Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokeys

July 7, 2008 -- One of the highlights of my niece's and my recent visit to Tennessee was Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies. Though quite crowded, we enjoyed our underwater excursion. I think the aquarium in Gatlinburg is actually a little better than the aquarium in Baltimore.

Jellyfish

Little Ones

The shark lagoon was too cool. There were lots of colorful fish, different kinds of sharks, stingrays, and a few sea turtles. You stood on a moving walkway as the underwater world moved around you. Unfortunately, everything moved too fast to get too many good pictures. My other favorite exhibits were the jellyfish, spider crabs, and coral reef.

Sawtooth shark

Big Mouth fish

Colorful fish

Seahorse

Another view

Underside

Tiger Fish

Stingray

Ugly fish

Fish with an underbite

I'd like to learn to scuba dive so I can do underwater photography. Aquatic life is sooo fascinating and it would be neat to explore shipwrecks. Okay, I've been watching too many movies. But I am going to look into it.