In the River Journey, a long switchback ramp replicates the flow of a river down the mountain into the ocean. In addition to walking past displays filled with river fish of various ecosystems, side rooms lead to tributaries and adjacent streams. The displays captivated us with realistic settings though we would have liked more information on the fish and habitats.
The River Gorge Explorer, a high speed catamaran, took us around the horseshoe bend of the Tennessee River up to what they call their Grand Canyon.
In the past, the river was wild and unpredictable. During the Depression of 1930s, Roosevelt created the TVA and directed them to build dams that would provide electricity, prevent flooding and make the river commercially navigable. Today the catamaran sped at fifty miles per hour on a tamed and commercial river to the canyon (not like the one in Arizona). Blue Herons and turtles sunned on logs near the shore. We drifted quietly past lovely homes and forested land.
After energizing ourselves at Rita’s custard and Italian ice shop, we returned to the aquarium to tour their second building, Ocean Journey. First Anna Lee needed a bit more quiet before our visit.
As in the River Journey, the Ocean Journey has visitors begin at the top of the building and walking down through the various floors. We started in the tropics and saw fresh water sting rays. Then we were greeted by large macaws. Next we went through a small and lovely butterfly display. We also saw alligators and turtles.
Next came the jellies and the amazing dragon fish. As always, these displays are enchanting. Nearby are several displays by artists, including Dale Chihuly, who created glass work inspired by jellyfish and coral.
Foremost for us was the penguin display. While we may be partial to this flightless bird, we can assure you that this was one of the best penguin exhibits we have seen.
Two points stand out, the posters of ten things that distinguish penguins and the excellent backdrop of the penguin rookery which was more realistic than any we have seen outside of Antarctica where we saw the real thing.
Cheryl, our natural history museum daughter, influences the way we look at museums and this one earns a “do not miss rating.” We would try the “behind the scenes at the aquarium” tour rather than the catamaran next time.
Anna Lee confesses a serious character flaw: she gets hungry for fish after visiting aquaria but not for meat after going to the zoo. To satisfy her hunger we went out for really good sushi.
While enjoying our dinner, the increasingly warm and humid weather changed and the skies began to pound and pour. Jerry had to wear a garbage bag to slog his way back to get the car. (No photo).
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