Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies to Open Friday, December 9th

All eight Ripley’s Attractions will be open

GATLINBURG, Tenn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#Gatlinburg–After a closure to battle the wildfire, the city of Gatlinburg will open
early Friday morning, and Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies will be one
of the first places open for business.

“It’s the Aquarium you all know and love. Everything here is fine, and
we are even decorated and ready for Christmas,” said Ryan DeSear,
General Manager of Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies.

The Aquarium and surrounding businesses are eager for guests to start
visiting, including the other Ripley’s Attractions: Ripley’s Believe It
or Not! Odditorium, Ripley’s 5D Moving Theater, Ripley’s Haunted
Adventure, Ripley’s Marvelous Mirror Maze, Guinness World Records
Attraction, Ripley’s Davy Crockett Mini-Golf, and Ripley’s Old
MacDonald’s Farm Mini-Golf.

“If you came right now to downtown Gatlinburg, you wouldn’t know that
anything happened. You can walk up and down the streets, and all your
favorite places are still here and ready for business,” DeSear said.

The Aquarium is considered by many to be the heart of the community.
They have been feeding 200-300 people a day: emergency responders,
personnel, state police, and firefighters. It was important for the
Aquarium to use their resources to help the recovery efforts. DeSear
also remarked on how fast the community banded together to help clean up
and support the town.

The outpouring of support from around the world was overwhelming, and
many people have asked how they can help.

“We need you to come back and show your love of Gatlinburg and be a
visitor again. It’s important for the people who live in this community
to get everyone back to work. It gives them a sense of normalcy and
pride in what they do,” DeSear said.

For images from Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, visit this
Dropbox.

About Ripley Entertainment

Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies is part of the Ripley Entertainment
Inc. (www.ripleys.com)
family of worldwide attractions, the global leader in location-based
entertainment. More than 14 million people visit its 95-plus attractions
in 12 countries each year. In addition to its 32 Believe It or Not!
Odditoriums, the Orlando, Florida-based company has publishing,
licensing and broadcast divisions that oversee projects including the
syndicated Believe It or Not! television show, best-selling books and
the popular syndicated cartoon strip, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, that
still runs daily in many countries around the world. Ripley
Entertainment is a Jim Pattison Company, the second-largest privately
held company in Canada.

Contacts

Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies
Ryan DeSear, Cell: 865-850-8808
Regional
Manager, General Manager
desear@ripleys.com
or
Ripley
Entertainment Inc.
Jim Pattison Jr., Office: 407-345-8010
President
pattison@ripleys.com