Visit: Ripley’s Believe It or Not! {Gatlinburg, Tennessee}

The creepy, spooky, and downright icky can be found right in downtown Gatlinburg, Tennessee at the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! museum.

Nick, my twelve year old, is a big fan of the weird and the wonderful, so when I found out that there was a Ripley’s Believe It or Not! location in Tennessee, it quickly got added to our “things to do” list for this year’s Spring Break.

Natch.

Located right on Parkway in downtown Gatlinburg, it couldn’t have been easier to find. On street parking is available, as well as many hourly lots tucked down various side streets. Since this is the main drag through Gatlinburg, it is a hotbed of activity. If you park in one of the lots, you will more than get your five bucks worth. Guaranteed.

This Ripley’s museum has three floors filled with exhibits, over 500 of them, in every nook and cranny. Some of the exhibits we have seen in the other locations, and many were new. The very tattooed lady with multiple piercings (and the man who is tattooed from head to foot) has been at many of the other locations we’ve visited, as well as the art pieces made entirely of matchsticks. There were a number of old-school exhibits as well, including a giant Lite-Brite set and a game of Operation.

I think my favorite exhibit was the artwork made entirely from gum wrappers, and another one made from bottle caps and Rubix Cubes.

The sushi artwork made out of laundry lint was … interesting.

True to Ripley’s reputation, the outside of the building was just as unusual as everything that was inside.

Towards the end of our self-guided tour, we went down a hallway and opened the door to the restroom.

Ooops. Too funny.

If you happen to be visiting Tennessee and have a Ripley’s fan in your crew, it’s well worth a stop.

You can find our reviews for the other Ripley’s museum properties here:
New York City
Baltimore
Atlantic City

Hungry for more Tennessee?
Our visit to RainForest Adventures was fun, with questionable vending machine prizes.
The Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies is right down the street from the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! museum and was a great kick-off to our vacation on our first night.
The kids loved riding The Great Smoky Mountain Wheel, and it gave us awesome views from the top (gulp).
Jack’s Bar-B-Que in Nashville was a highlight and not-to-be-missed.
Our favorite Tennessee eats can be found here.
And lastly, some highlights from our week-long adventure.

Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
800 Parkway
Gatlinburg, TN 37738
Telephone: (865) 436-5096

*The Ripley’s team kindly provided us with complementary passes for our visit. All opinions expressed here are my very own.