We learned quickly on our family vacation to Tennessee that Gatlinburg has a lot to offer. Shopping, quick bites, sit down restaurants, museums, and so much more. Ripley’s Believe It or Not has a large presence in Gatlinburg and surrounding areas, with seven attractions it is a hard choice on where to start! You could go to the Ripley’s Believe It or Not Odditorium, Guinness Book fo World Records, Ripley’s Haunted Adventure or the Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smoky Mountains. After hiking around the Smoky Mountain’s for 2 days we chose to start at the Aquarium!
An aquarium within a landlocked state like Tennessee is not the first thing I would think of but I’m so glad we didn’t overlook it. This aquarium has turned into one of my favorites! The aquarium is very well laid out with wide paths to walk, bouncing back and forth between windows of fish, marine life and everything in between. There are many opportunities for kids (and adults) to touch jellyfish, see the underside of a horseshoe crab in the Discovery Center and sting rays in Touch a Ray Bay. My children loved climbing through the tunnel to pop into the Penguin Playhouse. The highlight was the underwater tunnel that let you view 12 foot sharks and lots of exotic sea creatures up close and all around you. The sharks and fish were constantly swimming all around us! On a side note, Gatlinburg does not have a lot of parking, but behind the Aquarium is a parking deck ($6.00/day) which was easy to maneuver and then we stayed there all day!
Later that night after dinner we went to Ripley’s Old MacDonald's Farm Mini Golf. Farm animals who talked to you, golf ball challenges that caused laughs and giggles. Mini golf is do-able to try from my youngest (3yo to daddy!) We didn’t dare keep score, especially since some holes reached double digit attempts! We had a great family night at the Old MacDonald Farm! Beware you have to exit through the arcade, and the Sevierville Outlets surround you, enticing you to shop.
On the main road through Gatlinburg you will find the Ripley’s Odditorium and although we didn’t have time to visit we were able to make it to see the 5D Moving Theater. 5D Moving Theater which lets you experience two short movies in a motion simulator and digital surround sound. The snow ride was pretty awesome! We passed on the two mini-golf outdoor attractions due to the weather so we'll have to hit those next time we visit the area. My 3 year old needed to sit in a non movie seat, but between movies my husband and I traded seated and both got to experience the movement and total fun of the movie theater.
All of the Ripley's attractions in Gatlinburg are open 365 days a year (except for mini-golf which is weather-permitting) so you can visit anytime. Be sure to check them out during your next family getaway in Gatlinburg! For more information, visithttp://www.ripleys.com/gatlinburg/.
Disclosure: I received complimentary passes for the purpose of this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
