The Wandering Disciple

A pair of sand tiger sharks patrol the depths of the Shark Lagoon at Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies in downtown Gatlinburg. Shark Lagoon is the centerpiece of the aquarium featuring over 8,500 animals from 75 different species. Some of the more popular residents of Shark Lagoon are the Sand Tiger Sharks, Green Sea Turtle, Sawfish and much more. There are three ways to view these aquatic animals; an over head view from the second level, an underwater journey through the 340 foot tunnel or a glass bottom boat adventure. (Photo: June 9. 2016)

Move over Shark Week, there are better ways to get up close and personal to the predators of the seas.  At Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies, you can come face to face with a several species of sharks as they swim all around you.  (Photo: June 9, 2016)

A jellyfish lights up in bright colors in an exhibit is just one of the many sea creatures you will come in contact with at Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies.  The top rated aquarium features almost 10,000 creatures spanning 350 species.  (Photo: June 9, 2016)

Gatlinburg, Tennessee: Our summer road trip is in the home stretch as we woke up for our final full day in Tennessee. Today’s itinerary takes us to nearby Hartford for a white water rafting adventure and later to the aquarium. But first we have to tackle our obligatory resort preview at the Westgate. But before our appointment at the resort, we headed downtown for breakfast at Crockett’s Breakfast Camp. The restaurant was made to look like a rustic breakfast camp in the wilderness. The food was really good and the portions were huge! After breakfast, we drove around Gatlinburg a little before I dropped my mom back off at the room and we headed to the resort preview. Because we booked this room at such a drastic discount through BookVIP, we had to sit through a 90-minute resort preview. While I was open minded and would consider purchasing if it was affordable, I also know my budget and the likelihood was slim to none.  The resort preview was by far the most frustrat...