Ordinarily, I might not have given thought to checking out an attraction like Ripley's Aquarium when I was in Gatlinburg, Tenn., recently. At quick glance, it struck me as a typical tourist trap with more hype that substance. Maybe the hyperbolic moniker "Ripley" soured me right off the bat.
But we had 3-year-old Jaxson with us on the trip, and strolling through an attraction featuring sea life as well as letting Jax indulge in distractions there designed for small children like himself, we decided it was a risk worth taking.
And I have to say I was impressed ... and glad we make the visit. The attraction also had an affordable municipal parking garage behind the building, which was important considering that parking is at a premium in Gatlinburg, as I imagine it is in its neighboring touristy towns of Pigeon Forge and Sevierville.
The most impressive part of Ripley's Aquarium -- at least for me -- is the walk-through sea creature tank. It entails strolling down a dry area (a portion of it will pull you forward at a slow pace if you'd prefer to let someone do the walking for you, too) in which you're surrounded by glass walls behind which is real time underwater sea -- and all forms of sea life swimming about. Hard to explain; it's one of those things you have to see yourself to appreciate.
The photo leading off the -- one of the first I took when I noticed that a staffer had entered the tank -- is an example of what visitors see. I used my iPhone for all shots in this part of the aquarium because it was picking up better dynamic range at slightly faster shutter speeds than I could must with my Canon 6D (I didn't bring any fast lenses, so that was another factor pointing against using the DSLR).
As always, if you'd like to view a larger, sharper version of a photo, simply click on the image. This is particularly helpful if you access the blog from a mobile device. To see a
full gallery of images from the April 30 visit to Ripley's Aquarium, follow the link in this sentence.
Photo geek stuff: Most of the images in this post were taken with my Canon 6D and Tamron 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD lens. I made three exposures of each composition, some of which I later melded into one image using Photomatix high-dynamic range (HDR) software. Many of the images indoors, however, were taken with the iPhone, which was giving me better detail and stop action than my DSLR.
Above and first four photos below: More views of the large-fish take from the special glass pedestrian walk-through tunnel.
Above: From the next level up in the building, one can see people walking in the glass pedestrian where I was when I took the photos above this.
Ripley's goes to wonderful lengths to bring the sea life picture close to you in its various displays. Above, Jaxson pokes his head in a viewing tube in the middle of a modest display. One of these was also in the penguin display. Below, visitors can touch jellyfish -- those who tried it and the staffer who assisted visitors claim there is nothing to be afraid of. I didn't try it, though.
Above and next two below: Various fish (including a jelly fish below) from separate displays we came across.
Above: One of those "capturing motion" efforts that I ended being pleased with because of the blur and color.
Above: Another perspective shot, looking down on a crab display.
Above and below: A couple more shots from the large sea life tank walk-through.
The penguin display satisfied visitors seeking the "cute" factor, and we were fortunate to arrive just minutes before a feeding time. In the photo above, a staffer takes care of one penguin. The photo below shows how each penguin wears a label on a wing. The labels show the names of each penguin. The second and third photos below show visitors observing the exhibit from the glass pop-up tube in the middle of the environment.
A full (above) and closeup (below) view of the crab fossil educational display.
To keep adults amused, the aquarium provides a goofing video that throws a animated seal life creature on a visitor's face for the duration of their exposure on camera. I got around it momentarily when I pulled my camera up to my eyes (photo above). When I dropped the camera below my neck, the creature appeared on my face (below). I had just enough time to pull the camera back up to grab the picture below before the creature went away again.
Above: Matt and Jaxson checking out a small cylindrical display.
Above: For aesthetics, the aquarium has this waterfall as you walk up from the ticket window to enter the walk-through areas.
Above: Kids needing to burn energy have quite a few amusements to indulge, including this climbing chute.
The outside entrance to the aquarium (above) and an adjoining building (below) in a photo where you can see Gatlinburg's space needle in the background on the left. Never made it to that ...
Next up: Downtown Gatlinburg
Previously in this series:
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
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