Tennessee Aquarium

About

The Tennessee Aquarium stands on the south bank of the Tennessee River in downtown Chattanooga. It is split between two buildings. River Journey follows fresh water from the Appalachian highlands down through the Tennessee River and the Delta, and Ocean Journey covers the sea, with penguins, a reef, and a butterfly garden on the top floor. One general admission ticket covers both buildings and everything on the main tour path.

Daily programs run through the day, including penguin talks at Penguins' Rock, keeper chats in the Butterfly Garden, diver chats at the Secret Reef, and a feeding dive in the River Journey building. The Aquarium says a visit to both buildings typically takes 2 to 2 and a half hours. The IMAX 3D Theater next door is ticketed separately.

Entry is sold in 30-minute time blocks to manage crowds, and once inside you move at your own pace. If you run late, your ticket is honored later the same day. Tickets are sold in person at the River Place Ticketing Center on the Aquarium plaza, at 1 Broad Street, but time slots can sell out on weekends and holidays, so the Aquarium recommends booking online. It posts current hours and prices on its website. Guests who receive SNAP benefits pay $5 a ticket through Museums for All.

The Aquarium's primary parking lot costs $9 for up to 3 hours or $14 for the day, before tax, and a free downtown shuttle runs daily. A refreshment center sits near the River Journey Gift Shop, and food is also sold in Ocean Journey. The Charles H. Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center is on the same plaza, and the Walnut Street Bridge and the rest of the riverfront are a short walk away.

Accessibility

The Tennessee Aquarium is wheelchair accessible. The Aquarium says all of its exhibit galleries are wheelchair accessible, and elevators are available in all buildings, so you can skip the escalators.

The primary lot has four designated handicap spaces close to the buildings. They still require payment and are not guaranteed, and a few more are in nearby lots. In Chattanooga, anyone with a valid placard or disabled tag can park free at any on-street metered space in the city, which is often the easier option.

Manual wheelchairs, electric wheelchairs and scooters are all welcome. The Aquarium lends a limited number of manual wheelchairs free, first come, first served, from the Guest Services Information Desk near the River Journey Gift Shop. You leave a photo ID until you return it. Family restrooms are on Level 1 of the River Journey building, just off the main lobby.

The Aquarium works with KultureCity and trains its team members on sensory needs. Sensory bags with fidget tools and noise-canceling headphones are free to check out with an ID at Guest Services, and weighted lap pads are available at the IMAX theater. A nursing room near the escalator on the A-level of River Journey is sometimes used as a quiet space for a sensory break. A social story is online to help you prepare.

Service animals are welcome, but they must be checked at the River Place Ticketing Center before you enter any building, and they get a bandana to show they have been cleared. The Butterfly Garden has free-roaming birds and reptiles, so skip it if your animal might react. Emotional support and therapy animals are not treated as service animals.

Checked by Accessible America, September 2026. Report a change

More accessible places in Tennessee

• Adventure Science Center (Nashville)
• Ryman Auditorium (Nashville)
• Andrew Johnson National Historic Site (Greeneville)
• Obed Wild and Scenic River (Wartburg)
• Shiloh National Military Park (Shiloh)
• Stones River National Battlefield (Murfreesboro)

Photo credits

• The brick and glass peaks of the Tennessee Aquarium River Journey building under a blue sky.: Ɱ, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)
• The Tennessee Aquarium glass building and a wide paved plaza with walkways and trees in bloom.: Ɱ, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)
• Lush plants and a railed wooden walkway inside the Tennessee Aquarium butterfly garden.: Thomsonmg2000, CC0 (source)