Tennessee Aquarium, Chattanooga: Photos, Reviews & Location

Waterfront complex with sea & river animals, birds & butterflies, plus interactive shows & cruises.

At a glance

#8 of 39 Tourist attractions in Chattanooga

LocalGuideWorld score: 4.70

0.4 km from the center of Chattanooga

Rating breakdown

5 ★79%
4 ★16%
3 ★4%
2 ★1%
1 ★1%

What reviewers talk about

Share of 15 recent reviews that mention each topic.

Service & staff60%
Price & value40%
Cleanliness27%
View7%
Location7%

1 Broad St, Chattanooga, TN 37402

tnaqua.org

(423) 265-0695

Photos of Tennessee Aquarium (172)

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Tennessee Aquarium, Chattanooga – photo 1

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Tennessee Aquarium, Chattanooga – photo 11

Tennessee Aquarium, Chattanooga – photo 12

Quick facts

What is the rating of Tennessee Aquarium?: Tennessee Aquarium is rated 4.7 out of 5 based on 41,470 reviews.
How does Tennessee Aquarium rank in Chattanooga?: Tennessee Aquarium is #8 of 39 Tourist attractions in Chattanooga by LocalGuideWorld score (rating weighted by number of reviews).
Where is Tennessee Aquarium located?: 1 Broad St, Chattanooga, TN 37402 — 0.4 km from the center of Chattanooga.
What do visitors mention most about Tennessee Aquarium?: Most often: service & staff, price & value, cleanliness (from 15 recent reviews).
How can I contact Tennessee Aquarium?: Phone: (423) 265-0695 · Website: tnaqua.org

Reviews (15)

Xan 2024 Jan 03

I absolutely love our aquarium. I highly recommend a membership if you live local, it is always a delight to look at our conservation and educational efforts in action. I went for my birthday recently and had the best time.

Jak Carsten 2024 Jan 01

We pretty much go every year. Kids love it and the exhibits are really cool. It’s a bit of walking but worth it. The area where you can pet a stingray is a very fun and memorable experience.

Outdoors With Shawn 2023 Dec 30

Top 3 aquariums that I've been to. After learning the history of it, it's even better.
All of the fish, animals, insects and employees seemed to be well taken care of. The admission price is fair as there is a lot of things to see and do there. We spent about 4hrs there and probably could have spent more. The only negative I have to say is the gift shop prices are a bit steep. $27 for a coffee mug is way too high.

Lesyushka 2023 Dec 23

Haven't visited in years, but it is still as great as we remembered. Two buildings - with salt and fresh water. Plenty to see and enjoy. Fresh water exibibition is our favorite. Loved it. And since it was Christmas time there was even Santa in the building to take pictures)))

Drew Adams 2023 Dec 19

We actually visited on our Anniversary, such an amazing Aquarium. Everyone (working there) was very friendly, and open for questions, we actually had a great time. We stopped several times and simply watched… very calming.

Kory A 2023 Nov 26

I went with my kids and extended family. Let me tell you, it's a must to visit when in Chattanooga. They have interactive pools for touching fish. The staff was inviting and the place was very clean. Just go, don't even think about it. It's good for everyone.

Sybyl Stringer 2023 Nov 19

Nice aquarium with plenty of interesting exhibits. Sadly, the penguin exhibit was being renovated so we didn't get to see any penguins, but everything else was interesting. The butterfly garden was very nice. The staff were very friendly and pointed out interesting things in the exhibits.

Heather Winder 2023 Oct 13

Impressive! Parking could be tricky but we got lucky and were able to park on their lot. I’ve been to a lot of aquariums but this one is so well done. You really feel like you are experiencing the world under the water. Two buildings, one for freshwater (lots of local river info and rivers around the world) and the ocean building. The staff was feeding and explaining everywhere. Really allowed you to see the animals in action. Touch pool as well. Butterfly garden. Admission was around $40 for adults but well worth it for the experience. IMAX movies were available for extra fee.
Also check out the Trail of Tears memorial and the river right outside. Lots of places to sit and enjoy a beautiful day outside.

Heart 2023 Oct 12

I've gone to the Atlanta aquarium for years because I love belugas, but WOW! I was so impressed. The design of the buildings is actually quite stunning. The displays were so well assembled, with incredible thought put into the layout, architecture, and even the surrounding park. We had a wonderful time and the staff were fabulous. 1.5-2 hours is the perfect amount of time for two adults to walk through all the exhibits. We absolutely loved the lemurs and butterfly garden!

Ryan Dyal 2023 Oct 05

I have been to aquariums in 20 states. This was the first time I have seen a cold water river display. Very unique multi-tiered building. Freshwater side seems newer. Impressive. Perhaps my new favorite aquarium. Many species I have never seen. Saltwater side has one super large very clean tank that winds all through the building. A few impressive tanks on the salt side. But you are done before you want to be. The fresh water side is worth driving or flying in to see. We really enjoyed it.

Andi Pelkey 2023 Sep 09

What a fun and cool experience! It's so big that there's two separate buildings, which your tickets cover both. It is very family oriented and stroller friendly. So many animals to see and learn about. There's a gift shop in each building with multiple bathrooms. You can touch a stingray and a lake sturgeon. It's a must visit for sure! Unfortunately, when we went the sea otters weren't out, which was a bummer

Carolyn DeWitt 2023 Jul 30

This aquarium is so much fun!! Purchase your tickets ahead of time, they can sell out. With two buildings of exhibits there is so much to see! We especially enjoyed the spots set up to take photos. The staff members are extremely friendly and welcoming. Definitely worth the trip to go visit!

Don’t just go for the inside of the aquarium there is so much to do outside! Our family’s favorite is all the water features you can play in! Prepare to have a wet kid!

Robert 2023 Jul 26

I loved it! The way the exhibits are laid out is super cool. You start at the top floor and work your way down through the central display area, and there are little side displays as you go forward. There's a ton of cool info, lots of TN native fish and turtles, and so much to see. Definitely worth the price of admission.

Lorantz Rogers 2023 Jul 17

Great aquarium and very easily accessible. One of our group members needs easy access ramps to get to things and they had absolutely no problem getting to every exhibit in the buildings. The aquarium is very kid friendly and I highly recommend bringing children here. We saw the scuba divers playing rock paper scissors with some of the kids while they were cleaning an exhibit. There is so much to see to give yourself a few hours to experience everything. You have to get tickets in advance!

Ultra Violet 2023 Jun 16

We all know that if I rate this place any lower than this, it will be shuffled out of sight because negativity isn't popular on this platform.

But here's the truth: it's underwhelming. If you've visited Florida, have been on any deep sea fishing trips, live near a river or spent any time near aquatic or riparian environments, you've seen all this and more. The best I can say is it does provide an adequate insight into water wildlife. If you have not been able to spend time near any bodies of water, it's a decent overview at best.

The ocean section of the aquarium leaves you with the feeling of "that's all?"

I CAN say that it's clean, well managed, and the staff is friendly. The layout and design is nice. It's relaxing and scenic. The buildings themselves are architecturally pretty. Beyond that though, it gets a ho hum shrug. If the tickets were any pricier, I'd say it's not a good value at all. For the current cost, it's a "fair" value at best, and that's being kind.

The pics I've included are seriously the stand out sights. Sorry to be so honest, I can tell they work hard, but the true rating would be a two point five.