Ripley Attractions Amaze in Myrtle Beach

Ring in the Christmas season at Ripley’s Aquarium during the Festival of Trees! Themed trees are decorated to represent each of the 50 states. While you’re there, check out what else the Ripley franchise has to offer in Myrtle Beach.

Ripley’s Believe It Or Not

With more than 90 attractions in 10 countries, Ripley’s Believe It Or Not is definitely an attraction that should not be missed. Robert LeRoy Ripley had an obsession with collecting oddities from around the world. In 1904, at age 14, he sold his first cartoon to LIFE Magazine. In 1913, he moved to New York and began writing the cartoon “Champs and Chumps” for the New York Globe. He made his first trip around the world in 1922 at age 32. In 1929, he became famous through his newspaper cartoons, which depicted little known facts about exotic places and interesting trivia. In 1930, he started his own radio show and recorded live shows from underwater, the sky, caves, snake pits, and foreign countries. As his collection grew and grew so did the need to present his unique artifacts. So, he opened his first odditorium in Chicago in 1932 after a trip to Asia. The museum was so successful that by 1940, he had opened odditoriums in San Diego, Dallas, Cleveland, San Francisco, and New York City. By the 40s, Ripley had been voted the most popular man in America by the New York Times. He died in 1949 leaving behind all of his fascinating artifacts from the 201 foreign countries he had visited.

Now, Ripley’s legacy has grown into museums, aquariums, mini-golf, sightseeing trains, moving theaters, and much more all over the world. His daily cartoon is still printed in nearly 200 papers worldwide. Each museum is about 80 percent different from the other museums spread throughout the world. Items featured in every Believe It Or Not museum include original Ripley cartoons and columns, genuine shrunken heads that Ripley received from the Jivaro Indians, and wax figures of unbelievable humans, such as the world’s tallest man, the world’s fattest man, and the unicorn man. Most museums are uniquely built to represent the city or area in which they are located. The Niagara Falls, Canada, museum appears to be a skyscraper on its side and the Panama City Beach, Florida, museum looks like a sinking ship. The Myrtle Beach museum looks like it’s cracked down the middle as it sits on the boardwalk. For more information about the museum and ticket prices, visit our website.

Ripley’s Aquarium

For even more Ripley, check out the Ripley’s Aquarium. Known for collecting oddities throughout the world, this aquarium does not disappoint. The aquarium features a 340-foot long glidepath tunnel surrounded by sharks, snappers, tarpons, grunts, squirrelfish, giant stingrays, and more. The amazing tunnel allows visitors to feel like they are underwater with all of the sea creatures. Next, check out Rio Amazon where the lush rainforest is recreated underwater with more than 2,000 species of fish including piranhas, redtail catfish, and freshwater sting rays. Before you leave, don’t forget to check out the inner workings of a large aquarium in Systems Control where you will see how the aquarium manages 1.4 million gallons of water that travels throughout the building in more than 40 miles of pipe. Several other exciting exhibits will complete your tour. For more information, visit our website.

 Ripley’s Moving Theater

Finally, check out the moving theater that is complete with hydraulic seats to immerse you in the action of the movie. It’s a 3-D theater that allows the audience to feel every bump, turn, and dive that you see in the movie for a fantastic interactive experience that the whole family will love. For more info, visit our website.

From beach resorts to skyscraper hotels, browse through the lodging listings on our website to find a place to stay before you start planning your Myrtle Beach vacation!