Ripley's Aquarium

Well, I'm not doing very well with keeping up on the blog!  It's been almost a month since I last posted.  I'll try to do better.  Really, I will.  But for those of you who are dying to see more of the kids more often, you can also befriend me on Facebook and see the pics/video clips I post there.  

So the boys and I tagged along on a work call with Chris a couple of weeks ago, and on the way back we drove through Smoky Mountain National Park (awesome scenery) and then stopped in Gatlinburg to visit Ripley's Aquarium.  The kids really enjoyed it, and it was a very nice family attraction.  Here's a bit of what we saw:

This giant catfish was bigger than Josh!

The boys and me, taken quickly so we could get out of the way.

Teeny, neon-colored Poison Dart Frogs.

In the shark tunnel.  The flash made its eyes glow - doesn't it look super fierce that way?

It's hard to tell by the poor quality of this photo, but there are no less than 5 sharks right there.

This was a lazy Sawfish, lying on top of the clear tunnel ceiling.

Shark TEETH.  Scary.

All of the boys in the shark tunnel.

A mean-looking Green Moray Eel.

George & Joshua enjoying the inner view of this tank of puffer fish.

Touching Horseshoe Crabs.

I love Sea Horses.

But have you ever seen Sea Dragons?

A crazy-looking Dragon Eel.

Blake making friends with a Giant Spider Crab (I wanted to dip those legs in some butter, y'all).

A Jellyfish.  And my camera flash.

Deep sea diver, George.

Deep sea diver, Josh.

Mesmerized by the big Sting Rays.

All in all, Ripley's Aquarium was definitely worth going to.  Kids (and adults) of all ages can enjoy it.  It is entertaining, educational, exciting, and beautifully displayed.  They did a great job making this a family-friendly place.  You can spend a few hours there (like we did) and feel like you got to see everything without missing out.  But you could also stay longer and watch the feedings, see shows, and hit every little learning station.  I recommend it!