Located in Chattanooga, the Tennessee Aquarium sits on the Tennessee River and boasts more than 12,000 animals covering around 800 species. There are two sections, River Journey and Ocean Journey, which house freshwater and saltwater marine species, respectively. You can also embark on the River Gorge Explore excursion to the Tennessee River Gorge or watch informative movies in the IMAX 3D Theater.

Explore the River Journey exhibit to get up close to native birds and amphibians, vibrant sunfish and fascinating river giants, such as freshwater stingrays and lake sturgeon. You can also see exotic creatures from the world’s rivers, including anacondas and red-bellied piranha. Afterwards, check out the Ocean Journey exhibit to meet lemurs, stingrays, and penguins, then explore an undersea cavern with sharks.

The Tennessee Aquarium also boasts unique experiences, offering backstage passes to feedings, alligator shows, turtle encounters and otter talks. The IMAX 3D Theater is often showing fascinating shows on pandas, dolphins and sharks.

Getting there

The Tennessee Aquarium is about 1.5 kilometres from the centre of Chattanooga, which takes under 20 minutes to walk or around five minutes on the number 33 bus. There are ample parking lots around the aquarium and Chattanooga Airport is a 20-minute drive away.