Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies — Attraction in Gatlinburg

Robert Ripley would be rolling in his grave if he saw this.

The man built his legacy on wonder, curiosity, and the idea that everyone deserved to experience the unbelievable. What’s happening at Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies today would make him sick. It’s not about sharing amazement anymore. It’s about squeezing every last dollar from families who just want to give their kids a special day.

Let’s be honest. The prices are ridiculous. By the time you buy tickets for a family of four, you’re staring down close to two hundred dollars just to walk through an hour-long exhibit. You pay to park, you pay extra if you want a souvenir photo, and you get hit again inside with food that costs double what it should. It’s the kind of experience that makes you feel like you need to take out a loan to see some fish.

It’s not the kids’ fault. They walk in wide-eyed, ready to see sharks and jellyfish and sea turtles, and the parents are just doing their best not to let them see the total on the receipt. Meanwhile the company calls it “family fun” and pats itself on the back for “creating memories.” No, what you’re creating are financial regrets.

Ripley’s used to stand for something that made people curious about the world. Now it feels like a corporate trap dressed up in neon lights and sea-themed decor. It preys on the love parents have for their children, knowing full well that nobody wants to be the one to say, “Sorry, it costs too much.”

If Robert Ripley were alive, he’d walk through that entrance, look at the price board, and ask, “What part of this is supposed to be unbelievable? The fish,...

I’d like to preface that we came on fall break—which I understand is a very busy time of year for every attraction in the area. We came on a Wednesday morning and we could see the crazy long line to get inside. I called to see if there was any way to accommodate us as we have a special needs son who had a hard time tolerating lines. The nice lady in guest services graciously allowed us to come thru the ADA entrance once we got to the entrance. I’m disappointed that there isn’t a standard of letting special needs family do this without having to ask (something they do at Dollywood). Unfortunately there is no way of bypassing the line on a ramp because it was too crowded so we had to carry 2 strollers up stairs! So we are let in thru the entrance, scanned our prepaid tickets and we are met with a line inside—it is absolutely packed with people! There’s no way they should be allowed to have that many people at one time. We didn’t even get to enjoy everything ever there is wall to wall bodies. Not to mention it’s extremely loud. We barely made it an hour maybe. The big wall they shark exhibit was really cool but just didn’t get to throughly enjoy it. I’m sure it would be much better way less crowded but honestly we probably won’t go back. Once we left, we were once again left with no ramp to exit leaving us with no where to exit. We weren’t the only ones. There were elderly handicap folks forced to walk down the stairs—unacceptable! Make your facility more...

I loved it, so did the family. Lovely displays, tons of aquatic life and the tunnel is amazing 🤩. Definitely a must! Again thought this seems to be a common issue at all tourist locations and attractions.. families with children, please be considerate of others while we understand it's a child, your the parent, control your kids, we're not there to hear your child screaming at the top of its lungs pointing things out.. running wild and screaming child isn't something ppl care to hear or see while trying to enjoy an attraction. Maybe I'm old fashioned but man, seems like children are left to be wild animals, no etiquette, discipline, respect or behavioral control... I blame...