the exhibits. The staff are all very friendly. I highly recommend it.

We came on a family trip to the aquarium and found a lot of unique species types at home at Ripleys! The sawtooth sharks, garden eels, and spider crabs were some of our favorites!

Very nice venue with a lot of different animals to view. Easy to spend a lot of time here and get a nice experience for the price. Loved the walkthrough aquarium tunnel. I wouldn't recommend getting the Ripley's package deals because the Aquarium really is the best Ripley's feature in Gatlinburg.

Let me start out by saying checkout the aquarium after 5pm! It was such a game changer. Less crowded, and you can take your time going through the aquarium. We love going every visit to the smokies.

Wonderful aquarium experience. The walk under the large tank was absolutely mesmerizing. Children and adults were in awe.

We enjoyed a quick visit through the aquarium, my opinion it is more for someone traveling with young children. We did go on a Monday and it was not overcrowded.

New policy banned stroller wagons.....had to take our stroller wagon back to the parking garage as we were stopped at the door and denied entry. Bad management and bad decision. Last trip for us to Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies

Love the shark tunnel ! It just keeps going and going. Bathrooms at the end of the day needed a lot of help. A perfect way to spend a rainy or cold day in this area.

It's a little bit pricey but we grouped other Ripley's activities with our tickets. We had a good time at the aquarium. It took us about 2 hours to complete the aquarium. We fed the stingrays and got on the glass bottom boat. They had a mermaid show which we enjoyed.

This is not the largest aquarium. It does not have any large mammals, but the shark tank and tunnel is really great! There is a moving floor and hammerheads and other sharks swim above. Nice!

It's been a while since I've been to an aquarium. They had cute SpongeBob Themes throughout the Aquarium which was cute. Definitely need to bring kids back next time!

My family loved this aquarium , so many fun things to do and see . Our kids loved the play ground and the tunnel mostly . They have a lot of sea animals I have not heard of or seen . It was a really great experience & so many memories we will cherish .

Stopped in on a Saturday. Skipped the line by purchasing online ahead. Went in when they first opened. Well kept aquarium just wish they could expand or do a remodel but it’s still very nice and clean.

This was the first Aquarium I ever visited as an adult. All others don't compare to this one. You are literally inches away from huge man-eating sharks. They do follow you as you are moved on a conveyer that takes you around twists and turns. I can't wait for the rest of my extended family to witness this. And my adult daughter got to touch her first sting ray in the ray pool. But the price could be a bit lower for my liking.

As a person from land locked Ohio, an aquarium is always a must visit when on vacation. Doubly so when the aquarium is touted as award winning. Usually, the ones claiming to be award winning must be winning the most lackluster aquarium award, but this place was really quite nice. My wife was really into the fact that you can touch a jelly fish and stingrays, plus the shark tunnel was far better than the one I grew up with at Sea World in Ohio. We enjoyed it as a child free couple, and all the in-laws and their kids enjoyed it too.

We are from Chicago where we have one of the largest aquariums in the world and loved it at this smaller TN facility.

First, we ended up at the aquarium after Anakeesta across the way was not as handicapped accessible as we needed. After a bad experience there we decided to try to “save the day” and go to the aquarium and it was a great choice.

Very friendly staff
ADA accessible. Ramps are not too steep. Can reach everything to experience it. Has facts in multiple languages.

Bathroom was large and clean
Smoke free environment but a bit humid and stinky from maybe the animals or water

Food and gift shop available.

Nice sitting area to watch sting ray tank.

AMAZING “people mover” moving walkway to experience an under tunnel/fish and sharks above head experience. It was helpful, unique and we not only made memories but learned things.

We will definitely be back to this attraction.

Brochure makes it look fabulous until you enter. Rude ticket sales staff. I’ve been to several aquariums and none have smelled as fishy as this one. Exhibits were nothing exciting at all. Would not recommend.

Have been to many aquariums in my lifetime. This was very nice. Not the best, but definitely good. Friendly people. Great displays. The moving walkway added a nice touch.

This is our favorite aquarium of the ones we have been to. Love the layout and staff is nice. Have been many times and will definitely be back again

The staff were kind and welcoming, which I truly appreciated—but the rest of the experience fell flat. The aquarium was darkly lit, making it difficult to enjoy many of the exhibits, and there was a lingering bad smell that made things uncomfortable. The much-advertised penguin parade was especially underwhelming, with just 3 or 4 penguins slowly waddling around—it felt more sad than entertaining.

This a great place for the entire family. The staff was excellent. There are many interesting exhibits an enjoyable place to visit.

It’s a nice aquarium and definitely great for children. Not huge but good for a rainy day activity. The penguin walk is cute and watching it is fun if you can set a good view.

Great experience our 1 year old really enjoyed it we will definitely come back out of the 3 aquariums we have been to this has the most!

Numerous well crafted exhibits.
Many "walk through" or overhead aquarium areas where you can really get great views.

We visited here with our 3 small children on a weekday. There were no crowds! We got to see the penguins walk around the aquarium at 1:15. My kids loved the play area and I loved that they could not get to the next level. Great selection of ocean fish. We had a great time here.

We purchased tickets the day before we went. We also purchased tickets for the Glass Bottom Boat adventure at the same time. Because the aquarium is one of the busiest attractions in Gatlinburg, this will eliminate standing in a ticket line and guarantee you get to do the Glass Bottom Boat.

The GB Boat was one of the better attractions at the aquarium. Because the GB Boat is a timed event, it is important to arrive ahead of time to be sure you're not late - traffic and parking in Gatlinburg can be time consuming. We had planned to make the GB Boat our first attraction in the aquarium, so we were pushing it time wise. The GB Boat has a limit of how many people go out and the view above the sharks is very good. There are large sharks, a large turtle, and a large sawfish that can be seen. You are given good information and able to ask questions, which our guide was pretty good at answering. As an FYI, one has to go through the gift shop to get back into a line that enters the aquarium - we were told to blend in.

Ripley's has galleries common in other aquariums, an area for kids to play, and a snack bar. A moving walkway takes you through and around a large tank with various life - one could also walk beside the walkway.

Again, the aquarium is a busy place with not a lot of room to spread out. Other than that, there are some neat things to see.

Would have been a 4 star except for the huge crowds. Again with all fairness it was during spring break. The layout and design of the displays was decent with an array of marine life.

The tunnel underneath was awesome and thought the conveyor that moved people throughout was functional. The glass throughout was dirty from all the touching. Unsure if that is cleaned nightly.
The penguin parade was a nice touch and gave the kids a interactive experience for no additional charge.

Value = I’ve been to better aquariums for less, however we did understand that everything in the area is inflated. If we went back the area, we probably would select something else to do.
Our time spent inside the aquarium was about 2 hrs. And that was waiting for about 20 mins for the parade.

There was an excellent variety of sealife (with very interesting details on each one)on display at this very well maintained and beautiful aquarium. However the entry tickets were definitely over priced. All in all worth visiting once.

Where do I even start !!! It's absolutely amazing here and my kids and family loved it !!!!! It's beautiful and there are so many different things to look at I recommend this place to the absolute fullest!

Fabulous. Collection of animals is extraordinary. Wonderful and helpful staff. Reasonably priced. Fun for all ages.

We had a great time, lots of fun!! My granddaughter was mesmerized by the mermaid show. She also enjoyed the interactive displays.

Great for little kids. We have a 3 and 5 year old. The tunnel and penguin exhibit were our highlights. They have a few interactive exhibits that kept their attention. Also an indoor playground.

Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies was an unforgettable experience for our entire family! We were especially amazed by the cuttlefish, sharks, and the enormous Giant Japanese spider crabs—there’s truly something incredible to see at every turn. The exhibits are beautifully designed and engaging for both kids and adults.

One of the most special parts of our visit was how it brought our family closer. Mommy, Grandma, and Grandpa shared their scuba diving memories with the kids, turning the experience into a fun, educational moment filled with storytelling and excitement. It was a joy to watch the generations connect over their love of the ocean.

We left with big smiles, fun photos, and great memories. This aquarium is a must-visit if you’re in the area—perfect for families looking to explore and be inspired!

Spending time and having fun with my husband at Ripley's Aquarium. See many different types of fish and live plants. We have decided we want to get a fish tank for our home. Thank you

Expected it to be cheesy but was a pretty solid aquarium.

Wall through the big tanks was nice. The conveyor along the tanks was interesting to keep you moving.
Kids enjoyed trying to touch the rays bit they weed unsuccessful. Touching jellies was closed however.
I wish there were more penguins.

Having quite a few decent aquariums in our backyard at home, I was shocked that this one was as impressive as it was. Ripleys did an incredible job of building a jaw-dropping aquarium here in Gatlinburg and even better was the variety of fishes available to view. The walkthrough tunnel is breathtaking, and I must say I enjoyed taking a good amount of time, stepped off of the moving track that runs through it, to observe. Also if you love penguins, this is one of the better exhibits to see them, and the keepers, when they do their presentations, are hilarious even for adults. Also be sure to stick around for the penguin parade, just be careful where you walk after they go through!

Totally worth the $$$! I was skeptical having been in plenty of tourist traps through the years but this was definitely worth the time and money. It's especially good for people with a wide range if ages - our teenager enjoyed it as much as our 8 year old. The best part is the shark tunnel! Don't miss this!

Fantastic was definitely informative on sea life. I felt like Aquaman. Lol Definitely learned a good bit, still couldn't talk to the fish. Lol

Loved the whole experience however the best deal is to get the package they offer if you do them individually it can be a bit pricy.

don’t understand all the “must do” comments in reference to this aquarium…it’s dark, dirty and feels very cramped…overpriced food and trinkets…$40 to look thru tanks? find something else to do in the great outdoors of the beautiful smokies!..

Nice assortment of animals to view just a little pricy. I like the tunnel under the water with the moving sidewalk.

Although this aquarium is still pretty awesome, it's age is really starting to show.

Lots of various sea life to enjoy!

Highly recommend! We live near Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo so we are often disappointed with other zoos/aquariums but not Ripleys! We loved everything about it and would go again!

The aquarium has a shuttle that can pick you up but they also offer paid parking. It was good size aquarium however there are certainly larger ones that have more space for animal exhibits. The shark tank with the moving walkway was neat however people were able to hit the emergency stop button which would shut off the automatic walkway while we were on it. They do offer food there but it’s mostly snacks. They had penguins which were adorable. we bought our tickets with the combo aquarium plus two other attractions which roughly made each ticket $27. I would definitely say it’s worth that and if you’re staying in town the combo is worth hitting other things (especially if you have little ones). The exhibits were nice and clean and overall we had a great time!

We love this place. The glass bottom boat was cool, but I think just as good as going in the tunnel watch the sharks and such. The boat ride guide does give you more info on the fish you see which was nice but not sure the fee measures the activity. We loved the tunnel and the rays. We did get to see them feed both. Watch the schedules so you can see all the extras they do. I like this place better than the Chattanooga one for sure. Lots to see and you're not walking in circles. Plus, they have the extra shows that help keep you moving

Wow. is all my grandson kept saying throughout the visit, and I have to agree. The aquarium is definitely deserving of the ratings here.

This Aquarium is beautiful, the tunnels where you can see the sharks are incredible, there are manta rays and you have the option of touching them, there are jellyfish, penguins, sharks, a great variety of fish, etc. At certain times there is a penguin show. I went as a couple and we had a lot of fun, if you visit with children they will surely love it!!! The place is not very big, but it is worth it.

I though this was the highpoint of the trip to the Smokies. There are many tanks with a wide verity of marine life. Our ticket was combined with other Ripley's venues so there was better value than a single venue. Highly recommended.

Visited on July10,2022. Crowds were terrible so many people you didn,t have room to walk(so much for Covid).Took my two granddaughters who are 3 & 6. They could not see the aquarium show for all the adults standing in front of them. They did get to see the mermaids and liked that. It's a good thing that there is a moving sidewalk so people can't just stand in front of you. We rode the glass bottom boat which goes over the shark tank so you get to see the same fish as those on the moving sidewalk. The girls wanted to feed the rays so we finally found someone to get food from. Walls on the rays habitat are so tall the an adult will have trouble reaching or feeding the rays. Never did find the penguins! Don't think we will be going back.

Well words can not express how much we loved this place.
It was very educational and we all learned a great deal about our oceans.

To start off - tickets are $40 per adult. That's a steep price tag and I was concerned my experience wouldn't match up to the cost. Thankfully, it did.

There are a couple of cool exhibits here - penguins and stingray among them. But this aquarium is built on the shark exhibit. You're placed on a conveyer belt that winds you under a large shark tank. It was an impressively long ride and there are several species to see. That was worth the cost for us. Your mileage may vary.

The aquarium has many exhibits that are interesting. It only took us about an hour to see all of it. There was a smell that was not very pleasant and also overall seemed pretty dirty. Some of the tanks were even hard to see into and looked like they needed cleaned. For $87 plus dollars for the 2 of us it does not seem like a very good value. If you want to ride on the "glass bottom boat" it is an extra $12.99. Although kids would really like this place it's very pricey.

Wonderful exhibits. Very clean. Friendly staff. Large variety of aquatic life. Interactive activities that the kids loved.

Great Aquarium my Grandson’s were so excited. And the way they wanted to learn more about the animals here. Was just amazing.

This was pretty expensive but they offer a great discount to veterans! It was a nice aquarium. It had a lot of fun things to do and my Grandson had a blast seeing it all. He also enjoyed the play area.

It was okay for an aquarium. Smells like fish thru the whole thing…have been to other aquarium where the smell was controlled better. They have a mermaid show which was amazing. Shark exhibit is pretty great.

It was a hot day and was a great stop for our family. We stayed about an hour. It was neat to weave all around the main tanks to see the sharks, saw fish, rays, etc. They also have a cool tunnel to crawl through and pop up in the penguin area! You have to look through plexiglass, but they are right there - my personal favorite part. There's a jungle gym area in the middle, which would be good for little kids. Great store, so check it out! Way better than the shops on the strip, in my opinion.

We were very impressed with the whole experience. The under water tunnel was cool. We saw alot of sharks and stingrays. The jelly fish changing color's were awesome! We would definitely recommend the Ripleys Aquarium!

Another activity for our A+ list. Our Granddaughters loved all the various pools and fish. We really like the long moving walkway than went around the aquarium
Would recommend.

The aquarium had a lot of exhibits to see. Underwater dome is a must do when you are at the aquarium. There is a big jungle gym for little kids. Good for all ages. We will definitely come back again.

This place was amazing. Everything seemed very well taken care of and the staff was very polite. I'd recommend a visit, however it is a family place so there are a lot of kids. If that isn't your cup of tea bring ear buds to help "drown" out their noise.

On the one day it rained, we decided to go across the street from our hotel and visit the Aquarium. We went, especially, to see the penquin walk which turned out to not be a big deal. About 4 or 5 penguins walk through an area and thats it. We did watch them playing in their playground and that was fun. It is a bit pricey for what they offer. Gift shop for kids offers many different penguins and all kinds of other things. Some of the explanations of the fish were in spanish and we didn't understand that. There was no english version of what we were seeing. It was interesting to see all the different kinds of fish and reptiles.

The moving shark tunnel is cool, but apart from that, this place is just like any other aquarium you’ve ever visited, except it’s 100x louder and 200x more crowded. This place is crammed full of people who act like they’ve never been to a museum or other cultural institution in their lives. They crowd the exhibits and push their gigantic baby strollers directly in front of the glass so that no one else can see anything. Grown adults act like undisciplined children and tap on the glass to purposely disturb the animals. There’s no staff around to prevent this type of behavior. People will push past you abruptly or yell at you to move because it’s so loud that no one can hear themselves think. There is ZERO crowd control, so it’s a free-for-all of rambunctious children and rude, uncultured adults. To make matters worse, the aquarium serves as the Transit Center for all city buses, so you have to fight crowds outside of the aquarium as well and argue with the same rude adults about who was at the bus stop first. Poorly behaved adults, poorly behaved children, poorly controlled crowds, poorly reviewed aquarium!

The aquarium itself was fine but the crowd was ridiculous. It really took away from the experience. I'd read that going after 3:00 was a good time with lighter crowds. If that's the case, I can't imagine what the "busy" times look like. There is a lot of cool stuff to see and the tunnel with the sharks is the best part. I'd like point out is when inside the tunnel everyone seems to want to get on the conveyor thing. If you haven't been, I'd suggest just walking through so you can stay in there as long as you want and go at your own pace to see everything.

The new play area in the middle of it all is a distraction. Your kids can also go in at one level and come out at another. This creates a safety issue. It also felt like a money grab selling snacks right there instead of just at the regular cafeteria area. Also they sell beer - WTF?! This is really a location for children IMO (as compared to other aquariums). Anything to get a dollar I guess. We will not be back.

Our 2 y/o grandson was amazed at the fish and sharks swimming above us as we went from one area to another. The parade of penguins at 1:15 p.m. was a sight to see.

The tunnel with the sharks and fish swimming above you is really cool, as is the penguin exhibit. You can get quite close to the penguins. We just happened to be there an hr before the penguin parade so we stuck around. Very glad we did bc it’s so cute to see them up close! The price however is a bit much considering these are really the only two good exhibits.

We have visited aquariums all around but this one really is one of the best ones. We've actually visit it every year. Out of all the aquariums we have been to, this one is our favorite.

This aquarium was 10x better than I had ever expected and honestly it’s better than some aquariums in major cities. Our favorite part was the moving walkway under the aquarium. We were there during feeding time but everyone was so well fed they didn’t rush or fight for food. They also do a penguin parade which was cute but very crowded.

Our girls signed up for the penguin painting and where told they could upgrade to the larger canvas and paid for the upgrade. Upon getting there to check in they were met with “ we need to talk” they were told that they just found out 5 minutes ago they were out of larger canvas. Well that was a lie, after a long discussion they finally got a manager and they were told the penguins couldn’t sustain the larger canvas. Well of course the animals health comes first , if they would have just said that from the start. Very upsetting they where lied to and that it took many times asking for a manager and being treated very rude. The. We were told we could be in the room for the encounter. Another lie - they made us leave and we had to watch thru a window that you had to sit on the floor to see.

This isn't a very large aquarium but they've really done their best to maximize their space. You will see a large variety of water life. They also have a great play area for kids. It is centrally located in Gatlinburg so you can walk around to other attractions. Ripley's does offer bundle packages to see other attractions. We did the Aquarium + 2 bundle and that was plenty to do for a fun day in Gatlinburg. They also had pictures with Santa when we visited which was a nice addition.

Very nice aquarium. Our teenage boys enjoyed it as much as we did! The penguin march is done each day, around 1I think, so ask about that. It was cute!

It costs about $40 pp, which I felt was a bit overpriced. Good exhibits. My stepson loved the sharks and penguins in particular.

Wonderful experience! The Kids loved it! The animals were cool and the exhibits were interactive. I never knew I needed to pet a jellyfish but my life will never be the same now that I have!

The aquarium was nice, but personally didn’t feel it was worth the $40 per adult to enter. I felt there were other attractions in Gatlinburg that occupied more time for a family with two young kids, were less expensive, and just more interesting overall. We spent just over an hour at the aquarium with an 8 month old and 2 year old.

Also nowhere on the website does it say no double strollers (side by side), I would probably change the language on the website to avoid confusion. There is no stroller wagons, or large running strollers allowed, which is not the same as a side by side double stroller. Thankfully they have strollers you can use, but if I would’ve known ahead of time I would’ve brought a different set up with us coming from out of town.

A very nice aquarium and the perfect activity for an overcast or rainy day in Gatlinburg. Entertaining for all ages. It's fun walking under or through the tunnel of the aquarium's main tank. Informative little shows. There's a children's play area, a snack bar and it wouldn't be complete without a good sized gift shop at the exit. All appeared to be well maintained. Checks all the boxes for an aquarium. Given the opportunity, we would go again!

I love Aquarian’s, This was by far not my favorite. 99% was looking in tanks. Saw some penguins & some sharks, no shows, About 1/2 hour to see everything for$40. Not worth it to me.

The aquarium is decent for its size. It wasn’t very crowded. We spent about 2.5 hours there. The kids enjoyed it. It would be a good rainy day activity. To me, the admission price is way too much for what you actually get. If your kids love aquariums they will have a good time though.

Visit this aquarium today, it was absolutely beautiful. We had a great time, it's a great place for family time. Very clean, and excellent customer service. We will differently visit again!

As many times as we’ve been to G’burg we have never visited the aquarium, but with freezing temperatures we needed indoor activities, so off we went. It was actually very enjoyable, with plenty of interesting facts learned and lots to see. It was @$40 each to enter, but after going through I can understand why it’s a costly place to run and keep up for their ‘residents’. Oddly, I asked for my AAA discount and it was a whole $1.00 off each….that was kinda off putting…..why advertise a discount when it’s hardly making a difference to anyone? But it was a fun trip through, nonetheless!

An enjoyable experience for everyone. The exhibits were well laid out and very educational too. Our group was 5 adults, 1 teen and a 4 year old. Everyone enjoyed seeing the different fish, crabs, and lizards on the various levels. The see thru tunnel was outstanding as we saw large sharks, turtles and other fish. Only bad thing was the four year old could not touch a string ray. They were out of reach for everyone. She really was looking forward to touching one.

We purchased the "Aquarium plus 4 more" Ripley's deal. The aquarium was a great place to visit! It takes a couple of hours to go thru. Lots of sharks, up close thru the tunnel area! Lots of interesting sites. They also have a play area for kids about halfway thru, although we didn't have kids with us. A ray petting pool and penguins too! Very cool overall and worth the money. They open at 9 am and we got in line about 8:45-8:50 and were behind 10 or so people. The wait line fills up super fast especially the later in the day it gets. There is an eatery inside, the Feeding Frenzy. Cost about $10-$20 per adult. ($10-personal pizza, also pretzels, popcorn, slushies) We got the $14.99 (each) cheeseburger deal with fries and a refillable drink. Good size burger and plenty of crispy fries! Absolutely delicious meal, worth the $$. Nice, typical souvenir shop on the way out. Buy tickets ahead of time and you can skip the ticket line and scan your phone or printed at home tickets to get in a bit quicker.

Family trip. My grandkids and all of us enjoyed the aquarium. It's a good place to take the kiddos. We will definitely go back

I would not buy a season ticket from here .
We was told when we bought our tickets we could go to Ripley's Aquarium 2 times
We went in May 2025. Now it is mid July and we was gonna go through again with friends but we was told you cant go but 1 time..
If we was told we could only go 1 time to the Aquarium we more likely wouldn't have bought time ..
As much as we are here in Gatlinburg you find out where to spend your money and where not to..
We will be spending our money somewhere else instead of the Aquarium and probably other Ripley's attractions...

Parking garage was a pain and wasn’t even connected to the aquarium (not to mention the $10 fee to park). The garage was packed and we saw several people using it as “general parking” for Gatlinburg (not even going to the aquarium). No wonder it was hard to find a spot! Had to walk all the way around to get to the entrance and then up a bunch of steps/ramps to get to the aquarium.

Once inside, you are greeted with a huge kids play area. Might be OK if you have small kids, but takes up a huge chunk of the building so the actual aquarium is much smaller than it appears from the outside.

Not very much to really see either. We found it all very underwhelming. I don’t think it even took us an hour to get through it and my kids were bored the entire time (aged 13 & 17). For the price we paid, I was expecting MUCH more.

Save your money and avoid this overpriced tourist trap. I wish we had.

I highly recommend, especially if you have children. I've been 3 times, with younger kids (under 6), with my son, 11 at the time, and just adults and enjoyed it every time. There are quite a few interactive displays that my kids loved, and a few that I enjoyed as well. The last time I went my son wanted to do the glass bottom boat ride. It was interesting, and he really enjoyed it, but it was a little on the pricey side.

This was an awesome place for the family. Everyone absolutely loved seeing the sharks. The exhibits were very well set up so there was a lot to see. You could go along at your own pace and enjoy it.

Spur of the moment decision to visit.
Late afternoon, very few people.
Place was very clean and well maintained.
Exhibits were very well displayed and informative.
The tunnel under the water is huge and amazing.
Took us about an hour to see everything so it’s a bit pricey but we felt it was well worth it.

Overpriced and smells disgusting. They have major cleanliness issues. Mold maybe? I got a migraine walking through there. They have three self serve kiosk outside that will only work if you completely shade them from the sun. Then they will only allow you to purchase multiple attractions. There’s not an option to purchase tickets just for the aquarium. But by the time you have figured all this out, the line beside you just grows and grows, and you’ve wasted your time. Then you have to get into the other line and wait. It’s a gimmick to force you into buying tickets to multiple attractions. There are just much better attractions that don’t smell terrible. If you have migraines, get ready for one. Clearly very poorly managed.

Way overpriced! 2 Senior tickets cost $85.14. No extras, just the entrance fee. They did offer us a free 4x6 photo with a purchase of a PhotoPort purchase. Not interested. Had already spent too much.

Kept a 10, 14, and 17 year old occupied for a couple hours. Lots to see, was busy, but not overcrowded. Wouldn’t bother feeding the stingrays if I were you, not really worth the time and effort. Also wish the penguin exhibit was more elaborate, but there was a decent selection of creatures to look at.

Tickets
I showed my teacher ID at the counter as they offer a teacher discount and they lady asked me for a paper pay stub proving it. Who gets paper pay stubs and actually carries it with them. That should be stated on the website. I had to pull up my school website and show her my name under staff and she was still hesitant but gave me the discount. Very shocking.

Penguin Experience.
We paid $50 a person to do the penguin experience and it was cool. You get to go in a room and get your picture take with the penguin. We got 3 pictures since there were 3 total tickets purchased. They are 6x8 picutres that are nice. Petting the penguin was cool. Its kind of one of those one and done experience. They ticket cost is separate from the aquarium.

Aquarium
My 3 year old was not interested in any of the aquatic life but they had an awesome play structure inside. Its very tall and super safe for kids. It has little rope structures and slides.

In my opinion, the entire aquarium is a one and done experience based on how well your child likes/dislikes looking at aquatic life.

We experienced the Pints with penguins event and it was AWESOME. We learned so much about the aquarium and all the different things that they do. We also had some great tour guides that told us so much more. The penguins were awesome to wake up to also.

What a wonderful place! We enjoyed watching the sharks and could believe how many different sharks they had. The underwater tunnel is so good and all the fish and turtles and sharks you can watch.
The only disappointing was the glass boat ride was not open. We enjoyed everything

We enjoyed a nice afternoon at the aquarium. There is a great variety of marine life to see. The displays are arranged nicely and it wasn’t too crowded. There is a penguin parade at 1:15 every day. So cute! You can pet jellyfish and stingrays. The whole family had fun.

My family and I have visited the aquarium about 5 times it’s an awesome way to unwind and get back to reality about Gods creatures and how amazing they really are, they are so peaceful to watch.

This aquarium is so beautiful. We were there around 5:00 and we did not have any issues with crowds. The displays are so well done. We did do the boat trip and I don’t think I would have done it had I had more information about it. The gentlemen who ran the boat were super nice and did give interesting information regarding the fish we viewed. I would love to go back.

The best Aquarium we have seen in a long time. Definitely worth the money. A must visit for everyone. Check it out! Beautiful up close views of sharks and stingrays.

Way overpriced for such a small aquarium. We toured this in less than 2 hours. The penguin viewing was great, but overall this was an underwhelming experience. The station to touch the jelly fish was closed which was disappointing. If the price was $25 or so, I'd say it would be worth it.

We had so much fun and really enjoyed ourselves.. we really had a nice time we were able to eat there we were able to look at the fishes and all the sharks everything.

Great exhibits and variety of aquatic life. Lots of activities and some hands on. We love the dark rooms (traveling with sensory issues). The shark/fish tunnel was a big hit. The playground was great but I did see multiple families struggling to find their child within it though. Overall, great stop and in walking distance from lots of restaurants and other activities.

Are you expecting a top notch aquarium in the mountains of Tennessee? NO.
But do you get one anyway? YES.
This aquarium is a family favorite - we have been visiting for more than a decade. Every age has loved it - toddlers to teens.
You can't now wrong. It's so well done - AND there are penguins!

Interesting and educational. Much to see along with learning about the creatures of the sea. Enjoyable for all ages! The penguins will win you over with their walk through the concourse!

We arrived at 4pm, so 4 hours to experience all this beautiful aquarium had to offer right? Wrong, we were told halfway through the visit that the glass bottom boat was no longer available and we’d missed the last ride, this was at 4.45pm, and a huge disappointment because the boat is the highlight, especially when visiting with children, upon leaving 3 staff members were in the lobby so I asked if we could return the next day to do just the boat trip, one member said yes, but then was quickly shot down by another member who said without looking in our direction “no, if we do that it means we have to walk them over and wait until the boat ride is over so we can escort them out, I’m not doing that”

During our visit one lady who was supposed to be taking cool souvenir photos when you exit the tunnel quickly told us before we got close to her “I’m going on a 30 minute break” hence no pictures.

The aquarium itself is beautiful, clean, with so much to see, the rest of the staff we encountered were very welcoming and helpful, shout out to the staff member who was located at the tunnel entrance.

For spending over $120 (combo pass) I was very disappointed with how the place was run, a simple heads up upon entrance that they stop the boat 4 hours before closing would have been helpful, because we would have simply returned the next day as we were staying right across the street from the aquarium, but we were never given that option. The majority of the staff need to be retrained in customer service, especially the admissions staff and gift store. I did send an email before writing this review but I received no response, which doesn’t surprise me.

This is our 2nd trip. We took our 6yr old grandson and 2yr old. It was so crowded we really couldn't enjoy it. Kids were kinda bored

Absolutely loved this aquarium. So many exhibits including touching jellyfish and stingrays. Plenty of fun for kids of all ages to do including interactive videos, a play structure that was divided on 2 levels, and pop up areas under tanks to feel like you’re in the tanks with the sea life and make for good pictures. The best part was walking through the shark tanks, we went through it twice. Doughnut cart was a yummy snack. Lots of other shows and such that we didn’t end up seeing because of the early time of our visit, but sounded cool- some were up charged unfortunately. Great indoor place for a hot day with threats of thunderstorms. Overall great experience for the price. AAA discount if you buy onsite.

We were overwhelmed when we first walked in due to the crowds. While there were some places that were packed and congested, we still had a great time. We loved the shark tank and having them swim all around and over us. The penguin parade was adorable and we loved sticking our heads in the viewing area in the penguin exhibit. Another favorite was the rays; my daughter could have stayed watching them and the sharks for hours. The tickets were expensive but well worth it to see how excited my daughter was.

I must preface this review by stating we live close to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago and probably a bit spoiled with frequent visits. With that said, we found Ripley's Aquarium to be just "ok". It was extremely crowded. Highlights: touch a jellyfish, touch a stingray, penguin parade. Lowlights: high traffic/large crowds, long lines. There aren't that many actual displays. This is a better suited visit for families with small kids.

Wow!! So many things to look at. This is our 3rd time here and there is always some new fish or exhibit to look at or learn from. My kids loved the ring of fire exhibit.

We loved the shark tunnel. They have a wide variety of fish and other ocean creatures. The penguins are fun to watch but feel like they need a bigger place.

Great aquarium for any age. Love the tunnel where u can see the sharks and multiple sea creatures swimming above you.

My husband and I visited the aquarium after an underwhelming visit to Anakeesta and was pleasantly surprised. Lots of unusual fish and huge stingrays.

The sharks were the best, you can walk through the tunnels and have them swimming above you. There was also a giant turtle, he was cute. I could've watched him swimming around all day.

Penguins were amusing also.

Very nice aquarium with lots to see! We liked the flow of the place and the “live” mermaids were the hit of the experience for our little girls. The penguins on parade were a nice touch too!!

I was pleasantly surprised at how nice the Ripley’s Aquarium is. We went as a family on vacation and wanted something that would be fun for our 18 month old granddaughter. The whole family enjoyed it. We went late afternoon and had no issues getting tickets. There were other families there but it was never crowded at an exhibit. The fish tanks are beautiful and the overhead/surround fish tank was amazing. The people mover thru that area is a nice addition to the exhibit. We also enjoyed the educational signs about all the species.

Have been going to this aquarium since it opened and not much has really changed. There is a rotating exhibit on the 'ground floor' of the aquarium but if you've gone once, you're good. Not a lot has changed over the years.

Fun afternoon with sea life. They had a nice variety of sea life that allowed you to wander through. The play structure was busy, but the exhibits were spread out enough to see everything up close.

We LOVE aquariums. Been to a lot across the country. This ranks up there with us! Lots to look at and worth going to visit if you are town!

You been to one aquarium you been to them all but the kids enjoyed the interactive exhibit as well as the playground. I did wish it was more of a path to glow to ensure you see everything.

It was ok. For an older couple. Three floors of interesting exhibits. Interesting glass tunnel that goes under the water with unique views of fish and sharks. It has a moving floor or you can walk beside it. Not like sea world but they do have a huge variety of aquatic life. We liked that they had plenty of places to sit as there is a lot of standing. On the downside many exhibits had small viewing points which block the view with just four or five people. The crowd when we went wasn't big but it felt much more crowded than it was. The exhibits were pristine and no sign of dirt, mold and all the critters looked healthy. A bit over priced for us but it is expensive to keep up I'm sure. A family with young ones will find this a great stop. There are a lot of interactive things like small bubbles kids can crawl into to be in the middle of an exhibit with fish swimming around. All the young ones I saw were having fun and none of them even had a cell phone. Worth the stop for a family. They do have a small restaurant for a lunch and a break. Rated it three stars for us but definite four star for a family.

We loved it. The moving walkway under the sea was the highlight. Food was good. Penguin habitat and ability to go “inside” was an awesome touch.

Loved it. We enjoyed every minute of it. It’s something we will never forget. Would love to take my grandkids one day.loved all the different fish 🐠

We have visited many aquariums but this one is well worth the visit ! As it has a lot to offer my granddaughter favorite adventure !

This was a great time, nice gift shop and parking in the back (parking garage for $10). They had great exhibits and an eatery inside (but we didn’t eat there). The best part was the tunnel you go through with sharks, rays and fish swimming all around you. The kids really liked it. We are glad we went. The line is longer if you buy tickets at the door. Buy online beforehand and then enter the door at the far left in the front. We breezed right through.

We have been to many aquariums in other states that were a bit larger so hard to give 5 stars after visiting them. This is great for smaller kids and is geared towards keeping their interest however. Great to visit while you’re already in town but wouldn’t come here for this aquarium specifically. They offer a generous military discount which we greatly appreciate them doing and will continue to support all of Ripley’s attractions because of that. Love the walkway under the sharks especially.

We visited the aquarium today and we went on a Monday anticipating smaller crowds. It was still pretty crowded but we had a good time. The shark tunnel was awesome. If your a veteran ask for the the discount.we saved $23 on 2 adult tickets. While we had fun I doubt we'd go back.

We had a great visit to the aquarium. Nothing better to do on a rainy day! Exhibits were great. Had a few schools there the day we went so it could get a bit busy on some spots but was not horrible. My son especially loved the stingrays. Ripleys have the best aquariums!

I loved watching the women feed the penguins! I also loved watching the sharks swim above us. Great family facility. Bring a camera with you if you go you'll want to get pictures of all the interesting and unique fish. I liked the upside down jellies. Definitely go if you haven't!

This place is great. They do offer a good discount to educators so that help me to afford the visit. Getting tickets and getting in was a pretty easy process. The only think that was a little aggravating was that the lady scanning tickets had to stop and take pictures of everyone as she went. If you wanna take pics get a 2nd person to do it. Of course that was only a minor inconvenience. Everything else was great!!

My daughter is obsessed with penguins! She was very pleased. She loved the penguin parade.

Snacks at the snack bar were reasonably priced which surprised me. My daughter got a penguin cup for $10 that had free refills. The giant pretzel was around $6 i think. I got a local beer for $7 that I was able to carry with me just had to finish before leaving aquarium.

We will definitely return here in future.

Always a great experience. My favorite is always the sting rays. The glass bottom boat seems kind of silly because it just goes in a circle.

This was our second visit. We came during the night, so there wasn't a crowd. Our 11 and 12-year-old had a great time. They loved viewing the different sea creatures and so did we. The Ripley room was interesting.

This was better than I thought it would be. We had a rainy afternoon in Gatlinburg and this was literally right across the street from our hotel. My two sons were afraid it would be too childish but we all had a good time. The sea life here was some unique selections that we had never seen before and the design was laid out pretty well. Kinda high price but it was something to do out of the rain.

One of my bucket list items… Pet a penguin! I crossed this item off my list at the Ripley’s Aquarium in Gatlinburg. It wasn’t our first time there but the first time for this special experience. It did cost extra but it was not overly expensive. After the 45 minute experience we walked the rest of the aquarium and watched the Penguin Parade through the lobby. It was crowded but that’s to be expected in the height of summer and on a Friday. The Under the Sea tunnel (can’t remember what they actually call it) was cool and calming. If penguins are your thing, this aquarium has tons to do with them!

One of the best aquariums the moving tunnel was a huge hit with the kids. Was easy to navigate animals everywhere would go back again and spend more time there

The aquarium was great as always! Was a little disappointed with the phots. Everything is done at a kiosk, and the guy behind the counter was not helpful, he was too busy on his phone. I was trying to get two items of two prints… a total of four items. The guy never showed us the pics, I ended up with thre of one print and one of another, and dropped $75. Sometimes having a human to help is best!

My family is teens (13,18,21). Most activities were targeted for smaller kids. The facilities were clean. I thought it was nice they offered a private room for nursing mothers. That would have been extremely nice when I was in that stage of life. Only Pepsi products were available which is a negative for our family. Our favorite thing was the tunnel. While we were here, the parking garage is undergoing construction so you could not use the elevators.

My husband and I visited the aquarium, did the glass bottom boat and the penguin experience. Super fun! If anything, I’d say that they should offer packages instead of just charging individual.

We loved this place!!!! There was so much to see and do. The exhibits were amazing! We loved going in the tunnel and having the fish swim over us! The penguins were beyond adorable! We went at night so we missed the penguin parade. mermaid show, and the glass bottom boat ride so we will have to do it on the next visit.

Love this aquarium!!! The glass bottom boat was a big hit with my grandson and he’s 17!!!!! We’d say one of the best aquariums in the US

Kids loves it! They ran to every tank saying "dad look". Sharks, Sawfish, Wrays and OMG penguins!!! Penguins parade was awesome. Sucks trying to get out through gift shop! Strollers and wheel chairs

Amazing! Educational for all ages; beautiful and inspiring! Wonderful variety of aquatic species; helpful staff; great place to spend 2-3 hours.

We've visited aquariums across the country, and this is one of our new favorites. While it's not the biggest aquarium out there, it's laid out well and there is enough to do for hours of fun. The underwater tunnel is so impressive we did it twice, and has to be one of the longest most immersive aquariums tunnels I've ever seen. The "bubble" viewing pods beneath the penguin exhibit and some of the aquariums are unique and allow you to get nose-to-nose with penguins, clown fish, and other critters. I highly recommend the adults crawl into them with the kids, as they really are a magical view you're not going to get at other aquariums. The Touch-a-Jelly area was neat, and a different experience than the usual touch-a-ray areas in other aquariums. Everything was super clean and scratch free, including the viewing bubbles and tunnel, which really made you feel like you were right there with the fish. We also did the penguin experience and glass bottom boat tour, and would recommend both. We learned a lot about the South African penguin colony during our penguin experience, and got to get photos taken with the penguin Moana and pet her. The glass bottom boat tour was super informative and we learned a lot about the sharks, sawfish, and sea turtle in the shark lagoon. If you think you will do any of the other Ripley attractions, get the combo tickets with the aquarium, which really do save money versus buying each attraction separately.

I always love going here. However, it lacks many accessibility features needed to be adequate for those with mobility issues - including no place to drop off safely, no way to connect disabled visitors from parking to the building without having to go up hill on the sidewalk, and no elevators inside (or outside).

We liked our trip to Ripleys aquarium.
Cons: there is a weird layout and traffic flow, so be careful.
The exhibits while nice weren’t what I was expecting
Pros: the staff was incredibly friendly and willing to help with anything
The exhibits were clean and all of the animals looked happy and healthy.

I would return agian if I had small children with me but I don’t think I would on a couples trip

First time visiting Ripley’s Aquarium. No complaints whatsoever. It was an amazing experience for my family. I would definitely go again.

This is such a great aquarium. My family spent several hours exploring all it had to offer. It was well worth the ticket price!

I have been to this aquarium several times and each experience is excellent. While ticket prices can be a bit expensive, I think it is worth it. There is a lot to see and do and it is a great place for both kids and adults.

We visited Ripley’s Aquarium in Gatlinburg and had a really nice time. The whole place is clean, well laid out, and easy to enjoy without feeling rushed. The underwater tunnel was the standout for us.

The exhibits were bright and engaging, and everything felt well maintained. It’s not the biggest aquarium you’ll ever visit, but it’s definitely a good one. It made for a relaxing break from the crowds outside, and the pace inside was perfect.

Overall, it was a lovely stop during our trip to Gatlinburg. I’m glad we went.

The Aquarium was predictably crowded; however, by purchasing our tickets online, the process was notably more efficient. I highly recommend reviewing the scheduled events to plan your visit strategically and fully immerse yourself in the vibrant atmosphere. Among the events we attended, the penguin parade stood out as particularly popular, captivating visitors with the charming sight of the penguins. Children especially delighted in this experience. The scuba divers in the dive shows were engaging, interacting with the audience through gestures like blowing kisses and offering high-fives, enhancing the overall experience. The shark lagoon was a highlight for my 3-year-old, necessitating multiple visits before we could tear him away from the mesmerizing exhibit. The pricing at the food court is reasonable compared to other local dining options. To explore the aquarium thoroughly without feeling rushed, I recommend allocating 3-4 hours. The layout of the aquarium is well-spaced and efficiently organized, ensuring a seamless visit.

We had a great experience at Ripley's Aquarium. The first time we went, (years ago) our kids were 1 & 3. So my daughter remembers nothing and my son barely remembers. I remember that he was a afraid of some of the exhibits.
But this time, they LOVED it. They are now 10 and 12, so this was a completely different experience for them. They were engaged, interested, amazed, and entertained. They were snapping their own pics of everything. My daughter's favorite thing was the penguins. She was so happy 😁. Highly Recommend 👍🏼

It's a nice place to see the sea animals as well as the penguins. However, plan to get there as early as can be, due to large crowds in the afternoon.

This aquarium is larger than you think, has great things to do for kids and adults.
Lots to see and learn about
a must do when in Gatlinburg

The aquarium is right downtown and super convenient to everything. We loved the way that yo traveled through the aquarium on the belt that carried you through. You could step off at any point to stop and look at exhibits. Great photos and memories on our trip. We will definitely be back!

This aquarium is fantastic. Kids love going about every year. They provide a nice military discount as well. We realize they must have considerable overhead to maintain these facilities; admission is well worth it.

They had any animals you could imagine they would have. They had a really cool excavator thing where you just gotta stand, and it would push you through a ton of animals. We also love seeing the little penguin thing where you could stand in the middle of them and see them really close. We also loved the little playground my baby brother loved it the best. We also like the souvenir shop it was really cool with neat stuff.

Wonderful aquarium with an abundance of exhibits. All of the exhibits had placards as to the type of species in each tank. There is a large shark and fish tank that you go underneath to get a great view and different perspective. Areas are laid out very well that if one area gets crowded you can move to another and easily flow back. They have different activities throughout the day. The penguin parade was cute. Next to the ticket booth outside there is a reptile building included in the ticket price. I bought tickets online and skipped the line at the ticket window. I had a discount code from a coupon book picked up in any store in town. I was able to use the code online. There was a sign at the ticket area that discount coupons could not be used at the ticket window. There was a spot inside to but food and drinks.

We loved this aquarium and the penguin walk was so cute. This is a must do when raining or just too hot/cold outside. Highly recommend for families and friends!

Sharks and Rays were really cool and there were several different smaller fish and tanks. Our family was surprised how short the visit was. We were told 2 hours would do it, well if we hadn't spent time taking photos of the sharks and trying to touch a stingray, 1 hour would have done it. Overall still a good visit and very clean.

We had a good time and really enjoyed the tunnel with the sharks and sea turtle over the top of us. The only knock is that their prices for the gift shop was really high in my opinion

I really like this aquarium. It did have some neat animals and some rare things. The big attraction is moving walkway where you go through the shark tank. And sharks/fish swim on either side of you and over you. I would say go to the museum, skip the glassbottom boat ride. It is very short and you don't spend the entire time going around the tank. Most of the time is spent sitting at the dock.

The reason I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 isnt even their fault. It started to rain outside and feels like everyone in the city came and it was way too over crowded. There should Def be a limit to how many people can come in at at time. We had already got our ticket before hand

Went to Breakfast with the mermaids.Would not recommend !! Would recommend the aquarium tour Buy some Hot food and a gift for everyone

Was a great experience and had an area for kids to play off some energy. Young and older loved it! Penguins were adorable.

We love to visit aquariums so we came here on a rainy day. First of all…get there early if you’re driving yourself as the parking garage fills up quickly. There are signs informing you how many spaces are left. We were lucky and managed to get in before it got full.
Exhibits are pretty cool. Tanks are clean and there’s such a variety of things to see. Penguin area is a little disappointing but the penguins do go on a “parade” around the aquarium at certain times so you can see them up close.
If you don’t have children (hubby and I were here alone without our grands this time) there’s not that much to do but it’s great for youngsters.
A little pricey in our opinion.

Great aquarium.
We loved the under the shark tank path.

This aquarium is layed out beautifully.
It has great flow with tons to see.
There are many of events included in the price such as the mermaid swim, the penguin walk, the stingray touch.

There are also additional add on experiences.

A playground/play area inside the aquarium helps the littles burn off energy.
🦈🐟🐠🐡

This is a great aquarium. There’s lots of exhibits and a fun play area for kids to burn off some energy. The coolest part was the shark lagoon with a moving walkway…the tank is set up so the sharks literally swim over your head. I’m from Chicago and I think this aquarium was much better than the Shedd Aquarium.

Great a must do with the family touching the jellyfish and stingrays are amazing. I wish the bearded dragons were with the aquarium, but you got to enter through a different door.

I absolutely loved this aquarium. By far my favorite of all time. It’s huge and has so many different species. Like I giant variety of animals and it’s awesome. They have an area where you can sit and watch the inside of a big tank where there’s Sting Rays, sharks, and baby sharks too! It’s beautiful. But my favorite part of the aquarium has to be the conveyer belt for the shark tunnel. It’s so beautiful under there and you get to see so many different kinds of sharks, different sizes, colors, and a giant sea turtle! I highly highly recommend this aquarium to everyone. You’ll have the best time!

Literally the number 1 thing we do when we come to Gatlinburg! We will always come to the aquarium! It never changes but my kids always have a wonderful time!

we enjoyed our visit to the Aquarium. We were surprised with the number of children on a weekday in February. Busy - can't imagine what the summer season would mean. The views of all creatures were excellent. The walk under the water section was unique and gave excellent views. We enjoyed the penguin "waddle" and the feeding of fish by the diver. You will need to check times so you don't miss those things. Our only complaint was the confusing walkways. There were many exit signs but most led to emergency exits. We had a hard time finding the way out - must have walked an extra 1,000 steps finding the exit which of course was through the gift shop. There are two levels and finding the way up and down was not easy.

Great place to see. Not like ay you saw before. Well done and fun for all. It is a big place but take your time in seeing it.

I've been to many aquariums, from Boston to Florida. My favorite was Newport aquarium in Cincinnati, I have to say the aquarium in pigeon forge is the finest I've ever seen! I put them at the top of my list. I don't have children but it was the most kid friendly I've seen yet, super interactive, a fun place to be. I'll go again!.

So much to see! It was really fun, & jerry the penguin was adorable. Would suggest about 3-4 hours to experience everything.