Ripley’s Aquarium, Ripley’s Haunted Adventure & Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum
Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Heath Hawkins

It is strange to imagine that a travel writer has not ever seen the ocean, but I haven’t. I have never swam in the surf or collected seashells on the seashore. Now that we hear so much about shark attacks and hurricanes, I would question how much I have really missed. Besides my body is not really built for a bikini!

That does not mean I am not interested in the water and what is in it; to the contrary, in fact. I am glued to the Discovery Channel and I love Shark Week. I just have not seen anything like that in person. That all changed when Candi and I visited several of the Ripley’s attractions in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

You can’t drive very far down the strip in Gatlinburg before you see several Ripley’s signs. Even their brochures take up half the display racks around town. There are actually five different Ripley’s attractions.

The biggest (and my favorite) was the Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies. They also have a Ripley’s Believe It of Not Museum, Ripley’s 4-D Movie Theatre, Ripley’s Haunted Adventure, and finally Ripley’s Davy Crockett Miniature Golf.

Ripley’s Aquarium

Let's start our tour at the Aquarium. You can’t miss it. You will find it right in the middle of the strip. It is probably the most visited attraction in town. My guess would be that DollyWood is probably the only attraction in the Smoky Mountains that draws more daily visitors.

I picked up our tickets at Customer Service. While there, you can ask about combo tickets to all the Ripley’s sites. The admission to the aquarium was about $20 per person with tax, so I know you would save money by purchasing a combo ticket.

Once inside, three huge, prehistoric creatures hanging from the ceiling greet you. Then you start the self-guided and self-paced tour. The crowds were out in full force, but you are free to spend as much time as you like at any of the displays.

The first display really “bites.” Literally. Two huge tanks were filled with monstrous piranhas. I remembered the made-for-TV movie from the 1980’s about piranhas and this display was scary. These flesh eaters were larger than my hand with sharp teeth sticking out of their mouth. I could just imagine them tearing apart their prey.

From there we meandered through the maze of rooms with awe-inspiring tanks of exotic creatures. One tank filled with hundreds of jellyfish was mesmerizing to watch. These unique creatures just floated in the water underneath their parachute- like bodies. There was a large, domed aquarium with giant, Japanese Spider Crabs. Another tank housed the tiniest sea horses. Every conservable sea creature was present, and the best was yet to come.

Candi and I finally made our way to the tunnel. We stepped on a people-mover like you might find in a large airport. It was like an escalator; only it was flat and did not go up or down. I guess it was there to keep the crowd moving at a steady pace through the tunnel.

Once inside, the magic started. We were underneath a sea of water. There were clear glass walls to our right and left with a clear glass, arched ceiling. The aquarium surrounded us. The sights were breathtaking. Eight-to-ten foot sharks of all sorts were swimming right beside me. There were bright orange eels and manta rays in the same tank with thousands of fish and huge sea turtles. There was more to see than I could possibly take in. The tunnel was not a short trip. It wrapped around for about 15-20 minutes. AMAZING!

I would have felt like I got my money's worth after the tunnel, but the tour was still not over. There was still an interactive Discovery Center with teaching exhibits for you to see, touch and feel. I had a blast when I got to pick up and hold a horseshoe crab.

One room called “Pirates: Predators of the Sea” invited you to climb aboard a pirate ship and pillage around. You got to see what it would have been like to live on such a ship. You could also walk the plank or hang in an ancient pirate torture device.

The last stop on the tour was “Touch A Ray Bay.” Here guests are encouraged to touch the manta rays as they swim by the edge of the enclosure. We waited a few minutes but none of the rays seemed interested in coming close, but it was fun while it lasted.

We had a great time spending a couple hours at the Ripley’s Aquarium. I felt like we spent plenty time looking, but I am sure there were things we missed. But we were on a tight schedule, so after a look around in the huge gift shop we were off to the next stop.

Ripley’s Haunted Adventure

We had hoped to see a couple more of the Ripley’s attractions while in town, so we headed out on foot to find the next stop. We knew we wanted to go thought the museum, so we had to make a decision between the Ripley’s Haunted Adventure and the Ripley’s 4-D Movie. I had seen a commercial on TV for the 4-D Movie and it looked like a bumpy ride. Sure enough, a sign out front discouraged pregnant women from this attraction. I guess because the seats move and jerk you around. It looked like a great time, but I did not want to do it alone.

That left us in line for Ripley’s Haunted Adventure. I am a self-proclaimed scaredy-cat and almost dreaded this trip. I watch a scary movie and then dream about it for a month. I had one prior experience in a haunted house and will never forget it. Let's just say, I did not have a good time. I was 12 years old and I got so scared and hysterical that they had to stop and turn the lights on to get me out.

Now 27 years old, I am in line and recalling those nightmarish memories. But I had to hide my fear. Not from my wife, she knows I am a coward. This time I had to hide it from the two “cool” teenagers and three kids going on the tour with us. Oh no!

The brochure said that this was a casket factory that had been haunted and abandoned over 100 years ago. Now I new that was only a story, but it did not matter. We were all loaded into a wire cage elevator and went up the top floor of the building where we were greeted by the crypt keeper. He explained that the tour was self-guided and you were supposed to hold the shoulder of the person in from of you.

This is about where I checked out. It was dark and that was enough for me. I had my eyes closed for most of the trip. I am sure that my wife’s shoulder was bruised and bloody when we left. I held on for dear life.

As I remember it and it was explained to me later; there were lots of dark halls where you only found your way through by hugging the wall. Throughout the tour there were several areas decorated with scary themes, some with live actors while others were controlled by animatronics. At one point we passed through an area where dead bodies hung from the ceiling and someone was performing an autopsy on a cadaver. When the actor slung what I thought was blood at us, I about went down.

Let me just say, I was beyond scared. But since I am a chicken, you might not be able to identify. Others on the tour did not seem to share my view. There were a few who seemed as ready as I was when the end came, while others left the tour laughing. I guess you have to decide for yourself what you can handle.

I would not do the Ripley’s Haunted Adventure tour again, and I would not encourage you to take younger children on the tour. However, if you are brave enough to give it a try, I am sure it is great fun. My wife loved it, so I guess you know who goes to check when there is a noise in our house at midnight.

Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum

I was so glad to be back out in the sun. Knowing that the worst had to be behind me and we were ready to find the Ripley’s Believe It of Not Museum. It was just a couple blocks away, so the walk did not take long.

By this time we had been on our feet all day. The museum was three stories tall so we got on the elevator and started at the top. We had been to the Ripley’s Museum in Branson, so we did know what to expect.

I was always been a big fan of the Ripley’s TV series with Dean Cain, so it was really neat to see some of the exhibits in person.

The building itself is one of the most unique parts of the tour. The building looks like it is about to collapse after an earthquake.

There truly is some strange stuff in there. The exhibits seem to be grouped according to theme. Some of the artifacts come form African and Asian cultures that are very different from our own. They also had several ancient torture devices and an exhibit about serial killers. You will even see a two-headed cow along with other animals and their deformities.

There is truly no way to describe this experience and way too many exhibits to attempt to describe. You are in a museum, but it is a museum for the strange and odd. One could easily spend a couple hours looking around. My favorite station is the tongue-curling test for dominant and recessive traits. You just have to see it to know why it is my favorite. I think you to will enjoy it.

If you like the strange and odd things of life you will love this museum. I have to admit, there are some things I just could not believe.

There are two other Ripley’s attractions we did not have time to explore. I already mentioned the 4-D Movie that looked very interesting. They also have a mini golf park with a Davy Crockett theme. With the exception of the aquarium, I think most of the other attractions have an admission price between $8-$12 per adult. When you are in Gatlinburg, Tennessee make sure that you visit something with the Ripley’s name on it. You are guaranteed a good time.

All five Ripley’s attractions are along the main strip in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. For more information visit www.ripleysaquariumofthesmokies.com or call (888) 240-1358. Each attraction has its own phone number, but the operator at the aquarium should be able to help you with information about all five attractions. Tell them that Heath from the Branson Critic Online sent you.

What do you think? Your opinion is your opinion. Let me know at hhawkins@waynesville.k12.mo.us.