While we were in the Great Smoky Mountains a few weeks ago (see my photos from Parrot Mountain), we visited Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies. I was surprised to learn that it is owned by the same company that does the Ripley’s Believe It Or Not books, comics, and TV show.
Mr. Handsome and I have somehow become aquarium and zoo people. I didn’t grow up spending time at either, but since we have been married, we have visited quite a few (Nashville Zoo at Grassmere, Chattanooga’s Tennessee Aquarium, St. Louis Zoo, New Orleans Audubon Zoo, and Memphis Zoo). We also went to the Knoxville Zoo on our way home from the Smokies. We both agree that going to a zoo or aquarium isn’t the absolute most exciting thing that anyone could ever do with their time, but we love how relaxing and therapeutic it is to walk through the exhibits and watch the animals. You can allow yourself to lose track of time for a few hours.
The aquarium has a huge shark tank, where you can see the sharks from above water and then walk through a glass tunnel and watch them swim above you.
The creature in Shark Lagoon that fascinated us the most is not actually a shark, although it looks like one. It’s a sawfish, and while it can cause harm to prey with its “saw,” it is not aggressive towards humans (unlike actual sharks). It also has what looks like a human face on its underside.
The penguin exhibit was my favorite, and it was hilarious to put Little Buddy up to the glass and watch a swimming penguin try to grab his swinging pacifier.
The stingrays were also pretty neat and reminded us of our honeymoon on Grand Cayman, when we swam with wild stingrays at Stingray City. Mr. Handsome enjoyed seeing the jellyfish, but he now unfortunately wants one as a pet.
I doubt any place would be allowed to use the name Ripley’s if not connected with THE Ripley’s.
I agree with Mr. Handsome!! I saw a huge jellyfish exhibit at the Boston Aquarium (maybe it’s called the New England Aquarium) about 20 years ago and they are so cool and relaxing to watch. I had been plotting for years how to get an aquarium with jellyfish but I always came up short on how to feed them.
I didn’t even think about food. I wonder what they eat. Maybe small fish?
I think they mostly eat zooplankton. Probably has to be from saltwater too. There has to be a way of making it if aquariums away from the ocean can support various saltwater plankton eating creatures. I suspect it’s quite the hassle and rather expensive. So, I’m sticking to the dreams of pet jellyfish! 🙂
You can get brine shrimp jellyfish food. They usually eat plankton, larvae, and fish eggs in the ocean.
Thanks! Maybe my fish tank full of jellies isn’t that far fetched after all!
Great pictures. Thank you for sharing them,and adding the captions. When I see creatures like these, I think God has a sense of humor to create such.
Yes, I agree! Glad you enjoyed the pictures. 🙂
Thank you Ellie for the nice pictures! I bet going to the aquarium and zoo was exciting for Mr. H Jr. Will you and Mr. Handsome be taking your Little Buddy hiking this fall?☺
Yep he enjoyed it. We hope to take him hiking more this fall. We have done a few short hikes, but baby-wearing in 90-degree heat is rough, LOL.
Ellie
Nice pictures. Reading about your zoo/aquatic trips is peaceful. You, also, are raising awareness about the natural world we all are an inter connected part of and share.
I love zoos and aquariums…probably far more than my kids! I think they never lose excitement for me because the “show” is always different whenever you go. A museum will mostly stay the same, but animals are always doing something different on any given day. I find it fun to photograph them, too, which probably helps. I could watch jellyfish for hours! The aquarium in Baltimore and the Ripley’s aquarium in Toronto both had great jellyfish exhibits. In Baltimore I even got to touch the top of one! Apparently it is possible to have a home jellyfish tank–I pinned one on Pinterest (to my “bucket list” board!) and if you Google it there are lots of different tanks available. I imagine it’s a lot of work, but how cool!
I agree, Amy, it’s always a different experience. I have heard that the Ripley’s Aquarium in Toronto is one of the best. Did you think so?
Ellie
Jellyfish are hypnotic to watch, but keeping one as a pet doesn’t seem like a good idea. They don’t live too long in home tanks.
Manta Rays are my favourite animals!!!!! #1!!!!! They are super crazy looking, and that is why I love them, sooooooo much!!!!!
I agree, they are quite amazing. My dad and brother went swimming with them years ago. I didn’t go–it freaked me out.
Ellie
I’m really on the fence about zoos/aquariums. I thought about this a lot when we took our grandchildren to a mid-sized zoo this weekend. On the one hand, zoos gives children a place to see actual wild animals they wouldn’t normally see; it’s a place to house rescued animals; gives scientists a place to learn more about the animals housed there. On the other hand, it was sad to see the baboons in a total concrete habitat sweeping straw around the floor, aimlessly. It certainly left me wondering if all the animals wouldn’t be happier/more content/less restricted in their natural homes that God created for them. I guess, overall, I’m not much of a zoo person.
Zoos operate as conservation and breeding places. The exhibits bring in visitors and revenue. The exhibits are also supposed to educate and make the public feel more sympathetic about protecting these species. But I agree with you that some animals can go a little stir crazy in that environment, no matter how much stimulation they’re given. Unfortunately, with climate change, poaching, and development in natural habitats, sometimes a zoo is the safest place for a species to be. Most zoos take care of the animals responsibly, but there have definitely been exceptions. My advice is if you want to support a zoo by going there, first look into how they run their operation. Do they have a good reputation or bad press? Are they cooperating with other zoos for breeding diversity? Or will no other zoos associate with them for some reason? I would not visit a zoo that didn’t have a good reputation. I would not encourage them.
Thank you so much. That is great advice.
In some instances it is necessary for animals to live in a zoo, eg, rescue animals as you said. However, I do believe that if you are going to have a public zoo the majority of the money that comes in needs to go to making sure the animals have as realistic of a habitat as possible.
I agree. Some zoos are very good at that; others, not so much. I realize that money-donations, endowments – is a major factor in the ability to create as natural an environment as possible in a zoo. If you enjoy and attend zoos on a regular basis, find creative ways to support them.