Tennessee Aquarium

Located on the banks of the Tennessee River in Chattanooga and surrounded by the natural beauty of the mountains, the Tennessee Aquarium tells the story of the river – following the path of a raindrop from the streams of an Appalachian Forest to the Gulf of Mexico – from the mountains to the sea. Although the Aquarium has grown in size and in animal population since it’s opening in 1992, its story and its mission as a private, non-profit institution have remained the same; ‘to inspire wonder, appreciation and protection of water and all life that it sustains.’ The Tennessee Aquarium also operates the IMAX 3D Theater and the River Gorge Explorer. Just a block away from the Tennessee Aquarium, IMAX lets you plunge into an amazing underwater adventure or travel to the farthest reaches of the universe at Chattanooga's premiere movie theatre. Located at the Chattanooga Pier, the River Gorge Explorer is the Southeast’s only high-speed catamaran and allows you to travel at speeds of up to 50 mph with an Aquarium naturalist down the Tennessee River.