Visit to Gatlinburg.

 On our way again, Trish and I are resting for a few days in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  Yesterday we slept late and then visited around downtown.

Of course we had to be total tourists and go to Ripley’s “Believe It Or Not.”  My Dad loved to read to us the little Ripley’s cartoon box than came with an unbelievable picture in each Sunday’s Asheville Citizen newspaper.  I wish he might have gone through the museum with us to see more than many of those things I remember his reading about.

Which one of these characters is in the museum collection?

After we finished at Ripley’s, we walked on down the street to visit the Ripley’s Aquarium.  What a wonderful surprise!  I have visited aquarium locations over the world and this one is as good as they get.  If you are ever around here, do not miss it!

We arrived just at penguin feeding time and loved the personal touch shown in the care and feeding.  Each of these little critters had a name, a story, and a definite personality.

He feeds each bird while she records exactly who eats what.

Afterwards we got on a long slow conveyer that takes you through tunnels that go under and through the gigantic salt water tank.  This is extremely well done.  Everyone passes face to face with the glass and you see everything.  Besides, the aquarium itself totally surrounds you with sharks and other fishes beside, over, and above.  We learned that there are 350 varieties of fish here and more than 10,000 individual living fish.

Sharks right over our heads!

Besides the moving tunnel, there are many individual tanks that house specific and separate varieties of fish as well as other ocean critters.  

Beautiful fish of every color.

Trish and I loved this aquarium and will certainly come back here again anytime we are in Gatlinburg!