While pirates may have spent a fair amount of time looting and pillaging on the high seas a few centuries back, these notorious plunderers and privateers still took time off every now and then to enjoy a good party. On December 31, Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies will raise the sails for a swashbuckling adventure of its own when it hosts its 5th Annual New Year’s Eve Party from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
The celebration will be held in true buccaneer fashion as the aquarium’s special “Pirates! Predators of the Sea” exhibition helps set the stage for the night’s activities. Attendees are welcome to dress in pirate costumes, if they choose, and pirate party favors will be handed out to all guests on their arrival.
“Our ‘Pirates!’ exhibition has been a big hit this year, so we thought it would be the perfect theme for our New Year’s Eve Party,” says Karl Thomas, director of marketing for Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies. “Most of us enjoyed pretending to be pirates when we were kids, and now this celebration will give our guests the perfect reason to enjoy being pirates as grown-ups.”
However, living the pirate’s life isn’t the only treasure to be discovered inside the aquarium that night. Guests will be able to explore the undersea depths of Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies and party the night away with thousands of ocean creatures, including 12-foot sharks. An eight-piece band and a DJ will provide music at two different dance areas, and heavy hors d’oeuvres will be served throughout the evening. Party packages even include a champagne toast for the adults.
“Being able to ring in the New Year in this kind of setting will be a truly unique experience,” Thomas says. “I can’t imagine any other New Year’s Eve event that would compare to it.”
At midnight, guests will be able to view the ball drop and pyrotechnics show taking place down the street at the Space Needle from the aquarium and then go back inside where it’s warm to enjoy the first hour of 2006.
Party packages, which include aquarium admission, party favors, live music, food and a champagne toast, range from $99.95 for couples to $59.95 for singles to $24.95 for children ages 3 to 12. Prices do not include tax. Those bringing children that evening can take advantage of the aquarium’s Educational Childcare programs, which are offered in limited availability to children ages 3 to 12. Advance arrangements for child care are required.
The aquarium is located at traffic light #5 on the Parkway in Gatlinburg, TN and is open 365 days a year. The Aquarium closes to the public at 9 pm on New Year’s Eve and opens to party guests at 9:01 p.m. To purchase tickets for the New Year’s Eve Party, you may visit Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies or call, toll free, 888-240-1358.

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