{"id":57360,"date":"2017-07-15T06:31:28","date_gmt":"2017-07-15T06:31:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xenodochial-archimedes.45-76-20-142.plesk.page\/2017x107x1ripleys-aquarium-other-attractions\/"},"modified":"2022-11-29T18:15:51","modified_gmt":"2022-11-29T18:15:51","slug":"ripleys-aquarium-other-attractions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mrsbishop.com\/2017\/07\/ripleys-aquarium-other-attractions.html","title":{"rendered":"Ripley’s Aquarium and Other Attractions Gatlinburg- Mrs. Bishop"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

*Disclosure: I received free tickets for these attractions in exchange for an honest review- as always, all opinions are my own*<\/em><\/p>\n

On our first full day in Gatlinburg, we went to the coolest aquarium I have ever been to- The Ripley\u2019s Aquarium of the Smokies.\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0Voted one of the 10 Best Aquariums by USA Today Reader\u2019s Choice, I knew our fish and penguin loving little guy would be in awe.<\/p>\n

\"aqua1\"<\/a>Everything in the aquarium is over-the-top fun, and there are all kinds of exhibits and activities for kids of all ages\u2026and kids at heart.<\/p>\n

\"aqua2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"aqua3\"<\/a>Each section that you go into feels like you\u2019re entering a new world. There were so many amazing animals to discover- honestly, even some I had never even heard of!<\/p>\n

\"aqua5\"<\/a>If your feet get tired from walking around- you can take a ride on a boat with a glass bottom, and explore what looks like the deep recesses of the ocean. You may even get to see some scuba divers keeping the sharks away from areas that are getting cleaned- which we all got a kick out of.<\/p>\n

\"aqua6\"<\/a>There are lots of interactive areas that your kids can play with, and learn about ocean life and how the aquarium works.<\/p>\n

\"aqua4\"<\/a>If\u00a0your kiddos need a break, there\u2019s a huge play area with slides and climbing equipment. They can pet different sea creatures, pop up into a fish tank, and just be a kid. I love how family centered everything was. We were all able to enjoy each part, and for different reasons.<\/p>\n

\"aqua9\"<\/a>We can ALL agree that our favorite part was the moving sidewalk that lead us through the whole underwater tunnel area.<\/p>\n

\"aqua7\"<\/a>
Don\u2019t mind the \u2018thumbs up\u2019 it\u2019s kinda his current signature pose.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"aqua8\"<\/a>It felt like we got to take a dip into the deep end of the ocean. Being up close and personal with the sharks is an experience I\u2019ll never forget!<\/p>\n

\"aqua12\"<\/a>With so many fun and interesting areas to explore- we could\u2019ve spent all day there.<\/p>\n

\"aquarium11\"<\/a>Even you history buffs will be excited- there\u2019s a whole Pearl Harbor experience, complete with more\u00a0hands-on activities for children. Such a fun way to teach them a little about our country\u2019s past.<\/p>\n

\"aquarium12\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"aqua13\"<\/a>Our penguin-obsessed tot was also not disappointed. He got to get up close and personal with his favorite animals ever.<\/p>\n

\"aqua10\"<\/a>Someday I hope to take him back so he can get really close- you can even pet a penguin<\/a>! We were just a little too nervous to let him give that a go this time.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for a fun, family friendly attraction that you can experience right in Downtown Gatlinburg- give Ripley\u2019s Aquarium<\/a> a visit. You WILL NOT be disappointed. The staff was so friendly and knowledgeable, one lady even came over and went over some stuff\u00a0with us. And she sounded exactly like Reba McEntire (thanks, Tennessee!), which I loved.<\/p>\n

While you\u2019re there don\u2019t forget to check out some of Ripley\u2019s other attractions.<\/a><\/p>\n

We loved the Davy Crockett Mini Golf<\/a>. It was a great break from all of the walking around and exploring. I highly recommend doing activities like this throughout the day to keep your kids entertained. I could walk around and visit shops all day- but a kids needs to play.<\/p>\n

\"minigolf1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"minigolf2\"<\/a>
Don\u2019t let this face fool you- he was having a blast. He was just totally over Mommy taking his picture.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"minigolf3\"<\/a>
All of the holes were so fun!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"minigolf4\"<\/a>
This was our favorite- these guys were so cute. They sang, and some of them popped up and down.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We also checked out Ripley\u2019s Mirror Maze<\/a>, which was on the main drag on Parkway. The\u00a0perfect place to stop and take another fun little break! If you do the maze once, you can come back and do it again and again for free!<\/p>\n

\"mirrormaze\"<\/a>I would share photos of the inside, but since it\u2019s a maze of mirrors with flashing lights- they all came out like this:<\/p>\n

\"mirrormaze2\"<\/a>My 5 year old LOVED it though! He talked about it for days afterward. Sometimes it\u2019s the simplest things that your kids really love the most.<\/p>\n

We had an amazing time visiting the Ripley\u2019s attractions in Gatlinburg. We\u2019ll definitely go back next time we visit. And once little man is a little older, I\u2019m looking forward to visiting the Odditorium<\/a>\u00a0and the Haunted Adventure<\/a>. With so many to choose from, Ripley\u2019s has something for all ages!<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re planning a trip to Gatlinburg, definitely put Ripley\u2019s on your list! You can also purchase one ticket that gets you into all of the attractions, which makes it so easy!<\/p>\n

Have you ever visited any of the Ripley\u2019s attractions? Which one was your favorite?<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On our first full day in Gatlinburg, we went to the coolest aquarium I have ever been to- The Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies.\u00a0\u00a0Voted one of the 10 Best Aquariums by USA Today Reader’s Choice, I knew our fish and penguin loving little guy would be in awe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":58876,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41,42,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adventure","category-family","category-travel","has_thumb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrsbishop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57360","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrsbishop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrsbishop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrsbishop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrsbishop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57360"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mrsbishop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57360\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrsbishop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58876"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrsbishop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrsbishop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrsbishop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}