RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT MUSEUM GATLINBURG - The Smokies' Oasis Of The Weird
Written: Apr 30 '04 (Updated Sep 02 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great for those who like Ripley and all things strange. Cool architecture.
Cons: Very expensive. Not very big. Parking and accessibility is difficult everywhere in Gatlinburg.
The Bottom Line: If you're a big fan of Ripley and/or really love the bizarre... then don't miss it. If you're traveling on a shoestring budget, then skip it.
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| radioroger's Full Review: Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum - Gatlinburg |
A two-headed calf... a fake mermaid created by splicing a fish tail on a monkey torso... a genuine shrunken head... a four-legged bird... a two-headed calf... a photo of a three-legged man... These are a few of the peculiarities visitors will encounter at Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
I grew up a couple of decades past the heyday of Ripley's Believe It or Not! cartoons, but I've always enjoyed Ripley's cartoons of the weird. The short, nerdy, buck-toothed Robert Ripley was a fascinating individual. Throughout the early 1900's, he traversed the globe in search of the fantastic, bizarre and unbelievable. He was an explorer, cartoonist, reporter and collector, and he was good at all of them. He was unassuming, somewhat shy, open-minded and extremely observant. Often times he would adopt some of the customs of the exotic lands he visited. He ultimately amassed a collection of over 8000 weird and exotic items... each with its own unique and unusual story. His experiences and artifacts were described via his famous personally-drawn cartoons, radio and TV. Ripley loved what he did, and he also had a knack for translating his experiences for the American pop-culture audience.
Ripley first opened his first "Odditorium" at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair and attracted over 2 million visitors. Today, over 25 Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museums are scattered throughout the world. True to the Ripley spirit, most of the museums feature extremely unusual architecture. The Gatlinburg museum resembles a three-story Romanesque revival building crumbling apart during a severe earthquake. The brick exterior has several huge faux-cracks a few feet wide from top to bottom. Some of the "chunks" of the building are horizontally offset by the cracks, making the illusion especially effective. The tower on the building's corner is offset by a "crack" and is leaning at about a 15-degree angle, presenting the appearance that the tower is in the midst of toppling off.
All of Gatlinburg's tourist attractions are located on (or very near) one main drag... the Parkway (US 441), so locations are expressed in the terms of traffic lights. The museum is located at 800 Parkway, Traffic Light #7, right on the corner. This is roughly in the middle of town. Just outside the museum's entrance, visitors are lured by a 5-ton solid granite ball floating and spinning on 1/264 of an inch of pressurized water. Visitors may put their hands on the 4-foot diameter ball and spin it in another direction. Upon entering the museum and paying the admission, visitors enter a noisy atrium filled with an eclectic mix of exhibits such as a mastodon skeleton, the world's longest chain of gum wrappers and a moving, speaking holographic image of Ripley. The museum has many chambers, some of which are rather dark. There are many stairs and narrow passageways, giving the museum a slightly claustrophobic feel.
Aside from those already mentioned, the exhibits include:
* A two-headed goat.
* Wax busts of two men, one with a 7-inch long nose, the other with a 12-inch horn on the top of his head.
* A sample of hair from a Himalayan yeti (a.k.a. abominable snowman).
* A short black and white film of men performing strange stunts. One guy hammered 6 inch nails up his nose. Another swallowed (and barfed up) light bulbs. Yet another swallowed 3-foot long swords.
* Many photographs of Ripley's oddities.
* Many scaled-up versions of Ripley's cartoons.
* A laser harp with invisible strings.
* Optical illusions.
As with all of the Ripley's Gatlinburg attractions, the Believe It or Not! Museum is quite expensive. 2004 prices are $12.95 (plus tax) for adults and kids 12 and over, $7.95 for kids 6 - 11, and $11.95 for seniors. Kids 5 and under are free. The museum is not really that big. It takes 45 minutes to an hour to peruse the entire museum... longer if you examine all of the details. I'm sure they have an elevator, but this museum would nonetheless be difficult for the handicapped to negotiate. This is the case with most of Gatlinburg's attractions.
My daughters, 10 and 12, enjoyed the museum. I also enjoyed the museum, but I was a bit disappointed... mainly due to high expectations. It's quite costly. It's not very big. And even though it has some really cool and unusual exhibits, there seems to be a substantial amount of "filler". (I'd like to see the entire Ripley collection in one place. Now THAT would be something!) If you're a big fan of Ripley and/or really love the bizarre... then don't miss it. If you're indifferent to this type of thing and you're traveling on a shoestring budget, then skip it. There are plenty of other things to do in Gatlinburg.
Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum
800 Parkway
Gatlinburg, TN 37738
(865) 436-5096
Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum- Gatlinburg website:
http://www.ripleys.com/bion/gatlin.html
My other Gatlinburg reviews:
A Family Guide To Gatlinburg
Park Vista Hotel - Gatlinburg
Ripley's Haunted Adventure - Gatlinburg
TO SEE OUR GATLINBURG FAMILY VACATION PHOTOS, PLEASE VISIT MY TRAVEL WEBSITE:
www.mikebechtol.com
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug
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Epinions.com ID:
radioroger
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Location: Rural Ohio
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