Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies Map 2015

A few weeks ago we visited Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies, our second visit since the first in 2013. My thoughts from last time remain pretty much unchanged as the only difference at the aquarium was swapping out the dinosaur exhibit for "Swarm". It was fun taking our son and seeing his reactions. Check out the Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies 2015 map below:

Manta Ray at the Atlantis Resort

 

While on a recent cruise on the Disney Dream we had the opportunity to explore the incredible Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. The Dig is a series of aquariums located beneath the main lobby and spread throughout the resort. Unlike other aquarium attractions, there is no central building with a roof. Most of the fish tanks are open air and sit directly under the brilliant Bahamian sun. The Dig is also highly themed to the ruins of the Lost City of Atlantis. Notable species found here include angel fish, eels, sea turtles, jellyfish, and hammerhead sharks.

 

 

One of the larger exhibits, dubbed “The Predator Lagoon,” features a 100 foot long clear acrylic underwater tunnel passing through a tank of sawfishes, sharks, stingrays, and barracudas. It’s very similar to the one found at Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies. The entrance is in the middle of this giant sea star themed building that also houses a restaurant.

Of course, the marquee animal currently on display is the magnificent Manta Ray. Atlantis is one of only four aquariums in the world to house manta rays. Our tour guide said this ray is just a baby which was quite surprising to hear because its wingspan was over ten feet across! The pictures do not do it justice - this guy was huge! Mantas use the fins on the side of their heads to help channel food into their mouths.

 

 

Unfortunately, we did not get to see the dolphin and sea lion area, which is on the opposite side of the resort. The dolphins are also kept in an open air exhibit and for an exuberant fee you can swim and interact with them. Our tour was only $30 a person and included transportation from the port to the resort and back. I was under the impression the resort is broken up into different areas requiring different tickets to get into but we were pretty much free to walk around wherever we liked, including the breathtaking beach with its amazing, crystal clear water.

 

Check out my video montage of the Atlantis resort and the manta ray below!
 

Monterey Bay Aquarium added to CityPass

The Monterey Bay Aquarium has been added to San Francisco's CITYPass. Get unlimited rides on the cable car and admission on four different attractions, including Monterey Bay Aquarium! Now it's easier than ever to visit one of the world's best aquariums, and my personal favorite. To celebrate, they've put together some interesting facts about the aquarium into an info-graph, pictured below.

Read more about CITYPass here.

Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies Review

While visiting Dollywood, Gatlinburg. and the Smoky Mountains this past weekend my wife and I decided to do something we have never done: check out Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies. This was the third year in a row we have visited Gatlinburg and, although we’d taken pictures outside of it every trip, we had never actually went inside the aquarium. Well, the weather wasn’t that great and it was colder than usual out so we figured it was the perfect time to see what the aquarium had to offer (and it promised to be nice and warm inside)!

There is a sign outside advertising it as “America’s #1 Aquarium.” I’ve never been there but I’ve always assume the Georgia Aquarium to be the best, followed by the Monterey Bay Aquarium (which we did visit last July and it was awesome). I wouldn’t rate Ripleys the number one aquarium but it was slightly better than I expected it to be and is a good option if you’re looking for an hour or two of entertainment and discovery.

The aquarium features many exhibits divided up into themed regions but the main attraction is the Shark Lagoon. Guests stand on a motorized walkway that carries them through a semi-circular tube in a U-shaped layout through a giant tank filled with nurse sharks and sawfish. The cool thing about it too is that not only do you get a great 180 degree underwater, you can also go above the tank and appear straight down into it from a variety of angles enabling you to watch the sharks fins pierce the water ala jaws. There is also a creepy/mysterious soundtrack playing in the background (all the background music is done really well here).

While the Shark Lagoon is an outstanding exhibit, the Aquarium of the Smokies as a whole lacks that one unique, marquee animal that they can hang their hat on. For example, Monterey Bay has sea otters and the Georgia Aquarium has whale sharks. Beyond the Shark Lagoon, there are really no imaginative tank designs (unlike Monterey Bay, which had several stunning designs). As an adult I did find enjoyment in visiting the Gatlinburg aquarium but it is really geared more towards kids. In the end, the aquarium is slightly overpriced (AAA members get a $1 off discount per ticket) but is a much better value than most of the other overpriced tourist traps in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.

The Sea Otters of Monterey Bay

While visiting the beautiful city of San Francisco earlier this summer I made a side trip down the coast to Monterey. Read part one of my review of the excellent Monterey Bay Aquarium. Today, I’m going to continue my review by showcasing one of my favorite animal encounters ever, both in captivity and in the wild.

The main attractions of the Monterey Bay Aquarium are the sea otters which can be seen in captivity inside the aquarium and in the wild from the observation decks outside the aquarium. I was initially shocked at how big the sea otters are up close. I had seen river otters and Asian small clawed otters at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium but they are tiny in comparison. Here are a few facts about sea otters as well as my sea otter pictures.

 

Sea otters don’t rely on blubber to survive the frigid waters of the Pacific Ocean like other mammals. Instead, they have the densest fur of any animal on the planet. I’d love to feel sea otter fur. Sea otters can live their entire life without leaving the water. Did you know sea otters live in groups called rafts?

What do sea otters eat? Sea otters eat sea urchins and other mollusks and crustaceans. This includes clams, snails, sea stars, sea urchins, squid, and octopuses. How would you like to eat sea otter food? They can hold their breath for up to five minutes, allowing a long dive to the ocean floor to hunt for food. They use rocks as tools to crack open prey.

Where do sea otters live? The otters seen from the decks of the Monterey Bay Aquarium are called southern or California sea otters. Sea otters are an endangered species. One ill-timed oil spill could essentially wipe out the entire Monterey Bay sea otter population. To see the otters up close you can kayak out into the calm waters of the bay, which I would LOVE to go back and do.

Embedded below is my Monterey Bay Aquarium montage video, featuring scenes with the sea otters inside as well as out in the bay. Sorry for some of the shaky footage. Enjoy!

Read my review on the rest of the exhibits at the MontereyBay Aquarium.

Monterey Bay Aquarium Review

I recently took a trip to the west coast and had amazing opportunity to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Where is Monterey Bay? Monterey, California is located about a two hour drive south from the city of San Francisco. The aquarium was founded in 1984 on the site of the former Monterey Bay canners sardine factory (remnants of which are displayed inside).

One of the best features of the Monterey Bay Aquarium that makes it so special is its location: right on the shore of Monterey Bay itself. In fact, fresh ocean water is actually continuously pumped into the aquarium. During the day this water is filtered to make viewing easier for guests but at night the ocean water is pumped in as is. How cool is that? Many  types of wildlife can be viewed from the many decks overlooking the bay, including sea otters, seals, star fish, whales, sea birds, and more.

The Kelp Forest exhibit is quite impressive. There is a surge machine at the top of the tank which helps keep the kelp in the constant motion they require. Kelp can grow up to four inches in one day so divers are often seen keeping it nicely trimmed.

My jaw dropped when we entered one room where there is a circular tank above your head containing thousands of fish constantly circling around you.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium was also the first aquarium in the world to successfully keep a great white shark on exhibit. A great white was displayed in the Open Seas tank for 198 days before being released after it bit and killed two other fish.

Also please note, the Monterey Bay Aquarium parking situation is a bit different from what you would expect of a large tourist attraction. There is no parking lot associated with the property. Instead, you will probably have to park in one of several parking garages down Cannery Row Street and walk the short distance to the Monterey Bay acquarium. But the town is very nice and there are lots of neat shops and restaurants along the way, including the Monterey Bay canners.

The main attraction for the Monterey Aquarium is the Sea Otters, but I haven’t mentioned them here because I am going to devote an entire future post just for them, so stay tuned.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium hours are currently:

Regular hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Summer and holidays: 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m.

Summer weekends: 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m.

Pictured below is a scanned copy of the Monterey Bay Aquarium map.