4 Must Visit Ripley's Attractions To Visit In Gatlinburg

I was provided complimentary tickets to the following Ripley’s attractions. All opinions are my own.

Many years ago we visited Gatlinburg, and we loved it. Now that we have kids, we wanted to take them to experience some of the fun too. There are so many things to do. So before we started the drive from Kentucky, I made a list of everything I wanted to do while we were there.

Ripley has so many attractions – you could spend your whole vacation at their attractions. Even better – they offer ticket packages so the more you buy, the more you save! We only got to visit the Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, the Ripley’s Odditorium, The Mirror Maze, and Old Mac Minigolf. We really wanted to visit the Guinness World Record, but it was closed the week we were there. We can’t wait to go back and visit the other Ripley’s Attractions.

You can watch this video that gives you a look into all the attractions we enjoyed!

Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies

We really enjoyed this aquarium. It was huge and had so many things to see. In the middle, it had a huge playground so the parents could take a break and the kids could play. My kids were a little older so they just wanted to keep going and check out the sea life!

As you entered there were a ton of tanks with sea life, then you got a peek into what happens to keep the aquarium going. Then you enter the shark tunnel. This was amazing! You are on a moving conveyer belt for several minutes and you are surrounded by clear glass so you can see everything. Sharks are swimming over your head with other sea creatures. You can pet a stingray, and even see coral reefs.

Towards the end, they had a special Pearl Harbor exhibit. I learned a ton about it in a fun and interactive setting. I think my kids learned a lot about it too. They had pictures, interactive maps, facts, and more. (Make sure you check out their website to see what they have for their current exhibit.

This attraction takes about 2-3 hours, depending on if you play on the playground or watch shows. Make sure you go early during peak season.

Mirror Maze

The cool thing about the Mirror Maze is that it is right in the middle of Gatlinburg and your ticket is valid all day! You can take different passages and get lost with your friends. It’s a really cool experience. Also located inside the Mirror Maze is the Candy Factory! Ripley’s Candy Factory has got hundreds of your favorite candies, from old-time classics to the latest treats that are sure to appeal to any sweet tooth.

Ripley’s Odditorium

This was a lot of fun! It was room after room of oddities on display, including shrunken human heads & rare animal skeletons. It has 500 exhibits and artifacts, 13 themed galleries on 3 floors. At the end, there are a lot of cool rooms that are interactive. You could spend up to 2 hours going through this attraction.

Old Mac Mini Golf

Can you believe this was the first time our family has ever played mini golf together? We need to do it more often because we had a blast! We played 18 holes of golf, and we realized our middle son is really good. He managed to get 3 holes in ones! There are a lot of fun things to look at while you are making your way through the course. You can even play a few arcade games after your golf game is over.

The location is in Sevierville. It’s right in front of a mall so play a little golf and then go shopping!

As you can see, these are some of the best attractions you can visit while in Gatlinburg. There really is so much to see, so make sure you make a plan before you go. Check the weather and plan to visit the indoor Ripley’s attraction on the rainy days.

Here are a bunch more pictures from our trip!