I love aquariums and this one did not disappoint. It is divided into two buildings, one for ocean one for river. It takes you through the museum in a specific path so you aren’t going in circles. The buildings are huge. But very fun to explore. My favorite part in the ocean building was seeing the sea turtles and my son loved the sharks and penguins. In the River building we both loved the giant river fish and all the turtles. He even got to touch an animal in its tank. Great family experience. The gift shop is even moderately priced

Great Aquarium! We had a blast. There is a lot to see between the two aquariums that are very different one being the ocean and the building next door has native and river fish. Traveled with toddler and was a great space to walk around. Went Friday during the day and there was not many people. Highly recommend stopping. With having picnic outside before we spent three hours here. All the tanks and fish are well kept. Tanks are clean and spacious.

This was a fun experience! I have so many questions! I certainly got my steps in! The price of the tickets covered the River Journey. Both were very interesting and entertaining. Some parts are interactive. On this day the penguins seemed to protest our being there... they had their backs to us... (giggles) and the Otter didn't show up at all. I saw fish I'd never seen and I watch all things nature all of the time. Masks are required... however not enforced. All employees wear masks. Parking is tight because it's the only lot in the center of a business intersection. We walked from our hotel. The food. Food is served, or should I say sold near the aquarium. The place was dirty and well, we ate cuz we were hungry and thirsty... that won't happen again. And just be aware, see the pic, if you order a salted pretzel... a SALTED pretzel is what you get. The Aquarium and the river Journey are well worth the money. I do suggest you take lunch.

We all know that if I rate this place any lower than this, it will be shuffled out of sight because negativity isn't popular on this platform. But here's the truth: it's underwhelming. If you've visited Florida, have been on any deep sea fishing trips, live near a river or spent any time near aquatic or riparian environments, you've seen all this and more. The best I can say is it does provide an adequate insight into water wildlife. If you have not been able to spend time near any bodies of water, it's a decent overview at best. The ocean section of the aquarium leaves you with the feeling of "that's all?" I CAN say that it's clean, well managed, and the staff is friendly. The layout and design is nice. It's relaxing and scenic. The buildings themselves are architecturally pretty. Beyond that though, it gets a ho hum shrug. If the tickets were any pricier, I'd say it's not a good value at all. For the current cost, it's a "fair" value at best, and that's being kind. The pics I've included are seriously the stand out sights. Sorry to be so honest, I can tell they work hard, but the true rating would be a two point five.

This is a fantastic date spot! I went with my boyfriend and some of his family and we all had a blast. The journey is easy to follow and the experience is beautiful. It's clean, staff are friendly, and it's an overall interesting experience. The gift shop is expensive, but the tickets are well worth your money. The website is still terrible for buying tickets, but we got in quickly with no trouble at the ticket booth.

I’ve been to some amazing Aquariums around the country but this was definitely in the top 5. It’s not the biggest, but the exhibits are really cool, the fish are very active, and there’s lots of fun educational activities for kids. My daughter loves the butterflies, the penguins, the jellyfish, and the sting rays. Lots of cool artwork to explore as well. I wish I knew to bring a bathing suits ahead of time because she ended up swimming in the fountains.

Haven't visited in years, but it is still as great as we remembered. Two buildings - with salt and fresh water. Plenty to see and enjoy. Fresh water exibibition is our favorite. Loved it. And since it was Christmas time there was even Santa in the building to take pictures)))

Very good aquarium. Everything looked healthy and didnt seem cramped. River Journey building seemed a bit longer than the Ocean Journey, but overall both are great. They have plenty of benches spaces out for those that need to take breaks from walking or just want to sit and watch the fish.

We had lots of fun between the two buildings of both the freshwater fish displays and the ocean display! It was a delightful experience and had quite a lot of info included. We really appreciated the uncrowded environment and was able to better observe the animals and displays. Fantastic adventure!!

Get your tickets online for specified time slots. There is no ticket purchases when you get there. I felt this was a safe place and most people wore their masks. The aquarium is near the river front and you can have fantastic views of it when you go to the top. The whole area is beautiful. They have the best fresh water exhibits of any aquarium I have ever been to. So vast that they have an entire building dedicated to it. Four floors of the world's species. Once done you go to the next building for the salt water exhibits. I would suggest going during the week we had a great experience and parking in front of aquarium but it can fill up.

Loved this incredibly large, multi-story beautiful aquarium. This is a place to spend at least 4-6 hours. Great for all ages. Well done exhibits and HUGE fish and endangered amphibians. Great crawl spaces under the exhibits and tanks for kids. Plenty of sitting spaces for us grandparents. Spend the day and enjoy the clean large welcoming space.

This place was wonderful. So many things to see. The lemurs are my favorite along with touching the stingrays. If you're looking for family fun and learning (without knowing you're on an educational adventure) then come here. My family from CA loved it.

If you like aquariums, you will love this one. Two massive buildings. The first is based on Tennessee Rivers; the second on ocean species. Plenty of surprises! The kids we saw were so excited. A great place for young and old!

Excellent variety of aquatic critters. From rivers and freshwater ecosystems to salt & brackish. Very informative and hands-on in several sections. Adequate bathrooms and snacks. Parking is a bit rough, bring the umbrella stroller for kids 4 and under just tryingbto help you out. Overall it very cool, parking was the only issue. Fair pricing

Very well done aquarium, lots of interactive exhibits for the kids including petting stingrays, sharks, and sturgeon. Nice butterfly section as well. Probably tied with the Dallas aquarium for the best aquarium I’ve been too. Really extensive turtle area as well and got to see a lot of species I didn’t even know existed which was neat. Architecture inside and outside was phenomenal. Would definitely go again.

This aquarium is so much fun!! Purchase your tickets ahead of time, they can sell out. With two buildings of exhibits there is so much to see! We especially enjoyed the spots set up to take photos. The staff members are extremely friendly and welcoming. Definitely worth the trip to go visit! Don’t just go for the inside of the aquarium there is so much to do outside! Our family’s favorite is all the water features you can play in! Prepare to have a wet kid!

Little pricey but it's a great aquarium! The river portion alone is massive and the size of many other aquariums we've been to. Plenty of exhibits and fun for the family. Kids love the stingray petting exhibit in the ocean side of the aquarium! Recommend buying tickets in advance so you don't have any wait and have a spot ready for you.

A fun experience for all ages that gives you a true appreciation of river ecosystems. Unlike most aquariums that I’ve been to which focus on the ocean, this one is almost exclusive to river ecosystems. It does an incredible job of educating and highlighting the biodiversity of rivers across the world, with a special focus on the Tennessee River and local watershed. Highly recommend as an activity for any group.

Such a great aquarium, and they are doing great letting in limited people each hour. Lots of space. Some of the hands on stuff isn't available for kids, but that in no way took away from the experience.

Awesome place for the whole family. Buy a membership it does really pay for its self if you go more than twice. Don't forget to walk around and explore the walking bridge and the park.

If you're looking for the most nostalgic Aquarium to go to in the state of Tennessee, I'd say the Tennessee Aquarium is the place to go to. As of currently, having the season pass(es) gets you into the aquarium without having to go through the trouble of planning an "appointment" and anything else involved. As far as wearing a mask goes, there was none to be found except for on the workers and the occasional precautions individuals, so I say wearing a mask in the Tennessee Aquarium is entirely up to you 😎. And other than the crazy amount of heavily parking (because it's Chattanooga of course 😒), the entire trip was just a blast and would recommend this place to everyone who loves to have a good/memorable experience!😆

The Tennessee Aquarium is a fun attraction to add to your Chattanooga itinerary! Our tickets allowed us to enter both the Ocean Journey and the River Journey, which we liked! The River Journey was definitely more of their niche…but the Ocean Journey was fun as well! Each Journey is located in a different building. There was a nice area outside of the Aquarium to walk around and there were also several picturesque locations. I would suggest visiting, especially if you have kids!

I absolutely loved this place! My family and I went here while on vacation and it couldn’t have been better. You get to pet sting rays and immerse yourself in the butterfly exhibit. They answer all of your questions in a respectful way. I would highly recommend this place for kids or even adults like myself that enjoy aquariums!

Aquariums are always on the to-do list, and the one definitely didn't disappoint! We arrived without really looking online about the tickets, but when we got there, you buy your ticket for a certain time slot. So we had to wait 45 minutes to get in, but it was not an issue cause there is so much to do outside the Aquarium that the time went really fast! They have 2 different buildings, which are both extremely wheelchair accessible. They have 2 pools where you can touch the animals, a beautiful butterfly room, lots of interactive things to do with kids, and so much more. It's definitely worth the trip, and definitely worth the money!

Great aquarium and very easily accessible. One of our group members needs easy access ramps to get to things and they had absolutely no problem getting to every exhibit in the buildings. The aquarium is very kid friendly and I highly recommend bringing children here. We saw the scuba divers playing rock paper scissors with some of the kids while they were cleaning an exhibit. There is so much to see to give yourself a few hours to experience everything. You have to get tickets in advance!

My husband and I decided to come do the Tennessee aquarium for my birthday. It was a wonderful decision we had a blast. The tickets themselves end up being $90 for two people so we went ahead and got a season pass that includes a secondary member $130 since it's much cheaper. The staff is very helpful and informative and patient with us since we were out of town. I definitely suggest going!

Nice aquarium with plenty of interesting exhibits. Sadly, the penguin exhibit was being renovated so we didn't get to see any penguins, but everything else was interesting. The butterfly garden was very nice. The staff were very friendly and pointed out interesting things in the exhibits.

Impressive! Parking could be tricky but we got lucky and were able to park on their lot. I’ve been to a lot of aquariums but this one is so well done. You really feel like you are experiencing the world under the water. Two buildings, one for freshwater (lots of local river info and rivers around the world) and the ocean building. The staff was feeding and explaining everywhere. Really allowed you to see the animals in action. Touch pool as well. Butterfly garden. Admission was around $40 for adults but well worth it for the experience. IMAX movies were available for extra fee. Also check out the Trail of Tears memorial and the river right outside. Lots of places to sit and enjoy a beautiful day outside.

I have been to aquariums in 20 states. This was the first time I have seen a cold water river display. Very unique multi-tiered building. Freshwater side seems newer. Impressive. Perhaps my new favorite aquarium. Many species I have never seen. Saltwater side has one super large very clean tank that winds all through the building. A few impressive tanks on the salt side. But you are done before you want to be. The fresh water side is worth driving or flying in to see. We really enjoyed it.

Customer service was very friendly at the front desk, we had to wait for the 1:00 p.m. tour, so we had 45 minutes where we walked around the outside and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. Very nice view by the river made the time go by fast and we even walked through the gift shop and grab some concessions from the snack shack. The tour is beautiful, everything seemed to well kept, we enjoyed all of the exotic fish as well as all the information that is posted throughout the exhibit. My favorite was the butterfly exhibit, I was told that they had more butterflies in previous moments but I understand during the winter time they can't have a ton of butterflies out. But they were very nice and there were quite a few of them to watch. Highly recommend coming here, all the animals seem well taken care of and there wasn't as busy as I thought it was going to be on a Saturday.

This was a really neat place to visit! There's of course all types of fish and sea creatures. Some so big it was cool to see up close. My daughter enjoyed it as well. She's almost 4. It is stroller accessible, I recommend bringing one.

What a great time! I went while visiting with my family and had my 2yr old. She had a blast and everything was so neat to look at. The 2 sides are amazing. I love how the tanks are practically the entire building from top to bottom. 10/10 recommend if you're in that area!

Such a cool place! Wasn't too crowded when we arrived, but we were in the opening group of tickets. The Rivers half of the aquarium seems way more robust than the Oceans side. My kids agree with that! Their South American and African lakes/rivers exhibits are amazing! I highly recommend patronizing the Tennessee Aquarium if you're near.

Pretty Amazing. Easy flow from one section to the next. No crowding. The kids were really happy they got to pet the stingrays.

It's really great. The freshwater side is very cool. A classic. Hope they leave it the way it is! The saltwater side is nice too though, I love the butterfly room is sweet.

This is a tough review because this place is divided into 2 sections...Fresh water and Ocean. The fresh water...not too bad...alot of info on different basins....I give it maybe 2 stars. Now...the Ocean side...I know alot of people has rated this place 4 and 5 stars...but this is really not the case...you just have a huge round tank and a building where you basically you walk around from top to bottom looking into the same tank at different levels....and out the door you go....NOT WORTH THE MONEY. You expect it to be bright and Ocean views...just dark hallways with glances through windows into the big tank...don't waste your money.

Our experience here is fine, although the building is little small. If you can help it, in the summer, be sure to buy the tickets ahead of time, unless you want to wait outside in the heat. When we showed up the line was short so we weren't waiting outside, but just wanted to warn others. Process was quick and easy.

Had a blast here with my babies. Be sure to go early so you can take your time and not feel rushed. To get your money's worth. Bring snacks and drinks so you don't have to spend extra money there. Also bring a wagon or stroller. Made it so much easier. Be prepared to take a ton of pictures.

(Translated by Google) Wonderful !! (Original) Maravilloso !!

We get season passes every year. My kids love this place!

One of the best aquariums I've been too so far! There's two buildings to go through and each floor is a different exhibit. This aquarium has a mixture of botanical gardens/zoo/interactive animal touching/and of course any water life animal to view. The Shark tank is by far the biggest and best one I've seen. Length: 1.30-2hrs to go through depending on your own pace. Price: $65 for two adult tickets. Parking: no on-site parking, street parking averages $5-15 depending on day and time frame you choose.

My family of 6 enjoyed our day spent at the aquarium, both my older teenagers and toddler found something of interest here. We loved learning about the diversity found in the local rivers as well as around the world. Offering lots of infomations, conservation and hands on exhibits we spent about 5 hours walking through and seeing everything. It was very stroller friendly and not over crowded. When we were done we enjoyed the gift shop, ice cream and splashing in the water river outside be sure to bring a towel for the little ones.

Great place for kids. Some things are interactive like the jelly fish tanks, you can push a couple different buttons to change the light inside. Kids can also crawl under and into a tunnel like area into some of the various tanks. Our child had a blast and it was definitely a memorable experience. Chattanooga is a wonderful city to visit.

Incredible Aquarium! The vast size of this place is incredible! Definitely top 5 Aquariums in my opinion in the country. The multiple levels, species and different views of each exhibit is mindblowing. Highly recommend visiting on your trip!

Great exhibits! Two unique environments split between two buildings for a fun way of separating the crowd and controlling the flow of humans. Adorable otters and fun stingray petting pool. Gift shop could use some work. Would've loved an ornament

The Tennessee Aquarium was a nice experience. They have a lovely collection of animals in two separate large buildings. The path is pretty linear, so that you are never confused if you have seen something before. My favorite animal was the beautiful black with yellow spots sea pancake (sting ray).

Very nice place to visit you vacation. It is better to gate tickets online and then you don’t need to wait in line. There are two buildings. Take around 3-4 hour visit all place. Kids will like more time.

We had such a wonderful experience. There was so much effort & love poured into this aquarium compared to other ones we've been to previously. Seeing the number of gators they had filled my heart with joy. Highly recommend if you're considering visiting 🐊

Awesome place to take the family. Both buildings tours take about 3 hours and the views are beautiful. The ocean journey has an area where you can pet stingrays and guitar fishes. Took a 2 year old and she absolutely had a blast. Prices are average for the experience and worth it.

We had a great time and the also have a market of craft items with lots of choices. They are doing some remodeling on the river side but only effects the gift shop. The tickets are set up for timed entry or the year membership you can go anytime they are open.

My children enjoyed this aquarium. They were not disappointed they enjoyed the history behind a lot of the sea and river creatures. The butterfly room is beautiful! Sharks are just roaming, the turtles , alligators, jellyfish everything was a wow experience. We bought IMAX tickets and the movie was really good as well.

The TN aquarium is the best and it only keeps getting better!! Every addition just makes it more interesting. My favorite places are the dark and cool spots - in the "canyon", the middle bit in the River Journey building that you keep spiraling down, and the underground caverns part at the bottom of the Ocean Journey building.

The way the aquarium is set up is great. You get to travel downward to see both fresh and salt water animals at variable depths. The outside fountains and splash features are also a nice touch on a hot day. I will say be aware of the transitions from path to path on the outside. Saw a nasty wipe out on a 1/2 inch pathway variant.

One of my favorite places on Earth! I thought it was the best place ever and then in 2012 they added the River Giants exhibit and somehow it got even better. We used to live in Chattanooga and got season passes, I would visit twice a week if I could and I am pretty sure my wife did for most of a year.

A beautiful and educational experience. You can take the whole family, and there's something everyone will enjoy. There is a man-made creek out front, public access, and anyone is welcome to splash and play. The exhibits are spectacular, from glorious gardens and a butterfly room to the land of glowing jellyfish. I really enjoyed the river side, as it helps to teach our children about the place they live. There are several exhibits on being respectful to our planet. Most importantly, our 2 younger children got away from us in one of the areas with little lighting. The staff was awesome! They were ready to lock that place up tight the moment we told them what was going on. Luckily, the kids turned up about 30 seconds after that. It was very reassuring that the staff took it so seriously. Plus, you're in downtown Chattanooga! You can grab a bite to eat at any of the numerous delicious restaurants within walking distance after you tour the museum! Give yourself 3-5 hours to fully enjoy. We will be back. It's already our 3rd trip.

This is a very nice and larger Aquarium! Has plenty of things to view, learn and even touch some of the fish/wildlife. This would make a great family day out or weekend. While there I got to experience the staff feed the sting rays and some of the fish.

I went with my kids and extended family. Let me tell you, it's a must to visit when in Chattanooga. They have interactive pools for touching fish. The staff was inviting and the place was very clean. Just go, don't even think about it. It's good for everyone.

Very well put together aquarium in downtown Chattanooga. I really like how they have both the freshwater and saltwater building start at the top of the buildings where you take an escalator to get to, and you just gradually work down to the bottom of each building. The staff were super friendly and the experience was well worth it.

Saturday crazy busy!! I looked online before traveling. Nothing said to purchase tickets in advance. We had to wait 3 hours before we could even schedule a time to enter the aquarium. On top of that, we had to pay 15$ to park. Ended up having to purchase tickets for the next day and come back because the next scheduled time would not give us enough time to view both fresh and salt water sides. We are not local. Hopefully, this will be worth the return trip tomorrow!! Follow up, we drove back to Chattanooga and visited both sites. We had to pay another 15$ to park. The salt water side was okay. The older fresh water side was very nice. I have to be honest, it was NOT worth 110$ for 3 of us, but it had been over 10 years since we had been. Probably will not return for another 10 years. The city was clean and there were a lot of places to eat.

Great aquarium! Fun exhibits, interactive activities for kids, and very easy to see the animals. They do a great job designing the exhibits so they flow well. I especially loved how we saw the deep sea ocean exhibit from so many different angles as we progressed through the ocean section. My personal favorite exhibit was the turtle nursery! So fun to see the little turtles eating and learning to swim.

I usually only post reviews on places I’ve been in and out of and have a full perception of the business. In this case though, I did not have time to go inside sadly, and will edit this as soon as I do BUT the outside was mesmerizing and based on the building and the scenery I had to give it a 5. I’ve seen many aquariums around the country and although this isn’t the biggest, it’s gotta be one of the coolest structural buildings around.

Wonderful place! Great exhibits! Friendly staff! Beautiful things to see around every corner! Highly reccomend! Get the package where you get to see Rock City, Ruby Falls, and the Aquarium, well worth every penny!

Went back after 8 years and it's still as amazing as the first time! While touching the animals and the butterfly exhibit were closed due to covid-19, it was still pretty cool. The Ocean experience was kind of boring compared to the River experience. The gift shops don't have many cool plush animals, the only cool ones were ridiculously overpriced. I wish they enforced mask rules as lots of older kids and parents were running around breathing on the glass. Overall pretty great experience.

By far my favorite aquarium of ant that I have visited. They have 2 different aquariums fresh water and Salt water. I have always enjoyed my visits to this aquarium.

Finally getting to my gratitude owed for 2020 experiences! It’s too easy to skip reviews. Way too easy. This is another one on the list. There are positives out there and I’m making a concerted effort to praise those who’ve been great!

A lot of fun and a great location. Perfect for families or dates. There are plenty places around the aquarium to eat or walk around. Make sure to schedule ahead of time online and arrive promptly to avoid extra line time. Once you are in things are smooth and careful without being overly burdensome. And most of the exhibits are operating normally.

One of the top five best places to visit in Tennessee hands down.

Always fun at the aquarium. Must have had covid outbreaks because they busted me for my mask falling below my nose line. One time even said something after I fixed it and must have been profiling because I noticed only the minority staff said things to me the single white male, they passed a lady with hers down just to pick me out probably due to my gun holster or some other silly reason.

I just feel that if any animal is going to be kept in captivity then it should have the adequate space and not confined to such small surroundings. This place not only broke my heart but I felt disgusted as well. The things people do to make a buck or two.

Pretty cool experience for a quick little day trip.

Good, but quick..

The touch tanks were back open.

Wish it could be bigger but it was awesome

Awesome fun !!!

I’ve always loved this place since I was a little !!! ❤️❤️❤️

Beautiful!

An amazing place to visit, make sure you give yourself about 3 or 4 hours to do it though Chattanooga should be proud

Loved it. Not busy on a weekday. Our 2 year old was in heaven.

Was a fun trip more for children seamed like the shark tank couly of had more a lot more

I thought would have more attractions but we learned and saw some cool fish and otters!

It was okay I guess. But not for the price. Majority of the exhibits are closed due to covid.

Over priced, annual pass over priced as well, membership cards are made out of paper and not even plastic. We are in 2021 and still you have to wait long lines on weekends to get inside because scanners can't read people's taking pictures of their tickets because no one in this time wants to be carrying paper memberships. I would have thought that with COVID still here they will restrict the number of people accesomg the buildings and the weekend we went was so crowded that it was not easy to move around.

This place is so amazing

Great aquarium! The only thing is I wish it was together and more of and ocean exhibit.

They have otters here and you start with them at the top and it sorta zig zags and wraps around inside the building till you get to the bottom with lots of sea life along the way

Really nice aquarium

Absolutely loved it. Everything was very clean the staff was great and helpful. Can not wait till I can take my family back.

Best aquarium I've ever been to. Beautiful exhibits, amazing animals, and the absolute best staff. I could not recommend a better place to visit.

We enjoyed it

Not bad - I touched a sturgeon's dorsal fin

Worth a trip. Very well laid out, lots of space, social distancing was not an issue. The whole family has a great time.

Nice inside activity during the winter months. Beautiful fish.

(Translated by Google) I like its mountains very 💚 beautiful (Original) Me gusta sus montañas muy 💚 hermoso

Absolutely the best !!!!

One of the Best

Best place ever!

(Translated by Google) Cute. (Original) Lindo.

We have visited aquariums im many orb different states and this one was ok, but comparable to the some of the larger ones. Because of Covid-19 many of the activities were closed. I think the tickets should be prorated. Masks were required for entry. The staff was super friendly, so that was a plus. They had the six feet tile posted everywhere, but people don't follow the rules, so i used my sanitizer a lot.... The wading pool was closed outside, I'm sure because of Covid. It was a day trip for my grandson. He enjoyed it so i was happy. There are many eateries in the are within walking distance, so that was a big plus...

This is a great aquarium!!

We live in Georgia but still make the drive to see this aquarium rather than ours!

Love the sea world

Great for kids and adults

The best place EVER!!!! The staff is absolutely amazing!! Huge shout out to Emma, Damace and Scott! We live you guys!

Beautiful aquarium pretty big and worth the price.

The river building is the one to the left. That one takes longer and I would suggest starting with that one first.

Social distancing in place. Loved the fact that guests can touch sting rays and other sea creatures.

A lot of exhibits were closed but over all pretty dope. 🤠🐙

Absolutely amazing for the price. The penguins and the otters were one of my favorite. Well absolutely do it again whenever I'm in Tennessee.

Very fun experience. 2 separate buildings one for saltwater and one for fresh water

What a fun time! Chattanooga is so lucky to have such a beautiful aquarium to visit with your friends or family! Always a good time! Highly recommend! Just go see for yourself!🐡

Several exhibits were closed due to COVID-19. The place was very clean and everyone respected social distance. They’re doing a great job on keep the place open considering the circumstances. Overall we enjoyed our experience

A lot of nice tanks with a variety of creatures, also a pool where you can touch stingrays and sharks.

Love this place!!! My kids had a blast here

Friendly staff, super clean. I prefer this aquarium over the Georgia Aquarium.

Absolutely amazing!

Love it 💖💖💖✨

I was very hopeful about covid protocols from reading the info on their website but in reality no social distancing being practiced at all. It's hard to have a great day when you have strangers right on top of you during a pandemic. I took my mom who's recovering from a stroke and I just pray we don't get sick. Employees really need to be monitoring throughout the the exhibits.

Expensive but worth it. Loved all the beautiful scenery.

Great place and friendly staff.

Not worth the ticket price.

Fun place to kill half a day. Been before when I was younger and they must have added on. Staff seemed professional and helpful. They practiced good COVID ethics. The selection was decent, bigger than most aquariums. Definitely a good experience.

We just had a wonderful time!!! Our family loved it!😍😍

This aquarium was amazing! We loved the fresh water side!! There was so much to see. On the ocean side, my children really enjoyed petting the rays and sharks! The man that was talking over the speaker answered all of the little ones' questions, and was very friendly. It is definitely a must-see aquarium.

Always amazing, super friendly staff.

Absolute must

One of best ventures in TN

The Tennessee aquarium in Chattanooga is always a treat. The freshwater building is where you will spend the majority of your time but the penguins and lemurs in the ocean building really stole the show on our most recent trip.

Even though you can't where Crocs on the escalator it was pretty good. I saw a giant fish yawn.

Great visits I had here

One of the best laid out aquariums we’ve been to! There’s something to look at with every turn and there are so many different exhibits and windows that you don’t feel crowded. Lots of fish and wild life. Very impressive and kid friendly. Would definitely recommend. Also, go early or stay late and enjoy the beautiful river walk and downtown. Parking is super cheap and accessible.

Great educational, family friendly, fun experience. Tons of different species of aquatic life with fish, sharks, alligators, sting rays, and reptiles. Plan out your trip and order tickets online so you can avoid the wait. Parking at the aquarium for 3-5 hours was $10 and if the weather is permitting, it is within walking range of a plethora or restaurants and shops. Awesome downtown experience would recommend to anyone.

Had a wonderful time? The kids loved the attractions and animals. I do plan to come back soon.

I've been to the Georgia Aquarium a few times and it's amazing but I think this one was actually way more enjoyable!

I really loved the Tennessee Aquarium. It is huge and is a great place if you want a few hours to kill. I usually think aquariums are a “seen one, seen all” types of things, but this aquarium really blew me away. They also give student discounts if you bring your student ID!

This is one of my favorite places in Tennessee. It's huge, and very well organized. The staff is very friendly and helpful, no one there seems to hate their job. It's very well kept up and it's nice to see, what looks like, a very healthy thriving ecosystem in their exhibits (as far as aquariums go). It has tons of things for kids to get involved with, and some pretty unique and aesthetically pleasing exhibits. Very calming vibe. Very family oriented, a good place to take the family, go on a date and so on.

Kind & helpful ticketing office.

Great field trip experience! They were organized and professional every step of the way! We couldn’t have had a better experience and happier kiddos!

Kool

Great aquarium

Wait time was about 20to 30 mins.

Love!

Must see attraction in Chattanooga.

Easy place to purchase tickets. All attractions can be bought at IMAX box office.

Went to the ocean side of aquarium really boring as big as building looks from outside it is small on the inside people on top of people not much to see they have a tank of stingrays you can reach in and touch them which I guess is cool for the kids but the cool ends there

Great place

Yes❤️

Family had lots of fun. Very educational

I would give it 5 but i went on a Saturday. Don't go on a Saturday.

Place is quite busy but we all follow directions so twas alright...

(Translated by Google) Fantastic (Original) Fantastico

Too expensive for me and my for kids

Booked the backstage pass via telephone. Quick, easy, efficient!

No lines, but 6 stations to help. Very helpful in telling us about the perks to various memberships and the best way to see the most during our visit.

Awesome experience must take your children there

No problems nice staff

Love it!

Not enough animals or fish .prices are outrageous

They help for find the best price for what you have in plan for trip there.

Got through ticketing very quickly!

Line was rather long but it was the weekend after the 4th of July so we kind of expected a crowd. The line went fairly quickly seeing as how they had multiple cashiers available. My husband, an army veteran, requested 3 adult tickets and 3 children tickets. The cashier checked his military ID, thanked him for his service, and informed us that his military discount saved us $20. We later found out that they had only rang up 3 adults and 1 child so I docked 1 star but it was a quick fix at the Imax theater across the street so not anything that ruined our visit. Overall, I was impressed with how quickly they funneled everyone in and out.

Everyone needs to go.

I love this place AND I AM SO Going BACK

Lines move quickly. Very friendly staff.

It was fast and well organized. Line moved pretty fast.

Staff was very kind and polite.

This was my second visit. This time it was during the middle of the pandemic. I could criticize them for what they didn’t do but it’s a pandemic. They did their best. We enjoyed our trip.

Well worth a visit. It is two buildings, so can do one, go eat, then go do the other. Nice way to spend a couple of hours. Although I did not pet all of the sting rays, I petted around 10 of them. There were also lemurs climbing on my head.

Amazing aquarium experience! I would give this place 6/5 stars if I could! Not only are the two aquariums excellent, featuring a full size building for freshwater river dwelling species as well as a Marine aquarium for ocean dwelling species, but there's also tons of water features and fountains outside for the kids to play in after you finish the aquarium tours, so pack your swimsuits! The best of these fountains is the large set of "water stairs" right BEHIND (riverside, walking towards the river behind the aquarium buildings) the actual aquariums. Do not miss them!

Very nice aquarium but COVID precautions weird. Only tickets purchased online (fine) and hand sanitizer in abundance which is fine but science shows it’s masks that do the trick in preventing spread. Other than staff, I was the only masked person. Disappointed.

What can I say about my experience at the Tennessee aquarium. It was great! I live near Atlanta and have been to their massive aquarium. The Tennessee aquarium is much more enjoyable. There was a wide variety of animals to check out around every corner. The place was clean and well kept. I would love to go back the next time I'm in town.

Enjoyed the aquarium, little disappointed that the butterfly garden wasn't open but still plenty to do. My grandson loved the penguins. And I thought the reptile exhibits where very good. Gift shop is horrible though.

Me and the family loved the place, the exhibitions are beautiful, it is worth every penny we spend on the tickets. Be aware kids will get wet so be prepare ☺️

A fun way to spend the day! Interactive and large exibits! Would love to come back in the future! Very kid and family friendly. Sadly the butterfly garden was closed this time.

Pretty cool! I liked the river section better had giant fish. The ocean section had giant turtles and so many turtles in general. Also you can touch a sting ray

Super fun part of the whole Chattanooga experience with kids. I’m sure many compare this aquarium to the Georgia Aquarium & they are very close. I wish they had a show or some more interactive experiences, but even still this is a must when visiting Chattanooga!

I really had time to take in the exhibit today and learn a lot of history. There was not a lot of people since it’s a weekday which made the experience even more enjoyable! Your team members were very helpful and professional. I’m looking forward to coming back with friends!

This place was amazing! 100% recommend visiting if you’re in the area. Worth every penny! It’s a must see!

Highly reccomend! If you have kids that are interested in fish this is a great place to go. So much information about endangered species and how one can help. Both the river and ocean exhibits are very clean and have more fish than you can imagine!! Great vacation destination!

This is a must do. A great family outing. It is located in beautiful downtown Chattanooga.

Even though it’s not the biggest I honestly really enjoyed this place and so did my family! Being from Florida the Riverside/freshwater side was a bit boring but it was cool to see all the giant fish and to check out all four floors for that particular exhibit. The otters were definitely my favorite part. The ocean side in my opinion is where it’s at! You can pet stingrays, see lemurs, there’s an incredible butterfly garden, and little machines where you can get different coins based on the Animals you see if you’re into collecting those. I really enjoyed the gift shops we got some really neat things to take home with us although it is priced high as you can expect from things like that. The staff is super helpful especially the guy who does the stingrays. He’s super funny and friendly! All in all though it was a really good time and I would definitely recommend it to anyone! It’s also right next to the discovery center which I haven’t been to yet but looks awesome. And the river is right across the street if you’d like to do some thing or just walk the boardwalk.

Easy flow, wonderful interactive exhibits! Maybe it was because we are here during Christmas week, but it was relatively quiet and few people. Definitely want to bring our child back!

Nice aquarium, it’s divided into 2 buildings; one for river and one for ocean. The ocean building had a more interesting selection of fish, turtles, and sharks. There was a little butterfly conservatory and a small pool area where you can pet some sting rays and fish. They have a gift shop near the exit.

A great family outing. You can see everything in about 4-5 hours. A lot of kid friendly things to touch. It is broken up in to two buildings. So it is great to take a break and get some outside food that is 20 feet away!

Wonderful time of year to go. Fantastically helpful and knowledgeable staff. Wonderful place for the whole family! And they're still taking the covid restrictions seriously! Thank you for protecting the community!

Great place and experience. It's separated between "ocean" and "river." sections. There are tons of fish, sharks, butterflies, turtles, they have it all. kids love it! Highly recommend. It's also easy walking distance to other shops and restaurants the area.

This is an amazing aquarium! It's comparable to aquariums in Florida possibly even better. I love that they have the exhibits set up to reflect the location. For example, the penguin exhibit is cold while the alligator exhibit is humid and set up like a swamp. I also like that they separate the saltwater and freshwater into 2 different buildings. It truly is a fantastic experience for the whole family to enjoy.

There is no flaw with this aquarium what so ever. Everything from how big it is to safety protocols. The displays for the animals are very well maintained and the facts are as well. It's never over crowded because of how big the aquarium is. Good environment for the kids and for adults as well.

You have the River Journey and the Ocean Journey. The River Journey taught me a lot about river marine life which I did know before and we spent approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes. The Ocean side I was expecting a larger variety of unique animals but there was no such thing and we were done in 30 minutes. Additionally, the the butterfly exhibit was closed off so we could not experience that. The only thing memorable about the Ocean Journey were the penguins. Also, you have to pay $9 to park for 2-3 hours.

Had a wonderful time!!

Was a great aquarium loved the fact of the stuff outside it too which made it so unique. Had some amazing fish and just all around very nice place. Loved the otters and the fact of having a butterfly house was amazing although noticed alot of people not caring and some even trying to hurt the butterflies

I love this aquarium! It is located by the river in downtown Chattanooga. The aquarium has added some new exhibits in Ocean Journey building since I've been there last and in River Journey building half of the third floor is currently under construction... a new surprise! They also have a new Turtle exhibit. Oh, even the Gift Shop has expanded in square footage and inventory. I recommend visiting the TN Aquarium and believe it is a worthwhile stop when you drive through, fly into or live nearby in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

A very unique take on an aquarium but worthwhile. Some construction/renovation has areas unavailable. The seperation of fresh & salt water exhibits is good & gives time to enjoy, read about them & mosey along. The atmosphere & staff are very chill & helpful. The restrooms were well maintained and clean. The gift shops were also clean and organized. The staff that would provide insight at various displays were knowledgeable and courteous. We split the tour with lunch in between (we ate at Burger Republic across the parking lot from the aquarium & within easy walking distance. It is Veteran owned and operated and i highly recommend). I do suggest starting your tour in the freshwater exhibit as it will take longer to see. The saltwater exhibit is rather quick but take your time in the lemur enclosure, butterfly room and penguins. Lots of laughs to be had! Overall a great afternoon spent with family!

We've been to a lot of aquariums but this one ranks among the top. There's two sets of exhibits, freshwater and the original. We really loved the freshwater exhibits. It's laid out in a clever manner and there's lots of unique species for something so inland. Staff are all friendly and knowledgeable, too. This is definitely a great place to spend an afternoon!

It was certainly interesting how the aquarium tanks were designed inside a 3 or 4 story building. Floor to ceiling tanks were phenomenal. Both roof top habitats were amazing. Also the butterfly garden felt like a dream come true. So many different little ecosystems of fish in one huge tank and you got to see it all! Having 2 buildings made it nice to take a break in between with the little one! The area between them was beautiful with little creeks to play in. I reccomend buying tickets in advance.

This place is great, and was not my first trip there. We arrived 2.5 hours after it opened. I get that kids touch everything (some adults too), so the aquarium glass in many places were very smudged and hard to really see through. The water was a bit cloudy in most tanks. But it is educational, and still a great place to check out.

Hands down one of the best aquariums I’ve ever visited! Definitely worth the price as the variety of animals is fascinating and incredible. This aquarium is definitely fit for all ages and recommend bringing your family or possibly even exploring on your own. The two different buildings both offer incredible exhibits that are so much fun to explore. The only negative we experienced is that we got there a little too late and had to rush to finish. Highly recommend picking an earlier time so that you are ensure more time to enjoy this amazing place!

Went here for a trip with my mom for my birthday, absolutely loved it! Felt like a little kid again when I got inside. Everyone of the staff was super nice and helpful. Also, they were very nice to me and my service dog.

Our favorite aquarium we’ve ever seen! We drive almost 4 hours just to visit for a day trip when possible. We love how clean and how well the animals are taken care of. Today we got to see divers cleaning the tanks. One diver was so very sweet when he saw my autistic son holding a river toy and signed for a photo with him! That definitely made our day!

Fantastic experience! You can literally spend days here with all of the exhibits and information provided. I must say, my expectations level was very low and I was pleasantly surprised! It was the highlight of my visit to the beautiful town of Chattanooga!! We’ll put together and we’ll thought out! You enter the aquarium on an escalator and slowly walk your way through the exhibits downward thereby eliminating any climbing. Each exhibit was carefully crafted and placed, organized with similar exhibits. From penguins to octopuses to butterflies to alligators you will be enthralled with your visit! Very helpful staff!

I loved it! The way the exhibits are laid out is super cool. You start at the top floor and work your way down through the central display area, and there are little side displays as you go forward. There's a ton of cool info, lots of TN native fish and turtles, and so much to see. Definitely worth the price of admission.

There are 2 buildings and a beautifully designed space in between. You start from the tops of the buildings and work your way down, so it is a very easy and accessible attraction. It takes about 3 hours to do both buildings if you don't stop to read all the informative educational plaques or try out the touch tanks. The River building does have more tanks to look at, but the Ocean building has equal amount of entertainment. You do have to pay for parking and there are lots of places around to go eat at afterwards. Great for all ages.

A nice aquarium but it could definitely be better. I find the lighting in many of the exhibits pretty depressing, and the river giants area is extremely repetitive, floor after floor. I like the butterfly room but there should be staff inside assisting guests with handling them. While the two buildings are expansive, I don’t feel like there is much variation in species to match the space there is. That being said, the kids loved the outdoor water play areas! Very unique and fun. The otters, the turtle nursery, and the sturgeons were a big hit, too. We had a good time, although I would love to see some improvements made in the future.

We toured this place in about an hour and was expecting a bit more. We enjoyed our time and saw some unique reptiles and fish from around the world. Here are some pictures of what we saw. I'd recommend doing this if you have young kids or you're looking for something to do in and around the Chattanooga area. I must say, though, that Atlanta's Aquarium was much cooler 😎 and better.

This is is a good place to take your family! There’s allot to do, and allot to look at in the area, and plenty of places to eat. I have memories of going here as a little kid, and it’s still just as fun. The fish seem healthy, and it’s a good sized aquarium. Definitely worth checking out!

Making memories and enjoying this amazing gem of an aquarium. Purchase your tickets online to beat the lines. We went during the 11:30 time slot and it was a perfect time, when we were at the ocean building they were feeding. So cool to see the sea turtles munching on a head of romaine lettuce and the shark taking the fish from the feeding pole!

We took our 1 yr old and he had a blast! We only had time to do the River building, but it was awesome. He even got to pet a sturgeon. We went on a non special Tuesday and there were still a bunch of people there.

Tennessee Aquarium. Popular aquarium located by the river in Chattanooga Tennessee (TN). Great layout. Awesome collection. Great gift shop. Must visit for kids and everyone in general. Great location. Usually plenty of parking in the area. Awesome food options in and around the attraction. Polite and friendly staff. Helpful with any questions you may have or for any assistance

An absolutely wonderful experience! The freshwater exhibits are spectacular and they cover so many species. The saltwater aquarium is equally as cool and it also has a butterfly atrium on top