We only had one day where is rained a bit (it cleared up by noon) and it happened to be the day that we had planned to go to the aquarium. Ripley's Aquarium in Gatlinburg is really great. It is very well done and maintained, yet small enough that we could see most of it before we headed out for lunch. We went back to the aquarium after naps and an early dinner, and we had the place almost to ourselves. My tip is to go later, rather than earlier if you even make the trip. Early morning wasn't too bad, but by the time we left for lunch, it was starting to get pretty crowded. The aquarium stays open until 9:00, but by 7:00, there is hardly anyone there.
The main feature of the aquarium is their shark lagoon where you walk or ride the conveyer belt through a tunnel that winds through the tank. It is a great experience, but Malcolm wasn't a fan because of the slightly ominous music they had playing. It set the tone, but it was a bit loud; especially since when we went through there weren't too many people. I imagine with more people in there, and talking, it would be more difficult to hear the music.
We were waiting for the divers to come into the tank for the tank cleaning, so we popped Dorothy up on the ledge. She wasn't so sure she wanted to be up there.
One of the many, many sharks we saw swim over our heads.
Dorothy and went through again when we went back in the evening, and had the tunnel all to ourselves. It was pretty neat to experience it without anyone else around.
After the shark lagoon, we spent a good chunk of time in an open kids' area where there were lots of things to touch, levers to pull, and dials to churn.
Sometimes, she doesn't want to touch animals, but she liked the horseshoe crabs. I'm not sure if she understood that they were living creatures since they didn't do much and look a bit like rocks.
Malcolm liked getting to touch them too.
They have three different tanks shaped like doughnuts, where the kids can crawl underneath, and come up in a tube in the center. They each did it once or twice, but I found them more impressive than the kids did.
It took a little convincing to get her to stand up. I wonder if she thought she would be in the water instead of dry. Several times during the day, she would ask, "Is there glass?" as we were standing in front of a tank.
Kevin got me a new camera for my birthday, back in February, and I had fun playing with the different settings while the kids explored. My favorite tank was one of the ones kids could pop up in the middle of that was "Finding Nemo" themed. The colors were so vibrant and there were so many fish in there, it was fun to try to get some pictures (some turned out better than others).
It was a highly active tank.
I loved the bright red shrimp (on the underside of the rock), but none of the close ups I took turned out very clear. The glass was curved and distorted the view a lot of the time.
Close-up of a starfish underbelly.
I wish this one was a little more crisp, but overall I was happy with some of my results.
Malcolm liked this little play area until he pushed a button and it made a really loud noise that startled him.
Dorothy wouldn't pose in the diver suit, so Kevin took a turn.
They have a room that is a rotating exhibit, and while we were there, the topic was "Slime." There were tanks with things like sea cucumbers, and moray eels, and little activities for the kids to do that were slime themed. Dorothy's favorite was this tank of little jellyfish that they could touch with two fingers on their backs. She went back to this tank over and over again.
There is a giant sting ray tank, and attached is a shallow section where you can touch the rays that come up. When we were there in the evening, there was hardly anyone there to watch the feeding show in the big tank. Afterward, the diver came into the touch section and brought some rays over for the kids so they could touch them more easily.
Penguins! The aquarium has a really cute penguin area that is both indoor and outdoor. These are warm weather, African penguins, and we (well, Kevin and I) learned quite a bit during the talk the staff member did during the penguin feeding we watched.
Like the tanks in the kid area, the penguin exhibit has a tunnel the kids can crawl through, then pop up inside the penguin area.
This was part of the outside area. Inside, there is a glass section of floor, so you can see the penguins swim back and forth between the inside and the outside. We pointed it out to Dorothy, who would not walk across it. She got her toes right up to the edge, then peered into the water. This was another moment of her not being sure there was glass to keep the water where it was supposed to be.
This is how Malcolm walked through the outside area, because penguins are stinky. One of the things we learned during the feeding is that that poop about every 10-15 minutes. We also learned that they are very picky and will only eat the male versions of the fish they feed them.
Cute, bigger than life-size penguin.
He's making this face because he is holding his breath since we asked him to take him hand off of his nose.
These are just some more of me playing around with my new camera, but I liked how they turned out. I took the first one during our morning visit, then went back to try some more in the evening.
We had a great time at the aquarium, and was a nice to break up our trips into the national park. As a side note, we had lunch at the Village Pancake House. Everyone else had pancakes, but I had their "Polish Aristocrat" sandwich. If you are ever in the area, go and have that sandwich! It was incredible. It's corned beef with Swiss cheese and vinegar slaw, lightly grilled, and served with cucumbers and onions, horseradish, and a dill mustard. Delicious!
No comments:
Post a Comment