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A night inside the aquarium with sharks
Sleep inside Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies—an overnight Family Edition experience with activities, snacks, and breakfast, surrounded by shark views.
Event details
Fall asleep to the sight of sand tiger sharks gliding inches above your head. Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, open since December 1999 and ranked the #1 aquarium in America by TripAdvisor, hosts its most popular overnight program on March 28-29, 2026.
For $100 plus tax per person, your family can spend the night inside the 340-foot Shark Lagoon Tunnel, one of the longest underwater walkways in the world. Check-in begins at 8:00 PM at 88 River Road, Gatlinburg, TN 37738, and the experience wraps up by 8:45 AM.
Children must be at least 5 years old, and the program caps at 48 guests, so early registration through ripleys.com or by calling (865) 430-8808 is essential. Bring your own sleeping bag, pillow, and warm pajamas since the tunnel stays cool overnight.
Your evening kicks off with a private dive show in the shark tank, followed by a scavenger hunt through the aquarium’s empty galleries. Pizza arrives around 10:15 PM, and then you have the rare chance to explore exhibits like Touch-A-Ray Bay and the Penguin Playhouse with educators on hand to answer questions.
At 12:30 AM, you roll out your sleeping bag on the tunnel floor and drift off with sea turtles, sawfish, and giant stingrays swimming overhead.
Here is the catch: no cell phones, watches, or electronics are allowed in the tunnel at night because sharks can sense electrical impulses.
A morning creature feature and continental breakfast round out the program, and your admission extends through the next day. The city parking garage behind the aquarium charges a $10 flat fee and accepts credit cards.
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