Ripley's Aquarium

 Saturday after the Snake we headed towards Gatlinburg, got a hotel for the night and then headed to the Ripley's Aquarium in Gatlinburg on Sunday.   The kid was pretty amazed as we drove through Pigeon Forge,  seeing all of the attractions and tourist gimmicks that encourage a person to spend money.  Poor little kid,  having to go hiking and riding and all that outdoorsy stuff, never seeing such a spectacle until he is nine yrs old...... 

The aquarium was a great time and I recommend it to anybody,  kids or not.  I was fully entertained and the animals held my attention for a full 3.5 hrs.  That says a lot.  It was relaxing to wander around,  naming the fish that I used to swim with and eat back in the days that I lived on an island.

Several areas where one is able to touch horseshoe crabs and stingrays/manta rays was pretty cool.   The shark tank has a long tunnel under it, complete with conveyer belt that you stand on and watch the fish as you float gently through.   Although, the kid was  just as excited about the conveyer belt as he was about the sharks.

Fun times were had by all and we hope to return one day.