This was on our short list for our trip, based on our visit decades ago, and it did not disappoint…read more This time we came with our own kids, and they just had a blast. The aquarium sea life itself is great with all the favorites: a big shark tank, the electric eel, the dragon fish, the ray touch tank, the octopus. It also has that Ripley's goofy charm, a big climbing playground in the middle for the kids, a mermaid show, and even a penguin march through the middle of the exhibits. You can buy food and drinks (including local beers) in between the exhibits. The city parking garage is right behind the location and the trolley drops off right beside the front door. If you have kids, you'll want to spend some time here.

If you've ever wondered what it feels like to be a salmon swimming upstream during peak season,…read morejust visit Ripley's Aquarium on a busy day. I didn't take many pictures because I was trying to live in the moment--and also because I was too busy dodging people who apparently trained for this event at the "Cutting in Line Olympics (my kid came up with that analogy.) This place was packed. I mean Black Friday at the Best Buy packed. Half the time I couldn't even see the tanks because someone's unk decided the best viewing angle was directly in front of my face. Patience was not the theme of the day. Luckily for him I'm not only patient but handsome. But then... the shark tunnel appeared like a gift from the aquarium gods. We hopped onto a slow-moving convey like a lazy river at a Vegas hotel, for people who don't want to walk. Honestly, I wish the entire building worked this way. Zero chaos. Zero pushing. Just vibes and sharks gliding over your head like "Come on in the waters fine" The stingrays were another highlight--majestic, chill, and many different sizes. Crowds aside,(but not really) those two moments made the visit worth it. If you go, bring patience, comfortable shoes, and maybe a bullhorn to get people's attention. But once you hit the sharks, it will be smooth sailing. FYI I will never go again but it was pretty cool in general..

I want to say this has been one of the highlights of my family trip. When your 16 yo his 17 yo best…read morefriend and wife all agree on this fact it says something. As adults we have this tendency to say "if I knew then what I knew now, I'd have paid more attention in school!" Well here's your chance. This tiny aquarium will impart more knowledge in a short visit than you probably take in most months if you take advantage of it. The interns and owner (a former teacher) are committed to answering questions. The things they are studying and sharing are amazing. If you go in and you want to learn and ask questions this will be an experience you won't forget. Think of the best science teacher you ever had, having an opportunity to show the world what she loves to talk about... and that is what you have here. Do yourself a favor, go, enjoy and learn!!

We went awhile back to see Charlotte and were sorely disappointed. Hearing of her death today…read morereminded me I had forgotten to write a review. This location is privately run and not for educational purposes. More like going to a friends house to see their pets. Please consider going to an aquarium run by scientists for educational purposes.

We bought a 3 activity ticket from Ripley's and decided to use it on the mountain coaster. Walking…read morein there wasn't any long lines, which is always nice. All the workers were polite and helpful. The actual mountain coaster was your typical mountain coaster for the area. Compared to other coasters I felt this was one of the shorter rides. They do offer photos from your ride which I did purchase and it seemed to be a reasonable price.

Pretty good experience on the coaster. It was quite a bit of wait - so might be worth checking…read morefirst. You can ride alone or with a kid. It was fun. When you're riding together only one person has the brakes - not sure if they are really brakes. Also when the person tells you to go all in, you need to go as much as you can tolerate because that's the final stretch of rolling before it ends. Only downside is the ride is just 2-3 minutes.

Overall decent place. Wouldn't say it's a stand out attraction, but it does ok to see. 1 thing to…read morenote if you use your GPS, it will take you to an abandoned building parking lot. We went down the road/hill and found it. It's a nice exhibit, they do have animal shows a few times a day, you can easily spend a few hours here, the animals your aloud to touch that I saw were Guinea pigs, and a handler walked around with a boa. Nice little gift shop at the end

I really enjoyed this stop for our toddler while we were in the area on vacation! It was the right…read moresize to not be overwhelming and wasn't overly crowded, so he enjoyed walking around inside to see the amazing birds, reptiles, and other animals. We especially liked the outdoor area to feed the goats and llamas, it was his first time trying that activity and he had such a blast. There are so many options on places to stop while you're in Gatlinburg, but if it's a rainy day, you have an animal-lover, or younger kids looking for an appropriate activity Rainforest Adventures is a great option.

Anakeesta is one of my favorite places to visit in Tennessee! The views are absolutely beautiful,…read moreand there's so much to do for the whole family. The mountain scenery, rides, attractions, and overall atmosphere make it a great place to spend the day. Everything feels like a fun adventure, especially when you take the chairlift up and enjoy the views of the Smoky Mountains. Definitely a place I would recommend visiting if you're in the Gatlinburg area. It's a great experience for both kids and adults!

Was stuck at the top of Anakeesta for 3 hours due to lightening. The management lacks any sort of…read moreevacuation plan. Another guest commented that they were continued to bring guests up on the gondola until there was a lightening strike some distance away. There was no clear communication to guests. They were taking people down in 3 small buses on a one-lane road. Beyond the lack of management and any sort of emergency plan to evacuate several hundred, if not more, people. The entire operation is a giant cash grab. In order to do most of the activities, an additional fee is required. As the storm moved in, they were still taking people's money. Definitely there are better options for families in the Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge areas that are more reasonable in costs and better value. Wanted to have a good time. Left disappointed. No plans to come back. Not how I expected to be treated as a paying customer. Young employees not trained to respond to the situation. Just disappointing the unsafe conditions they put every family that was that was at Anakeeesta in. Just unprepared and unacceptable. There are other situations that require emergency responses, and I highly doubt they are prepared to respond.

I will be first to say this place when we pulled in I doubted we would enjoy it. I saw a lot of…read morelittle kids and we had a 2nd grader with us. I guess I am spoiled with a hometown children's museum of play.. I am so glad we went in to give it a chance, the employees here are wonderful. Very welcoming. The exhibits are diverse and many hands on touch this or that ability. There were some dated videos of the Appalachian culture but honestly it gave it an appeal and definitely a time gone by. The exhibits and explanation of the Manhattan project were very interesting. All of us walked away learning a lot about oak ridge and that era around world war 2. We spent a good two hours in the museum and didn't read it all, we happened to be walking in right before a school group of 30 little kids and parents. Initially it was loud but there was enough space that we didn't have to be around all the chaos real little kids bring. Some of the exhibits were geared for smaller kids but our 2nd grader had no problem enjoying the experience. I mean who doesn't love a "doll house" that has two levels, For the price and exhibits I would suggest it to anyone especially if you have a history buff in your family.

Pulling in, it's an old school and it doesn't look very big. You walk inside and are greeted by an…read moreattendant and a big bear off to the left. They have a small gift shop with stuffed animals, patches and small things. If your disabled, don't worry about steps..they have ya covered with ramps throughout the museum. As you walk through it's very well put together. The farm room where the children can grab a basket and grab the plastic apples out of the tree on the wall and make their own dinner plate out if magnetized pictures of foods. They have a pretty big life-sized doll house, which was very cool along with old relics of dolls etc from different eras. They have a water room where the kids can send floating boats down a make believe lock at the dam. At the end, they have a train room that is pretty cool with towns all lit up and a train going throughout them.. very cool place. Very neat place. $8.00 for adults $7.00 for seniors aged 62+ and children under 3 are free.

The Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge is truly one of the most incredible and memorable experiences…read moreyou can have. From the moment you arrive and see the massive ship replica, you can tell this is something special. The exterior alone is stunning and immediately sets the tone for what's inside. As soon as you walk in, you're given a boarding pass with the name of a real passenger or crew member, which adds a deeply personal and immersive element to the visit. Throughout the museum, you follow their journey, and by the end, you find out their fate--it's a powerful and emotional touch that really connects you to the history. The exhibits are extremely well done and very interactive. You're not just looking at displays--you're experiencing them. From touching a real iceberg to feeling the sloping decks that simulate the ship's final moments, everything is designed to help you understand what it was like on board. The attention to detail is incredible, with beautifully recreated rooms like the Grand Staircase that make you feel like you've stepped back in time. The museum does an amazing job of balancing education and emotion. There's so much history to learn, with real artifacts, detailed information, and stories about passengers and crew that bring everything to life. It's clear that a lot of care and respect went into telling the story of Titanic in a meaningful way. The staff was friendly, knowledgeable, and clearly passionate, which made the experience even better. The entire facility was clean, well-organized, and easy to navigate, allowing you to take your time and fully enjoy each part of the museum. Overall, this is an unforgettable experience that goes far beyond a typical museum visit. Whether you're a Titanic enthusiast or just looking for something unique and meaningful to do, this is an absolute must-visit. I would highly recommend it to anyone--definitely a five-star experience.

There was nobody in line when I arrived, so I asked if I could skip walking through the multiple…read morerows of chained queue lines. The employee told me no because I needed to stop for a picture. I told her I didn't want a picture and just wanted to get through the entrance, but she still insisted I walk the entire queue. I found that pretty frustrating. As you make your way through, there are historical artifacts and information displays, which were interesting. The bigger issue came when I needed to use the elevator. I told an employee that I couldn't do stairs, and his first response was to tell me to take them anyway. After explaining again that I needed the elevator, I stood there for several minutes before he finally moved the rope and let me on. He then told me the elevator only went to the second floor, which left me wondering what was on the third floor. For $40 per person, I honestly felt this attraction was overpriced. One of the more memorable exhibits on the second floor was a display where you could put your hand in 28-degree water to experience how cold the water felt for those who ended up in it. Other than that, I didn't feel like the experience justified the cost.

This 'experience' was a total waste of money. Walking up to outside of the building it sounds so…read moreexciting with suspenseful music playing. The cost for the adult tickets were $25 which seemed high but we thought we would try it. You wait with a group for your guide. The first room takes you into a 'chamber' where you are supposed to go deep into the ocean. It's lame. Literally 4 screens on one side and 2 on the other. One of the 4 screens had glitched out so the color was all messed up. Then you go through what they said was a mirror maze which honestly was nothing. This leads you to a black room where you watch for 5 or 6 mins two Squid try to kill each other. In the end one dies. Then you go into another room of maybe 6 panels of screens where you watch a shark try to kill sea lions. Yep. Two 'killing' episodes in a row. Super kid friendly. Spoiler alert they all survive. The next room is one wall screen with an interactive floor. You're supposed to play with the fish. I never saw anything happen and my husband tired multiple times. Then you go into a room where you can interact with jellyfish. You move your arms to make them move. They barely move. Also noticed these were hooked up to Xbox?! You can also take the time to color a fish and it goes on to the screen. Everyone in our group were older adults so no one did this. Then you go into a room which is a long screen behind glass. I thought oh cool maybe water comes up to the glass...but no now it is orcas trying to kill sting rays. Next room you are back to interacting with sea lions. Moving your hand in front of screens again. Final room is like a wall to ceiling dome shaped screen and you are given 3D glasses. The show is little fish swimming around. Then a whale comes and eats the fish. Final scene the whale swallows you. The. End. They said it was a 45 min to an hour experience. I think we were in there at the most 40. Save your money. The potential for this to be so cool was just so horrible

This experience was not what we thought it would be. The sound was drowning out what the guide…read moresaid. Short 3-D movie at end was the highlight. Maybe consider taking children 6-8 ish, but would honestly recommend spending your time and money elsewhere. Disappointed.

Ok, I had very high expectations. I had read a lot of great reviews, and with so many options from…read morethe same chain, it was hard to choose. My daughter was deciding between WonderWorks and Ripley's Aquarium, and honestly, I regret not choosing the aquarium. I expected this place to blow our minds, but it didn't. The attractions feel a bit outdated and could definitely use better maintenance, especially considering the amount of people they get every day. The best part was the laser tag -- everything else was pretty underwhelming. The 4D simulator was only partially working, and the glasses felt cheap. The earthquake experience was disappointing... my car on a straight road moves more than that. Plan to go with plenty of time, because between everything, time flies and you'll easily spend at least three hours inside. If you're thinking about going after 6 pm, I'd recommend leaving it for another day and going earlier. And if you're choosing between this attraction and another one... there's really not much to think about.

WonderWorks in Pigeon Forge absolutely earned a 5-star review from me for the value alone. For one…read moreadmission price, you get hours of hands-on fun: interactive science exhibits, the 4D motion theater, glow-in-the-dark ropes course, and unlimited laser tag and rides. It feels like more than just a "museum," and we easily could've spent half a day exploring and still not hit everything.What really stood out, though, was the military discount. As soon as we asked, the staff knew exactly how it worked, applied it with no hassle, and knocked a nice chunk off the total. That savings made a big difference for our group and turned an already good deal into a great deal.. Between the amount of stuff included in the ticket, the chance to replay laser tag and rides as much as you want, I honestly don't understand how anyone could rate this less than 5 stars. If you show up early, plan a few hours, and take advantage of the discount, it's one of the best values in Pigeon Forge. Try to plan the trip in the off season as it is nowhere near as crowded as it was doing the summer where it was too crowded to stand in line to get in. Definitely worth my money and something I would do again with my grandchildren.

Let me say that I'm absolutely amazed with all the beautiful and spacious enclosures for all the…read moreanimals in the zoo. The zoo is huge, so they had the ability to give animals lots of space! The black bear had his own little mountain nook (we didn't get to see him, though he was probably hiding from all the heat that day). We saw a baby gorilla playing with his mommy, that was worth flying from Boston to Knoxville just to see those eyes. There is a Turtle Trail were you get to go inside with the turtles and have them climb on your feet and feed them and scratch their backs...how cool is that! The budgies were pretty cool, you get to go in the enclosure with them and feed them seeds on a stick. Gorgeous, amazing creatures!! The green and blue ones are from The wild and the white ones with blue back are the bred ones in captivity. The otters for sure stole the show, they just played and played in the water, my son was psyched to see them !! The red panda was jumping all over and wanted to get in with the rest of the sleeping pandas on the bamboo trees...what gorgeous animals. And the Rhinos!!! Massive massive animals. First time I've seen rhinos and I'm in love with these very scary huge animals. You should see the enclosure that they had for them. It was very generous, full of mud and massive rocks. OK, I could go on and on about all the animals in there, but the most important thing that I wanted to say is that the sponsors of this zoo respect animals, they don't put them in a tiny enclosure and call it good, they actually spent a lot of effort on matching the natural habitat that these animals lived in, and they gave them room to roam! Also per their campaigns and posters within in zoo, they are trying to save endangered and critically vulnerable species from extinction. They do a lot of work and awareness about the lifestyle of the animals, especially that the staff is super friendly with lots of youths working there and learning about these beautiful animals and transferring this knowledge To visitors. Also, how thoughtful are they to include fun stuff for kids like a huge sandbox, slides, tunnels, climbing rocks, a beautiful merry go round with all the decorated animals, a water park for the kids to jump in fountains (wish I knew I would have brought my kid a swim suit)... my kid had a blast anyway!! They built a whole massive treehouse with a rope bridge so that you could see the gibbons and red pandas up in the trees. Massive enclosures, statues, canopies, overlooks....they thought about everything!! Not only did my kid have fun, my husband and I had tons of fun too. So did my mom! What a wonderful day. I will definitely donate money to this establishment that really cares about the conservation of animals and treats them with respect.. thank you Zoo Knoxville staff abc sponsors. All the love to your work. Keep spreading awareness.

I finally visited today for the first time with a girlfriend, and we easily spent four hours…read morewalking around and seeing the different animals. Some of my favorites included: the red pandas, gibbons, great apes, otters and tigers. The zoo was especially busy today because of Spring Break week, but the great thing was that we never felt crowded or claustrophobic. There were places to purchase food like Beastro's Cuisine and Safari Smoke House, but we brought snacks and beverages to hold us over for our visit. I highly recommend the Knoxville Zoo for anyone looking for something fun to do when visiting our scruffy little town. Know before you go: 1) Tickets are $26.95 per adult, $21.95 for kids ages 3-12, seniors, and college students. Free for active military/veterans and children (2 & under). 2) A $2 ticket fee is added to all in person ticket sales. Save time and money, by getting your ticket online. 3) Parking is available in upper and lower lots. Handicap parking is available as well. All parking is $5, or free for membership holders. 4) Everyday they have animal encounters at different times where you can personally meet the animal ambassador and caretakers and get to chat with them. My favorite was the red panda encounter which is at 3pm everyday. 5) They do have a greatly curated gift shop with something for everyone including magnets, hats, clothing merch, and stuffed animals.