What could be more exciting for your students than sleeping overnight inside an aquarium, schools of fish and sharks swimming all around them while they dream the night away?
Ripley’s Aquarium offers overnight programs at various locations that allow student groups, scout groups, and family groups to come sleepover after hours in the aquarium, each experience jam-packed with fun and educational activities throughout their stay.
Perhaps the most popular Ripley’s overnight sleepover option is found at the Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, this location offers a Sleep with the Sharks and PJ Party with the Penguins option!
Like all Ripley’s sleepovers, each experience comes with essentially the same itinerary, which we’ve included a sample of:
- Intro, Unpack, Warm up Game - 8 pm
- Dive Show
- Late Night Activity
- Pizza Snack - 10:15pm
- Scavenger Hunt and Answers
- Set Up Camp and Lights Out - 12:30 am
- Wake Up and Breakfast 7 am
- Creature Feature - 8 am
- Certificate Distribution
- Sleepover Ends, Aquarium Opens - 9 am
The only major differences to this sample itinerary will be based upon the location you are at and what animal viewing they are offering. For example, when you ‘set up camp’ at Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies you will either be setting up within the Shark Lagoon Tunnel or the Penguin Playhouse, depending on which program you chose. The creature feature and dive show will be different as well. Here are the specific animal program options:
Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies: Shark Lagoon Tunnel, Penguin Playhouse
Ripley’s Aquarium Myrtle Beach: Dangerous Reef Tunnel
Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada: Dangerous Lagoon Shark Tunnel
Group size minimums and maximums vary at each location as well, but all follow the basic rule of 1 free chaperone per 10 kids and a minimum age of 5.
Each experience includes an admission ticket to the aquarium the next day, so plan on staying for a bit in the morning once the aquarium opens!
