New Exhibit at Ripley's Aqaurium

Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies in Gatlinburg Tennessee is a very popular attraction for tourists coming to the area and it seems like Ripley’s just keeps getting better and better. With a new exhibit and plenty of new visitors, Ripley’s Aquarium in Gatlinburg TN is promised to have a great year in 2009.

The new exhibit at Ripley’s Aquarium that is promised to send chills up your spine. The “Lethal Weapons” exhibit features dozens of the oceans most deadly creatures. Also new to Ripley’s Aquarium in Gatlinburg TN are plenty of hands-on and interactive displays that will leave you with a unique and very memorable experience.

The Lethal Weapons exhibit will take you well beyond the traditional jaws survival story as you take a walk through the aquarium to view a tank full of the most dangerous animals of the sea. For years the ocean has been explored by sea divers but beneath the calm surface there is a struggle for life going on between the deadly creatures of the sea. Every creature must protect itself, because under the water it is either kill or be killed.

The Lethal Weapons exhibit at Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies is packed with examples of the top survivors of the sea. From a Portuguese Man of War that will sting everything it touches to the crown of thorns starfish. The new deadly exhibit displays a golf ball sized warrior packing enough poison to kill 26 humans, a boxing shrimp, a lethal snail that devours food in an instant and experience 500-volts from an electric eel.

This new Lethal Weapons exhibit at Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies has been specifically created for this aquarium and is totally free with aquarium admission. Go ahead and start planning your next trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee and Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies. The deadly animals of the sea will be on display throughout 2009.

For more information regarding accommodations in Gatlinburg, visit our Gatlinburg TN cabins.

75th Anniversary of the Smokies

Gatlinburg, Tennessee is one of the South’s top vacation destination spots and with so many fun attractions, with the beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains surrounding you ,its no wonder this small Tennessee town is so popular. One local, and natural, attraction that you cannot miss when visiting Gatlinburg TN is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national parks in the USA. Since it’s establishment this Gatlinburg, Tennessee national park has seen millions of visitors annually. 2009 marks the 75th anniversary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park so this is the special year to visit Gatlinburg TN.

June 15, 1934 was a special day for the national park. On this day Congress marked 400,000 acres of land around Gatlinburg and the idea for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park came alive. The following years would never be the same for the tired town of Gatlinburg. The national park quickly gained popularity from people from every state and was dedicated by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on September 2, 1940. In 1941 its one-millionth visitor passed through. Gatlinburg is at one of the main entrances to the national park so it is no wonder why this Tennessee town is so popular. The 1940’s brought about more land for the park and a road was added to make it more accessible for the visitors in the area.

Out of the 1940’s and in to the 1950’s Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park received even more popularity. With shows being performed and exhibitions going on the Park’s 2 millionth visitor passed through. The National Park gained even more popularity when Disney Productions used the Park for the filming of their movie “Davy Crockett”. As the 1950’s progressed, more attractions started being built in and around Gatlinburg TN. Building more attractions brought in more tourists and Gatlinburg continued to become popular. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park made a large amount of progress in under 30 years and in 1962 National Geographic came to the Gatlinburg. National Geographic featured Cades Cove in their “People of Cades Cove” edition. Gatlinburg was turning into a flourishing Tennessee town and was in need of plenty of lodging for the new visitors coming to the area.

Environmental awareness was strong in the 1970’s and Gatlinburg Tennessee was supporting this cause in full swing. Endangered species were watched in the National Park and local streams running through downtown Gatlinburg and in the National Park were marked off and were preserved. The first Earth Day took place in the 1970’s and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was declared an area of high air quality. The 1980’s brought more change to Gatlinburg with the celebration of the National Park’s 50th anniversary. When The World Fair came to the area in the 80’s Gatlinburg grew even more popular.

1990 brought about more change for the endangered animals inside the National Park. The 1990’s can be known as the time period for protection of the animals in the area. Bears were rapidly coming to the area and visiting downtown Gatlinburg TN. With a blizzard in 1993 and the Olympic torch running through the area in 1996 the 1990’s was a turning point for the residents of the Gatlinburg.

At the start of 2000 Gatlinburg was booming with business and now, on its 75th anniversary in 2009, Gatlinburg is a very popular and busy vacation spot for people from surrounding Tennessee towns all the way to California. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is still protected for many animals and fish and people still have a great time when visiting the park. The Great Smoky Mountains National has continued to be a popular place for vacationers and local residents. 75 years is a special accomplishment and we can only hope that tourist will continue to give Gatlinburg and the National Park 75 more years.