After a little sightseeing in Chatt., we heading out for Pigeon Forge, where we’d be saying for the next two nights.
Our day in Gatlinburg began at the aquarium.
The initial impression — a little cheesy. Fake sky with fake birds and fake clouds painted about the main tank.
Then we went through the tunnel, and it all made sense…
The underwater tunnel was so enlightening that we decided to go through it a second time before leaving.
It was a lot of fun, but I found myself wishing L was about two or three years older, so that she could enjoy it more. As could be expected, there was a kids’ area where visitors could touch horseshoe crabs and crawl into amusing, picturesque fish tanks.
L couldn’t crawl, so I helped.
Still, it seemed she had a pretty good time — she slept, she ate, she saw a few new things. Overall, a success.
There are more pictures at Flickr. And of course there’s a film.
I’ve been to a lot of aquariums, and the Ripley’s actually seems to be the most educational — which was contrary to what I expected.
Yeah, I was surprised at that too. What I really liked was the kid’s exhibits, which included the horseshoe crab display. It might be tempting not to mention it — after all, it’s not as flashy as a ray. Still, it’s about the oldest species out there, and I really appreciated Ripley’s appreciation of it…
We’ll have to go back with L in a few years, for sure.